The Best Smoker Thermometers For Your Money

Cooking is a combination of an art and a science, and precision is key in a lot of aspects. None is more important than the most basic element of cooking: temperature. Getting the right temperature in your grill or smoker in particular is key to ensuring the meat cooks thoroughly without drying out.

A smoker thermometer is the best way to take the guesswork out of that, and the more precise the better. If you are looking for more we also have the latest review of BBQ temperature controllers and digital meat thermometers.

While lacking the settings of the TP20, the TP-08S is an excellent meat thermometer for those who want to save a bit of money and don’t mind programming the temperatures individually each time they cook.

The wireless remote models are very handy, highly durable, and extraordinarily convenient to use. Of those, the TP20 is far and away the best. 

Check out our full reviews on this product.

Soraken’s not a brand with a lot of choices, but this one is great enough to cover any dearth of choices. The most simultaneous meat probes around, all easy to use with a great and very responsive app for convenient monitoring.

The TP-07 is a great model, but compares unfavorably to the above SmokePro meat thermometers in a few ways, primarily its durability and safety features.

The only non-digital thermometer here, the standouts are its cheap price and easy to use nature, but it doesn’t perform the most important function a smoker thermometer really needs. A good supplemental piece, at best.

The Thermo Pro TP-08S is far and away the best bang for your buck here, but great honorable mentions go to the Soraken Wireless Meat Thermometer for its versatility and ease of use, as well as the Thermo Pro TP-20, which is the best of the 2 piece thermometers around, and is great for people who don’t mind spending a little extra for the peace of mind that comes with having the temperature readout in a single, convenient package you can carry around.

All the rest are flawed in one way or another next to those three, with the other Thermo Pro units being outshone by the TP-08S and TP-20, and the Soraken being the only non Thermo Pro branded thermometer that matches or exceeds those units in effectiveness and value.

The main thing you want to look for is a clear readout, preferably one you can see any time of the day or night, given how long smoking takes. Backlights are a must and electronic displays in general are a big plus.

That’s the basics, but anything extra is always great. The less devices you need to use at once the easier your life will be, so a good extra to look for is a built in timer to replace any egg timer or similar you might otherwise use.

Aside that, additional meat probes are good, the higher quality the better. The temperature of the grill or smoker itself isn’t the only thing that matters, after all. Getting the internal temperature to the right amount is integral to the art of cooking, especially with such a time investment as smoking entails, where you might be tempted to just dig in to something that really should be left to cook another hour.

Rugged construction is another thing to look out for. Nobody’s perfect, and dropping electronics outdoors can be a disaster with some devices. Try and find something that can survive a fall or two. It’s also good to look for one that’s water resistant or proof in case the weather changes on you unexpectedly.

Make sure to note the price. Most smoker thermometers are on the cheap side; between $20 and $50, but there’s no reason to spend more than you really need to. Likewise a good warranty is always welcome for a product, and a meat thermometer is no exception.

Finally, take note of any nonstandard features that the thermometer might have. Not every feature is worth it for everybody, but they’re always interesting to look at and see things that might tip the scale based on your own needs or preferences over another similar model.