Meater 2 Plus review

Meater 2 Plus Introduction

I’ve been using Apption Labs’ Meater probes for a few years now and they’ve really helped me take my meat cooking to the next level. The next level, for me at least, being edible, moist meat that isn’t burnt.

So I was super excited to get my hands on the latest connected probe from the Leicester-based company, the Meater 2 Plus, which promises extra accuracy, enhanced connectivity and more use-cases than its predecessors.

The Meater 2 plus adds in extra Smart Temp Multisensors, so there’s now five internal temperature sensors and one ambient sensor, which not only reduces the possibility of you placing the probe in the meat incorrectly, but provides a more accurate cooking time.

The new high resolutions sensors, according to Apption Labs (which is now part of the Traeger family), provides accuracy within ±0.3°C and they even stick a certificate in the box to assure you that your Meater 2 Plus has passed its internal calibration processes to guarantee that level of accuracy.

I’ve had the Meater 2 Plus helping me cook meat for the past few weeks in and outside my house, read my full review to find out why I’d highly recommend it.

Design and components

• Stainless steel deign
• Charging block is Bluetooth repeater
• Zirconia Ceramic band for connectivity

Upon your first look you may think there’s not much difference between the latest Meater and its older sibling but look closer and you’ll see that the 2 Plus is now a full-metal design, constructed of a high-end stainless steel.

The probe’s diameter is 5mm, which actually makes it 30% slimmer than its predecessor, although we’re assured that doesn’t mean it’s more fragile; in fact, we’re told the design is stronger than ever.

Everything feels really solid and premium, and that goes for the nicely constructed wooden box it lives in, which is not only its home but where it charges and also boasts, like the probe itself, Bluetooth connectivity.

I said it was a full metal band but you’ll actually notice a Zirconia Ceramic band towards one end of the Meater, which allows the Bluetooth RF signal to disperse.

We’re told that this material is one of the strongest heat and heat shock resistant ceramic materials available; allowing for the higher heat resistance of the 2 Plus, which I’ll talk more about in a bit.

The Meater 2 Plus is also now fully waterproof, so not only can you chuck it in your dishwasher, it can also be used for submerging cooking techniques like deep frying, poaching and sous vide.

The charging block is magnetic, which comes in handy for keeping it nearby your cooking station, whether that be your oven or air-fryer indoors, or your grill or smoker outside.

Pairing the Meater 2 Plus with your phone is a cinch, the whole process only takes a couple of minutes and then you’re ready to cook.

Features

• Works up to 500°C
• Great Meater app with cooking classes
• Multiple meat options

The Meater 2 Plus can be used for any type of cooking really, including roasting, grilling, smoking, air frying, or deep frying.

As mentioned, the temperature resistance has been massively increased; it can now handle a an ambient temperature max of 500°C, and an internal temperature max of 105°C.

That means you could chuck a big T-Bone on an open flame camp-fire and not worry about it breaking the Meater, or even chuck it in a deep-fat fryer.

The ambient temperature function, as with the previous-gen Meater probes, does away with the faff of having to apply additional sensors in your over an grill, everything is just done on the Meater 2 Plus itself, making the cooking process much simpler.

The whole process is super, super simple. Starting in the app, just select the type of meat that you want to cook. There’s a lot of granularity onboard now, it’s not just a case of tapping ‘cow’, ‘chicken’ or ‘pig’ and hoping for the best.

You’ll have loads of options ranging from specific cuts of meats, to whole chickens, fish, lamb cutlets, ribs and a whole lot more.

If you need inspiration the app also has a Master Class section, where you’ll find more than 50 ‘classes’ to join, where you’ll get all the info, with slick videos, of how to cook specific meals and all the equipment that you’ll need.

Performance

Once you’ve selected what you want to cook you’ll get a screen suggesting what the target temperature should be, for specific cook types.

For something like chicken, you obviously don’t want to do anything but to get it cooked safely, so the app will provide USDA recommended temperatures, for for meats like beef and lamb, you’ll be able to choose how you like your finish – i.e. rare, medium, well-done and so on – and the app will guide you through the correct internal temperature ranges.

The app will also guide you through how to to insert the probe properly for your specific meat or cut.

When your food starts to cook, the app calculates an estimated cooking time, which usually takes around 5-10 minutes to work itself out.

Obviously for something like a burger on the grill, you might be at the correct temp before it’s finished calculating but for longer cooks, such as a pork shoulder, rack of ribs or a chicken, it’s incredibly useful as it allows you to plan your sides, and get all your timings in sync.

Within the app you’ll get a nice visual on the cooking session, with internal, ambient and target temperatures all displayed, but if you don’t want to keep your eyes on your screen you’ll get notifications (customisable in the app) too.

Rather than cooking meat up to its target internal temperature, the Meater 2 Plus warns you to remove your meat before it hits the target, because meat continues to cook for a while after it’s removed from a heat source.

This means you’ll get spot-on precision from the Meater 2 Plus; although it does take some getting used to, taking a chicken out of the oven 10 minutes before you usually would, for example.

But you won’t have the worry that it’s not cooked because you’ll leave the 2 Plus inserted while it’s resting and you can monitor the final core temperature.

The data is sent from the probe itself to the charging block, using Bluetooth 5 Coded PHY that enables long range wireless transmission. We’re told a 760m direct line of sight signal is theoretically possible but that obviously depends on numerous factors.

What I’ve found in testing is the Bluetooth signal from the Meater to my phone is much better than on its predecessors, I didn’t have any issues cooking in my kitchen and getting updates while I was sitting 40m away at the end of my garden.

There is another option if you do go beyond the Bluetooth range although it’s so clunky that I honestly wouldn’t bother. Essentially, cloud-based Wi-Fi is possible, but only via a tablet or smartphone constantly in Bluetooth range of the Meater.

Inside the charging block is room for a AAA battery and this is enough to keep the power topped up for 2 years.

Obviously the idea is that you’ll always keep the probe docked and fully-charged when you’re not using it but, if you do back-to-back cooks, or you’ve simply forgotten to dock it then the good news is that it can be ready for a 2-hour cook in just 5 minutes, and a 15-minute charge will give you 12 hours of use.

Final thoughts

Cooking probes are becoming the norm now when cooking meat, with ovens and grills – such as the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL – often coming with their own-built in probes and sensors.

However, for those using older ovens, or grills and barbecues without extra-tech on board, the Meater 2 Plus is a fantastic devices for analysing both internal and external temperatures, making it easier than even to achieve perfect results.

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular device compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on how we test to learn more.

FAQs