This is my review of The MeatStick X Bluetooth thermometer set.
When I barbecue I use thermometers to monitor the ambient temperature inside my smoker and tell me if what I’m cooking is ready to eat. I came across The MeatStick X and got the manufacturer to send me one. I cooked with it a few times to find out if it was worth adding to my barbecue tool kit.
The MeatStick X provides real time temperature monitoring on your cell phone.
It can be a hassle to open your smoker or oven to check if your meat is ready to eat. This is especially true when annoying probe wires associated with other “wireless” thermometers have to be navigated.
This is not an issue with The MeatStick X. There are wires to deal with. You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your sofa.
The Meatstick X is not perfect, but nothing else in life is either. Overall, it is an excellent meat thermometer. It takes advantage of the latest technology to make your cooking experience better.
This comprehensive Bluetooth thermometer review will evaluate setup and use of The MeatStick App. I will also test the measurement accuracy and range of The MeatStick X.
Let’s get started!
The MeatStick X Overview
The MeatStick X is a smart wireless meat thermometer and charger set. It was designed primarily for barbecue cooking. Yet, it can be used in several cooking methods like deep frying and oven roasting.
It is completely wireless. This is one of the main features. This allows you to check ambient air and meat temperatures without using extra wires and monitors.
It uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with an Android or IOS smartphone. These eliminates the need to have WiFi access to use it.
The MeatStick probe contains two temperature sensors. One sensor is located at the top of the probe. It measures the surrounding, or ambient temperature. This is the temperature you want to maintain in your smoker.
The other sensor is near the center of the probe. It is the meat sensor and measures the internal temperature of the meat you’re cooking.
The charger contains a built-in Bluetooth range extender. The extender increases the range between the App and the probe to 100 feet indoors or 260 feet outdoors. You can achieve this range even when you are cooking in a closed setup (i.e., lid on smoker or closed oven).
Up to eight (8) MeatStick probes can be set up and monitored at the same time. This comes in handy if you are cooking meat types with different doneness levels.
BBQ enthusiasts can select The MeatStick products based on monitoring needs. For smaller cuts of meat like steaks or chicken breasts, a mini version is available. You can also connect using WiFi if you want.
Product Specifications
Probe Specs
- Ceramic handle
- Dual temperature sensors
- Stainless steel, dishwasher safe
- Bluetooth 4.0 BLE+ wireless connection
- Internal temperature range: 32°F to 212°F
- Ambient temperature range: 32°F to 572°F
- Dimensions: 135 mm (length) x 6 mm (width)
- Rechargeable: 5 yr battery life, 24 hours on a single charge
- Signal range: 33 feet for open grill; 6 feet for closed grill or oven
- Charge time: 2-4 hours
- Weight: 0.04 lbs
Charger Specs
- Built-in Xtender: extends Bluetooth range to 100 feet indoors; 260 feet outdoors
- Works with up to 8 probes
- Magnetic back
- LED indicator for battery status: green = good, red = replace
- Dimensions: 178 mm (length) x 42 mm (width)
What’s in the box
The MeatStick X comes packaged neatly in a small box. The box contains The MeatStick probe, the X Charger, and a user manual.
Charging the Stick
The MeatStick probe has to be charged before you use it. The manufacturer recommends charging it for at least 4 hours or until the LED goes out before using it.
You have to remove the battery cover on the back of the X Charger. Then you have to insert two AA batteries.
Next the probe is placed on the X Charger. The probe will not charge unless its metal cap is touching the metal tab on the charger.
You then have to press the power button on the X Charger to activate the probe and start the charging process. A solid green LED means that the probe is charging.
After the MeatStick is charged you can use it.
Setting Up the App
The first thing you have to do is download The MeatStick App from the iPhone App Store or Google Play.
I was able to download the App to my phone without any problems.
The MeatStick App uses an interactive guide to make setup a breeze. You are prompted to create an account . This is not necessary, but it will allow you to save your previous cooks.
I decided to create an account. This required me to provide my name and email address, and create a unique password.
I had to set up Notification permissions. The App instructs you to set notifications to “On” in the Permissions menu. This allows you to receive temperature alerts when your meat is cooking.
You can also set up permissions for your Local Network. This is only needed to share information with other devices on your WiFi network. I set this to OFF because I would only be using my iPhone device.
The App then instructs you to turn on Location Services in your phone settings.
The first part is to prevent Location Services when you are not using the App. You will get a popup asking you to allow The MeatStick to use your location. The App instructs you to select “Don’t Allow” for this situation.
The second part is to allow Location Services while you are using the App. The App instructs you to go to Location Services in your phone settings.
You have to select “Always” and set Precise Location to “On.”
If you have an Android device, you have to select “Precise” and “Allow all the time” in the Location Services menu.
The Location Services permissions are required for the App to work. If they are not turned on, The MeatStick probe will not connect to the App.
In the final step, you have to select The MeatStick set you have. All the options in their product line are available. I chose The MeatStick X.
Using the App
Before you can use The MeatStick App the probe must be charged. If not, the App may not detect it.
This is very important to remember because if the stick is not detected you won’t be able to do very much with the App.
I opened the App and the stick was detected right away.
For the most part, using the App involves setting up a cook. The interactive guide steers you through the process. You can either select one of the pre-programmed ones or create your own.
The pre-programmed cooks are based on USDA doneness levels that reduce the chance of overcooking or undercooking your meat.
For someone who likes simple things, I found the App layout logical and easy to use. It provides a graphical display of ambient and meat temperature temperatures with alerts that allow you to monitor your cook in real time.
While you are cooking, the App shows you the elapsed and remaining cook times. The remaining time calculator estimates cook time based on ambient and target meat temperatures. This lets you know how long it will take for your meat to reach the target temperature.
You can adjust your ambient and target temperature settings and alert levels to meet your needs. If you don’t want the temperature inside your smoker to exceed 250°F, you can set up an alert. This will allow you to make the necessary adjustments to reduce the temperature.
The App allows you can set up cooks in the following cooking environments.
- Grill
- Smoker
- Stove
- Oven
- Sous vide
- Air fryer
- Deep fryer
The App does not limit you to the English language. You can also select German, Danish, Chinese or Slovak.
If you created an account your cook profiles are saved to the cloud. This will save you the time and trouble of having to set up a new cook the next time you prepare one of your favorite meats.
Cooking with the MeatStick X
Setting up and navigating the MeatStick App was easy. I still needed to know how the thermometer would perform in action. So, I decided to perform a few tests.
The Oven Test
To get things started, I decided to test The MeatStick X by roasting a pork loin in the oven. I charged the probe and paired it with the App.
I set my oven to 350°F and let it heat up. With the App guiding me, I set up the cook. I used the pre-programmed settings for a well done center loin roast.
I could have set my phone near the oven and kept an eye on things from there. But, I couldn’t imagine giving up the use of my phone for an hour or so.
Like most people I have become so attached!
So, I placed the X Charger on the kitchen counter about 4 feet from the oven. The App found the built-in extender and boosted the Bluetooth range. This allowed me to walk around the house with my phone in hand. I never lost the connection between The MeatStick and the App.
Taking direction from the App, I inserted the probe in the thickest part of the meat. I inserted it up to the ceramic handle to protect the meat sensor from high temperatures and to ensure I got a good reading.
I put the pork loin in the oven and pressed the Start Cooking icon in the App. This caused temperature monitoring to begin.
When my alert and target meat temperatures were reached the App gave me an audible alert to let me know I needed to check on the meat.
The process was not complicated at all. Check out the final product for yourself.
The Smoker Test
I was satisfied with how the MeatStick X performed during the oven test. But, I wondered what would happen with the smoker. So I decided to smoke a pork butt for the next test.
I connected the probe with the App and X Charger. The X Charger was placed in a cool location under the smoker.
I then set up a cook for pulled pork on the smoker using the preset cook settings stored in the App.
The smoker was prepared and the meat placed on the cooking rack. The MeatStick probe was inserted in the center of the meat. I closed the lid and started the cook in the App.
About an hour into the cook I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. The reason was to find out if the range was really 260 feet.
I can confirm that 260 ft is pretty accurate. I was about 3 minutes into my walk before the connection dropped.
I could tell because the App sent me a notification when the range was exceeded. I also lost the extender, Bluetooth and battery icons on my phone.
Everything on the screen freezes except the elapsed time. Once you’re back within range the icons return and the cook status screen updates with the real-time data.
The next time I removed the lid, I noticed something interesting.
When you smoke meat, it loses a percentage of its original weight. The remaining meat is what is called the yield.
Basically, that means that the meat shrinks. This caused the meat to pull away about ¼ inch from the probe handle. This is a situation where the meat sensor can be directly exposed to temperatures that are higher that it is designed for.
I pushed the Stick back in and continued to cook. Be on the look out for this when you are cooking. If the meat sensor is exposed, there is a good chance it could be damaged.
In the end, I was able to cook the perfect pork butt with the MeatStick X.
The Accuracy Test
It is important for The MeatStick X to give you accurate temperature measurements. Who wants to eat overcooked or undercooked meat?
Even though the manufacturer performs a temperature calibration and vouches for its accuracy, I wanted to verify this for myself. The manufacturer recommends an ice bath test to verify accuracy at 32°F.
This is okay, but I wanted to make sure I was getting accurate readings at the higher temperatures meat is normally cooked to.
The internal meat sensor of The MeatStick probe can measure temperatures up to 212°F. This is also the boiling point of water at sea level.
Exposing the meat sensor to a temperature of 212°Fat or higher will damage it.
So, to prevent damage, I performed an indirect boiling water test. This involved heating a pot of water and measuring the water temperature with an instant read thermometer.
With the thermometer inserted, I checked the water temperature when it began to boil. The thermometer read 211°F. This confirmed that the instant read thermometer was accurate.
Since the instant read thermometer measured the boiling water temperature correctly, its measurements could be compared to those of other thermometers.
The next step was to compare the instant read thermometer to The MeatStick thermometer probe. I used both thermometers to measure the temperature of the pork loin roast right after it finished cooking. The temperatures were within 1 degree of each other.
This proves that the MeatStick X provides accurate measurements.
Ambient Temperature Test
When I researched The MeatStick X, some reviewers questioned the accuracy of the ambient sensor. So, I had to find out for myself.
Ambient temperature control is most important when cooking low and slow on a smoker.
For this test I put a chicken breast in the oven using a shallow pie pan. I avoided a pan with high sides to maintain airflow around the meat.
I verified my oven temperature and set it to 400°F (ambient). Then I started a cook in the App with a target meat temperature of 165°F.
Next, I placed the meat in the oven.
It took 35 minutes for the chicken to reach 165°F. At this point in time, the MeatStick’s ambient reading was 366°F.
But I noticed a steady temperature rise, so I extended the test by raising the target meat temperature to 210°F. After an hour, the ambient temperature reading was 392°F. That’s pretty much on the money.
What does this mean? In my opinion, the MeatStick does provide accurate ambient temperature measurements.
It read 92% of the target ambient temperature a half hour into the cook and 98% of of the cook 30 minutes after that.
No, it is not as fast as an instant read thermometer. But, these measurements are basically the same as the oven temperature.
What I like
There are lots of things I like about MeatStick X. I like that it performs as advertised. It is a truly wireless Bluetooth meat thermometer that provides accurate temperature measurements.
The interactive guide within the App is excellent. It makes cooking with The MeatStick X simple and easy.
The MeatStick X uses Bluetooth technology and has a range of close to 300 ft. This allows you to monitor your meat and complete other tasks at the same time.
I also like that the App can communicate with up to 8 MeatStick probes at once. If you have a couple of smokers going you can set up multiple cooks and get perfect results for each cook. Or, you can monitor temperatures of different meat types on one smoker.
At one point during the Smoker test, my phone rebooted. I was anxious to see if the temperature information was lost. To my surprise, when I clicked on the App the information came back up like nothing had happened.
What Could Be Improved
There are a couple of things that can be changed to make the user experience even better. While a cook was in progress I was able to change my meat sensor alert settings. When I tried to change the ambient target temperature, there was no way to do it.
It would be great to have this option if you make a mistake during setup. The only way to make a change is to end the cook and start over.
Although the ambient sensor is accurate, it’s temperature response time is a little slower than I like. This possibly can be improved with a change in the electronics.
Who’s it for
The MeatStick X is for anyone who uses meat thermometers. It provides precise temperature measurements that allow you to reach any doneness level you desire with confidence. It is not on the lower end of the price spectrum, but even budget conscious folks could consider picking up one of these.
FAQ About The MeatStick
How accurate is the MeatSteak?
The MeatStick is very accurate for measuring meat temperatures. When I compared it to an instant read thermometer of known accuracy, the Meatstick’s reading was different by only 1°F.
How Does A MeakStick X Work?
The MeatStick X amplifies the bluetooth signal between a smart thermometer inserted in your meat and the MeatStick app on your mobile phone. This allows you to track ambient and meat temperatures until the meat is done.
Can You Use the MeatStick in a Smoker?
The ambient temperature of a smoker normally set to 225 to 250°F. After the MeatStick is inserted into your meat it can withstand temperatures up to 572°F.
Is The Meatstick Waterproof?
The manufacturer states that The MeatStick is dishwasher safe. But it can not be soaked in standing water when not in use without damaging it.
Final Thoughts
I recommend The MeatStick X Bluetooth thermometer set for BBQ enthusiasts and home chefs who want a quality thermometer that can be used in several cooking environments.
This wireless thermometer review demonstrates that The MeatStick product line has several features and benefits that will make monitoring meat temperatures an easy and hassle-free experience.
The fact that The MeatStick X is completely wireless is a gamechanger in the world of meat thermometers. There are a few things that can be improved, but The MeatStick X is definitely a keeper.
