The product: Weber 22” Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill

Overall rating: 9.8/10

Simply Put

This is the best grill I’ve ever cooked on—bar none. That includes any offset, gas, or charcoal grill—ever. Nothing comes close.

My buddy Caleb Johnson, who’s one of the best backyard cooks I know, says “there’s not any other piece of equipment I can trust the way I can trust a Weber.”

Usage

I fire this up every time I grill or smoke now [yes, you can do both]. I love the versatility: I can smoke hamburgers and then sear them over the hot coals to finish, or I can fully smoke ribs or pork butts or a brisket [more on that below].

What I’m most impressed by is how well it holds temp, which allows you to smoke meats with ease. I’m so used to firing up an offset and feeding it a new split every 30-45 minutes. That’s not the case with the Weber.

Using the snake method1 around the edge of the Kettle, I can smoke for 4-6+ hours around 250° without adding more fuel and having to lift the lid.

Functionality

The Kettle is made with a porcelain-enameled finish, which is strong enough to withstand regular use. It has a built-in temperature gauge on the lid that is largely accurate, though it’s easy enough to swap out for your favorite gauge. And the ash sweeper at the bottom makes post-cook clean up a breeze. As for cleaning the grates, I’ve found the easiest way is to burn off any residue over a hot fire before seasoning with high-temp oil.

Additional Features

There are multiple upgrades you make, like a side table that connects to the Kettle, or char baskets that you can use for two-zone cooking. I’d recommend buying a grill cover because although the outside is rust-resistant, the inside is not. I learned the hard way that a rusted ash sweeper renders it useless. Call me crazy, but I’m not going to spray WD-40 in my grill to get the sweeper working again.

The Kettle also comes in four different sizes: 14 , 18 , 22 , and 26 inches.

What’s Not To Like

Not much, honestly. If I have to nitpick, I suppose the smaller surface area makes it difficult to smoke more than a couple of pork butts or racks of ribs at a time—and it can only hold one brisket. But, again, that’s reaching for something. For a backyard barbecue cook who’s not feeding the masses, that’s more than adequate to feed a small group of family and friends.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of which Weber Kettle you buy, it will change the way you cook outdoors—from the versatility, the temperature control, and the durability. I said it at the beginning and I’ll say it again: This is the best grill I’ve ever cooked on. Fire one up and see for yourself.

What They’re Saying Online

Cheers: “…just a bit of advice to any amateur grill masters like myself out there... Do yourself a favor and start out with this grill. All of the excellent reviews tell you that it's a good grill. The fact that so many experienced backyard chefs keep returning to their Weber kettle grills is very telling.” — DesignGirl28, via Amazon

Jeers: “This is the fourth and last Weber Kettle that I have purchased since 1984. Totally disappointed in the poor quality, sharp edges that sliced open my finger, thinner metal, cheaper finish, etc. my Weber Kettle has gone from the “pride of the patio” to another disposable commodity.” — Steve in NJ, via Weber

Sound Off

What are the cooking staples in your backyard, and what’s your favorite grill for cooking? Share your faves in the comments.

If you’re considering buying a Weber Kettle, or any Weber products, please consider purchasing from this link. Doing so supports Texas BBQ, as we receive a small commission from each purchase—at no extra cost to you. All proceeds go towards testing new recipes and barbecue techniques, reviewing equipment, and helping you cook better backyard barbecue. Cheers!

Other Texas BBQ reviews: KitchenAid Food Grinder • Weston Vacuum Sealer • Thermapen ONE • MEAT! 1 HP Grinder • ThermoPop 2 • ThermoPro TP19

The product: KitchenAid Food Grinder attachment

Overall rating: 5.6/10

Simply put: If you’re getting serious about smoking barbecue, that likely includes grinding down your brisket trimmings, making tallow, or crafting sausages. But big meat grinders and sausage gear can get expensive. And if you already have a KitchenAid mixer available, then you have the tools available to get started.

What it is

The food grinder is an attachment for your KitchenAid mixer. Take your meat scraps and trimmings and feed it through the grinder to make ground beef for burgers, sausage, or whatever your chef-heart desires.

Usage

The meat grinder is an additional attachment, so it won’t come with your standard KitchenAid mixer. They are relatively cheap, however. A quick scan online shows they range from $33-$100 — with options to choose between metal and plastic, though personally I’d choose metal.

Functionality

The grinder fits seamlessly into your KitchenAid mixer. It comes with:

• A large tray to place your meat on

• The meat grinder and tube

• Three grinding plates: small, medium, coarse

• A pusher — idk if that’s a proper name — to push the food through the neck

You can also buy the sausage-stuffing tubes, though I would highly — and I cannot stress this enough — highly recommend buying a separate sausage stuffer.

How it works

Attach the grinder and turn on the mixer as normal, which will start the grinder. (Pro-tip: freeze the grinder parts you’re using before use.) Before grinding, you need to cube your meat small enough so that it fits into the grinding tube. (Bonus points if you chill the meat after, too.) Add the meat, using the pusher to ensure it reaches the bottom, and grind until you’re finished.

Additional features

None, really.

What’s not to like

The grinder isn’t made for large volumes of meat. It will take you days to grind up 30 or more pounds. Personally, I’d stick to five pounds or less.

You also need to take the extra time to cut your meat into small cubes that will fit into the auger. It’s an extra process, yes, that takes more time, but it’s better than spending the time cutting while you’re also grinding, which is added time that allows both your meat and the grinder to warm.

Speaking of warming, the grinder tends to heat up during use, which heats the fat and causes it to melt into a gobbled meaty mess that harms your end product. Not good. You’ll notice this happening because the meat will begin to look more like a pink paste rather than ground meat. If this happens, stop and clean the grinder and put it in the freezer until it’s cold. Also, re-chill your meat.

Final thoughts

This is a fine option if you’re just getting into the barbecue game. You’ll quickly learn that you need to do something with all of your trimmings, because it’s too expensive throwing them away. You can make tallow with your brisket fat, burgers with your brisket trimmings, or even sausage by breaking down a pork butt. If you’re doing this on the occasional weekend with a small amount of meat, the KitchenAid mixer is likely fine. It won’t eat a lot of meat all at once, and once the grinder gets hot you have to stop to persevere the meat, and the meat has to be cubed in a small enough size to fit in the auger, but if you’re doing a small enough batch then you can get by.

But once you start getting serious, I’d seriously consider upgrading your gear.

My pick: the MEAT! 1 HP Grinder.

What They’re Saying Online

Cheers: “The very best food grinder I could find for my KitchenAid. Worked perfectly to grind beef, pork, and chicken. No doubt it would work just as well for wild game or other meats. Three grind plates come in fine, medium, coarse. The sausage making tubes are a plus! The food pusher feels good in the hand and reaches all the way to the auger. The included cleaning brush is perfectly sized and retains its integrity. The only things dishwasher safe are the pusher, sausage tubes, and cleaning brush. I freeze this before grinding meat to prevent any melting fat or bacterial growth. Works perfectly with semi- or fully-frozen meats.” — AYonko, KitchenAid

Jeers: “This worked great! ...until it didn't. I can't recommend this product any longer. We take good care of it and just a few months after the warranty expires, it stops working. All our other attachments work just fine, there is no physical damage that can be seen, yet it just stops moving when we try to push meat through. Took it apart and made sure it was clean and that there isn't anything jamming it up, confirmed. Cheap product if it stops working after having it a little over a year.” — Bre, Amazon

Other Texas BBQ reviews: Weston Vacuum Sealer • Thermapen ONE • MEAT! 1 HP Grinder • ThermoPop 2 • ThermoPro TP19

Matt Keyser is the author of Texas BBQ, a weekly newsletter aimed at inspiring and helping you grow as a backyard barbecue cook. Each week, Matt offers tips and advice, personal stories on his barbecue journey, and Q&As with Texas’ top pitmasters. Matt is the owner of Bourbon Brothers BBQ in Conroe, Texas, and a recovering reporter.

If you’re considering buying the Weston Pro-1100, or any Weston products, please consider using this link. Doing so supports Texas BBQ as we receive a small commission from each purchase—at no extra cost to you. All proceeds go towards testing new recipes and barbecue techniques, reviewing equipment, and helping you cook better backyard barbecue. Cheers!

The product: The Weston Pro-1100 Stainless Steel Vacuum Sealer

Overall rating: 7.8/10

Simply put: This sealer is great for moderate home use and is solid at providing an air-tight seal that can preserve your food for up to a year.

Usage

Everything from sealing barbecue to locking in that fresh-off-the-pit flavor, leftover dinners, to stocks and soups. On the occasional Sunday when I get a big cooking itch, I’ll make multiple dinners for the week and vac-seal them to reheat later, which is an incredibly easy process. More on that below.

Functionality

I use this obsessively when it comes to barbecue. I’ve found that vacuum-sealed, frozen meats lose little quality when compared to meat that’s fresh off the pit. Trust me, I know it sounds crazy — I didn’t believe it myself until I tried it. But I’m gonna let you in a secret: rest your meat, place it in a bag, add some of its juices in the bag, seal it, and freeze it.

When you reheat — use Bourbon Brother BBQ’s reheating instructions — the meat will warm in its juices, maintaining its delicious barbecue flavor while remaining tender. It’s truly like a real-life cheat code.

How It Works

The sealer comes with two settings: an automatic mode that seals based on a timer and a manual mode that allows you to control the seal.

For meats, vegetables, and solid foods, I often use the automatic mode. I use the manual setting mostly for liquids that only require a tight seal without removing all the air. I should note that if you have a lot of liquids in your bag, those tend to seep out when using the automatic setting, which can affect the overall seal.

You can buy pre-sealed bags of various sizes—pints, quarts, etc.—but I prefer to cut my own bags. The sealer comes with a roll cutter that allows you to cut your bags to a specific size. I like this because I vac-seal everything from whole briskets to small bags of stock.

The Weston sealer isn’t the best for quickly sealing, though. It recommends you wait 20 seconds in between seals to allow the heating bar to cool. This can be a pain when you’re having to seal both ends of 20-something bags and having to wait for the cooldown for each one.

Additional Features

When you order, you’ll receive extra gaskets and strips for the heating element. Eventually, you’re going to have to replace both—often at what seems like the most inopportune time—so it’s nice to have an extra set already on hand.

What’s Not To Like

Replacement rolls are expensive, and depending on your usage, you can burn through bags quickly. I’ve found you get the best seal with Weston bags—duh!—but Wevac bags work well. FoodSaver bags did not work well with this machine, which I wish I knew before I bought a large box at Costco.

I would like it to have an extra sealing bar. There are times when it doesn’t provide a super air-tight seal, leaving behind the slightest pocket that allows air to slowly creep inside. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s annoying when it does.

Also, in the early days of owning this, I tried to seal a bag with a lot of liquid using the automatic setting and ruined the machine. So, y’know, don’t do that. Luckily, Costco has a generous return policy and sent a brand new one, no questions asked. What a relief.

Final Thoughts

As someone who cooks a lot, I’ve found the Weston Pro-1100 Stainless Steel Vacuum Sealer is a must-have in my kitchen. Cook too much dinner and don’t want that many leftovers? No problem. Have 40 pounds of pulled pork you don’t know what to do with? Take an hour and vac seal. Is there a great deal on briskets at the local grocery store you just can’t miss? Buy and smoke those bad boys and seal them up for a later date.

No doubt, it’ll become a welcome addition to your kitchen.

Price: $369.99 Weston Store | $369.99 Amazon | $289.99 Costco (members only)

What They’re Saying Online

Cheers: “I bought this machine in 2014 and since then have used it to vacuum seal several thousand pounds of fish, shrimp, beef, chicken, etc. I use it for food storage, and the meats that I seal with it easily last for 2+ years in the deep freeze.” — @lakemirror, Amazon

Jeers: “The heating element is a very poor design. Weston advertises this unit to be good for continuous use. It’s not. Far from it. If you’re looking to seal more than 5 bags in a short amount of time this is not the unit for you.” — Hank, Amazon

Other Texas BBQ reviews: Thermapen ONE • MEAT! 1 HP Grinder • ThermoPop 2 • ThermoPro TP19

Texas BBQ

Review: Thermapen ONE instant-read thermometer

Editor’s Note: This review, like all reviews on Texas BBQ, is based on my personal experience with the product and is in no way influenced by the company. I personally purchase each product I review, unless otherwise noted, and provide my honest opinion on topics such as usage, functionality, and overall quality…

Read more

4 years ago · Matt Keyser

Matt Keyser is the author of Texas BBQ, a weekly newsletter aimed at inspiring and helping you grow as a backyard barbecue cook. Each week, Matt offers tips and advice, personal stories on his barbecue journey, and Q&As with Texas’ top pitmasters. Matt is the owner of Bourbon Brothers BBQ in Conroe, Texas, and a recovering reporter.

The product: ThermoPro TP19 Ultra-fast Thermocouple Instant Read Thermometer

Overall rating: 3.0/10

Simply put: This is the worst instant-read thermometer I’ve owned.

Usage: Not much. I got three good cooks — hence the 3/10 review — out of this thermometer before it went on the fritz and ruined a brisket. I admit, when it worked, it worked well.

But let’s talk about that brisket.

I vacuum sealed a brisket for my best friend’s baby shower and planned to sous vide it before the party. I don’t own an actual sous vide machine, so I typically take an aluminum pan, place the sealed brisket inside, fill it with water till it’s covered, and reheat it slowly at 225°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°.

Typically this process takes no more than two hours.

By hour three, the ThermoPro was still reading an internal temp of 90°. [I had recalibrated it numerous times that day, per ThermoPro’s instructions.] There is no way that was right, but the ThermoPro was the only instant-read thermometer I had around.

Experience told me I should pull the brisket — really that I should have pulled it an hour ago — but I was in an unfamiliar kitchen with an unfamiliar oven, so I second-guessed myself.

When I did pull the brisket it was, of course, dry. Very dry. Like it was in an oven bath an hour too long dry. I was frustrated as hell, certain the guests would curse the brisket and never have me cook for them again.

Luckily, they all said it tasted great.

Liars, but whatever.

I recalibrated the ThermoPro two more times when I got home.

This time, in the icy cold water, it kept climbing well over 300° until it eventually hit HHH — a reading that, according to ThermoPro, means the probe is damaged, likely by moisture or excessive heat.

ThermoPro claims the thermometer is waterproof — more on that below — and I only ever probed it in meat that was no hotter than 205°.

Functionality: It has a built-in magnet! It has a hole to hang it! Like other instant reads, the ThermoPro T19 activates when you pull out the probe. It has bright red display numbers that are easy to read both in daylight and at night. ThermoPro claims it makes a read within 2-3 seconds with an accuracy that is ±0.9℉. I found that to be true.

Additional features: ThermoPro claims the thermometer can be rinsed under running water, but I have my doubts. Serious doubts. I cleaned it a couple of times and, well, it went wild and stopped reading accurately, soooo….

[Admittedly, I can’t say for certain that is the cause, but it seems highly suspect.]

What’s not to like: The malfunctioning probe caused the temp to constantly climb when activated until it reached HHH. I calibrated it dozens of times based on ThermoPro’s instructions and it didn’t matter. I bought this instant-read thermometer off the recommendation of a friend and based on the reviews on Amazon [4.7 of 5 stars]. What a terrible mistake. I finally moved on and I bought a ThermaPpen ONE like I should have to begin with. The Thermapen is admittedly more expensive, but definitely worth the additional cost.

Final thoughts: I understand the price for the ThermoPro is appealing [$30 on the ThermoPro website, Amazon, etc.], but don’t waste your money. It’s worth the peace of mind to pay the extra dollars for a better quality thermometer. Try the Thermapen ONE, which we use at Bourbon Brothers BBQ, or the Chefstemp Finaltouch X10.

Matt Keyser is the author of Texas BBQ, a weekly newsletter aimed at inspiring and helping you grow as a backyard barbecue cook. Each week, Matt offers tips and advice, personal stories on his barbecue journey, and Q&As with Texas’ top pitmasters. Matt is the owner of Bourbon Brothers BBQ in Conroe, Texas, and a recovering reporter.

If you’re considering buying the ThermoPop 2, or any ThermoWorks products, please consider using this link. Doing so supports Texas BBQ as we receive a small commission from each purchase, which we use to fund this newsletter. Cheers!

The product: ThermoPop 2 rotating display pocket thermometer

Overall rating: 8.9/10

Price: $35

Simply put: This pocket thermometer is a handy kitchen tool. It’s lightweight, comes with a pocket clip that you can attach to your chef coat or apron [in case you’re notorious for misplacing things like me], and it’s relatively fast and accurate. ThermoWorks says it was designed for “serious chefs and professionals.”

Usage: In the week I’ve had it, I’ve used the ThermoPop 2 throughout my kitchen and smoking barbecue. I’ve found I like it much more in the kitchen. It’s great for testing temps of chicken in a cast iron, sauce on the stove, or probing steaks on the grill.

For barbecue it was okay, but I prefer using my Thermapen ONE for reasons I’ll explain below.

Functionality: The ThermoPop 2 takes a few seconds to load, so to speak, after you press the on button. It’s slightly annoying it’s not instant, but I’m talking only two — maybe three — seconds before it’s ready to go. It’s fast enough that you’re not going to burn anything waiting. And if you do, well, your food was burning already.

As I mentioned, the backlit screen and large text make it easy to read. It also has a rotating display if you find yourself probing your meat at weird angles [which we all do at some point, right?].

Additional features: Like all other ThermoWorks thermometers I’ve purchased, the ThermoPop 2 comes with a certificate of calibration, which I find cool as hell, and is accurate to ±1.0°F.

ThermoWorks claims the ThermoPop 2 is fully waterproof, which I’ve found true after drowning it under a running faucet. That makes it much easier to clean without the added worry you’re going to ruin it [a problem I’ve had with other thermometers that claim to be waterproof].

What’s not to like: My biggest frustration with the ThermoPop 2 is how little time the screen says lit. It’s less of a problem in the kitchen, but when I was leaning deep into my smoker probing briskets at midnight, I had to keep pressing the on button [found on the back of the thermometer] to turn the screen back on. Highly annoying. It got to the point I ditched the Thermopop 2 and used my Thermapen ONE.

That said, there is a way to disable the auto-off feature: press the back button six times. That, however, isn’t a great solution either because some dolt — like me! — will inevitably forget to turn it back on and drain the battery dead. [You turn the feature on by pressing the back button six times.]

Final thoughts: If you’re planning on using the ThermoPop 2 as your primary thermometer for smoking meats, I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Thermapen ONE instead.

Texas BBQ

Review: Thermapen ONE instant-read thermometer

Editor’s Note: This review, like all reviews on Texas BBQ, is based on my personal experience with the product and is in no way influenced by the company. I personally purchase each product I review, unless otherwise noted, and provide my honest opinion on topics such as usage, functionality, and overall quality…

Read more

4 years ago · Matt Keyser

Personally, I found the ThermoPop 2 much more useful in the kitchen, whether it was cooking steaks on the grill or slow-roasting a dish in the oven.

Regardless of how you use it, this is a fine thermometer that will give you plenty of peace of mind in the kitchen.

Matt Keyser is the author of Texas BBQ, a weekly newsletter aimed at inspiring and helping you grow as a backyard barbecue cook. Each issue offers tips and advice from the best in Texas BBQ, or personal stories from Matt’s journey to a pitmaster. Matt is the owner of Bourbon Brothers BBQ in Conroe, Texas, and a recovering reporter.

The product: The MEAT! 1 HP Meat Grinder #22

Overall rating: 9.3/10

Simply Put

This is a damn good meat grinder. It’s powerful, fast, and heavy duty enough to withstand a hefty workload.

Usage

I use this grinder for brisket trimmings and making sausage. The grinder head has a big mouth that allows you to feed large chunks at a time, unlike smaller grinders that require you to spend excess time cutting your meat into small cubes. It’s also powerful as hell and significantly reduces the time you’ll spend grinding. MEAT! claims the 1 HP can grind between 11 and 14 pounds of meat per minute, which I’ve found is absolutely true. It even makes double grinding a breeze, which used to be one of the longest processes for me in the Bourbon Brothers BBQ kitchen.

Functionality

The grinder will fit on your countertop, but it’s gonna take up a decent amount of space. It comes in three parts: the base, storage tray, and grinder head. You’ll have to assemble those parts [plus the grinder head] before use.

[Pro tip: Assemble the grinder head and freeze it an hour or so before you start so your meat doesn’t stick inside. Between your chilled meat and head, you’ll get a better, cleaner grind.]

The storage tray has a security bar that prevents you from sticking your hand inside and potentially getting it caught in the auger. The security bar is removable, but if you’re gonna take it off, for the love of god be safe and pay attention to what you’re doing. The grinder comes with a meat stomper so you don’t have to put your hand down the throat and risk mangled fingers.

The grinder comes with two plates: coarse [10 mm] and fine [4 mm]. I use the coarse plate to single grind a pork butt down for sausage. For things like ground brisket burgers, I’ll run a coarse grind first before switching to the fine plate for the second grind. Even with the double grind, the process is surprisingly fast.

Additional Features

The grinder comes with three stuffing tubes for making sausage, which admittedly I haven’t used. I bought the MEAT! 15 Lb Vertical Sausage Stuffer instead [more on that in a future review].

What’s Not to Like

This beast is heavy. Like don’t throw out your back lifting it on the counter heavy. [Or am I just weak?]

As far as cleaning, you’ll also need a long brush to clean the inside of the grinder head really well. And I wish it came with a tool that allowed you to clean the holes of the meat plates, especially the fine plate that is filled with dozens of those tiny suckers. I bought a small wire brush that seems to do the trick, though.

[Yes, I’m a clean freak when it comes to cooking equipment, thank you for asking.]

Final Thoughts

The 1 HP grinder may be a tad extra for your average backyard barbecue cook. You could likely get away with the .75 HP model with no problem. If you’re a hunter and process a lot of meat, the 1 HP should be more than enough, but there’s always the 1.5 HP if you want to be extra sure.

The 1 HP grinder is worth the value solely based on the time you’ll save. Do keep a watch for when it sporadically goes on sale. If you’re looking to upgrade, say from a KitchenAid grinder attachment, you can’t go wrong with this.

Other Texas BBQ reviews: Weston Vacuum Sealer • Thermapen ONE • ThermoPop 2 • ThermoPro TP19

Matt Keyser is the author of Texas BBQ, a weekly newsletter aimed at inspiring and helping you grow as a backyard barbecue cook. Each issue offers tips and advice from the best in Texas BBQ, or personal stories from Matt’s journey to a pitmaster. Matt is the owner of Bourbon Brothers BBQ in Conroe, Texas, and a recovering reporter.

If you’re considering buying the Thermapen ONE, or any ThermoWorks products, please consider using this link. Doing so supports Texas BBQ as we receive a small commission from each purchase. Cheers!

The product: The Thermapen ONE instant-read thermometer

Overall rating: 9.8/10

Simply Put

This is the best instant-read thermometer I’ve ever owned. It’s fast, it’s accurate, and it gets the damn job done without the worry of an inaccurate reading that could mess with my barbecue [an issue I’ve had with other instant reads. Looking at you, ThermoPro].

What It Is

The Thermapen ONE is ThermoWorks’ current prized instant-read thermometer. ThermoWorks claims the Thermapen ONE is accurate within ± 0.5°F and provides a temperature reading within one second. I’ve found nothing to dispute those claims.

Usage

I’ve used the Thermapen ONE on briskets, chickens, spare ribs, turkey breast and found it worked great with every cut of meat. I especially enjoy the smaller tip, which allows for getting more accurate readings on thinner meats such as ribs.

Functionality

The Thermapen ONE activates when you pull out the probe. Almost immediately it reads the temperature of the room you’re in. The device fits nicely in my hand and is lightweight. When I put it in my pocket, I nearly forget it’s there.

One of the features I greatly enjoy is its auto-back-lit screen, which senses brightness and automatically activates or deactivates the screen accordingly.

The numbers are large and legible. The readings also rotate depending on if you’re holding the thermometer vertically or horizontally, which is great for when you’re probing meats in the depths of your pit.

Additional Features

Each Thermapen ONE comes with a certificate of calibration that includes the date it was calibrated, the details of the calibration, and the signature of the technician who performed the calibration. Each device comes with a five-year warranty. ThermoWorks claims the battery life [a single AAA battery] spans 2,000 hours. Admittedly, I haven’t used it that much to verify that claim, but based on their others I have no reason to doubt the battery life.

What’s Not to Like

Honestly, not much. If I’m being super nitpicky, which I feel like I have to be to find something wrong, I’d like for there to be a magnet so I can hang the thermometer on or around my smoker. I’m notorious for placing my thermometers in the kitchen and forgetting them when I go check the pit.

At $105 [as of Aug. 11], the thermometer is much more expensive than other probe thermometers on the market. But for the functionality and features you get with the Thermapen ONE, it’s well worth its price tag. Also, the thermometers are known to go on the occasional sale, dropping the price as much as $30, making it a steal.

Final Thoughts

I can’t brag on this thermometer enough. Whether you’re a backyard smoker or a pitmaster at a barbecue business, the Thermapen ONE is all you need in a probe thermometer, providing the accuracy needed to cook great barbecue. Frankly, don’t waste your money and save yourself some heartache buying cheaper instant-read thermometers.

Go ahead and pay the extra. You won’t regret it.

Read more Texas BBQ reviews: KitchenAid Food Grinder · Weston Vacuum Sealer · ThermoPro TP19 Instant Read Thermometer · ThermoPop 2 · MEAT! 1 HP Grinder