Ivation’s long-range cordless grilling and smoking thermometers are bestsellers for good reason. How do your exact probes and user interface compare to the competition? Find out everything you need to know with our Ivation Thermometer review.
If you want the jump wagon to get a good surface grill thermometer, look no further. The Ivation Long Range Smoker Thermometer is one of the best the BBQ world has to offer.
Our review aims to show you why this is the only grill thermometer you need.
There’s a lot on here about grilling temperatures, using written thermometers , and even installing grilling thermometers. But I haven’t written much about thermometers themselves.
So I figured it was about time I finally took on a full review of my trusty Ivation Long Range Wireless Thermometer.
do you want something else Check out our guide to grill surface thermometers .
I’ve had a few different thermometers over the years, but the one that has served me best is the Ivation.
It’s a dual-probe thermometer that gives you two important readings. One reads the surface temperature of the grill or smoker(or oven) to get an accurate reading of the temperature you are cooking at. The other is a meat sample, which crucially measures the internal temperature of the meat, helping you know exactly when it’s done.
Many thermometers only have one probe, which can be frustrating as YOU have to constantly switch between reading the grill surface and reading the meat. The importance of Ivation in creating a two-probe model cannot be overstated.
None of this would be valuable without accuracy, however, and the Ivation offers a truly accurate reading. Nowhere does this precision show better than in its speed of recalibrating meat temperature as soon as it is placed on or on a new piece of meat.
I’ve talked a lot about the importance of maintaining a consistent temperature in your desktop smoker or grill and this wouldn’t be possible without a verified and accurate grill thermometer.
Ivation’s wireless capabilities allow it to take the temperature of your meat at a range of up to 300 feet. If you are outside of this range, the thermometer will have an alarm to let you know you are out of range. The alarm even detects when your grilling temperature is too high or too low!
It also has a countdown timer and its LCD screen makes it easy to use, even in low light.
You can set a temperature range for cooking your food. As you exit, the thermometer will beep, alerting you to adjust your coals or recalibrate your grill vents.
One thing I found a little tricky was getting them to turn on and sync on the first try. The instructions say that after installing the batteries in each unit(the transmitter and the receiver), YOU must turn them both on at the same time. Even if you do, they don’t always sync. A little frustrating, but I got it in the end.
Once everything is in sync, set your target temperature range. This can be done by pressing and holding the [Insert] key, which will exclude the temperature. You can also set a timer, which is possible with the same button.
These catheters are actually very easy to remove, making them easy to clean after use.
How Does This Work?
He previously went into great detail on the importance of accuracy when writing a BBQ thermometer, and when he was looking for a new one, he prioritized temperature over everything.
This Ivation thermometer has a solid reputation for its excellent reading accuracy of up to 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not only that, it also has a very wide reading range. Its reading range is from 32°F to 572°F(although the probes can withstand up to 716°F). From my understanding of other thermometers, the ability to maintain this range while maintaining accuracy is very impressive. It is also ideal for grilling, as cooking temperatures easily adapt to these parameters.
Unlike other thermometers, this is not an immediately available thermometer. However, this is not a problem as the reading is typically updated every 10-15 seconds, no significant delay was shown at all. It’s also very unlikely that the surface temperature of the grill or the meat will change much in that time. Ultimately, if I had to choose between instant reading or close reading, I know which I would choose.
Features
Ultimately we only need this to get a good read of temperatures, but if you’re spending a little more it’s nice to have a few additions to get the most out of it.
Some thermometers come with built-in temperature presets to help you find the internal and cooking temperatures you should be aiming for with certain types of meat. The Ivation doesn’t have that, but I don’t see that as a problem. As soon as you grill or smoke meats like pork or beef, you will soon know these target temperatures in your head.
However, you can still set target temperatures. If your goal is also an internal temperature of(say) 140°F for the brisket, YOU can simply set that as the meat sample preset and it will notify you when it reaches it.
The Ivation has a handheld reader that receives information from the thermometer transmitter. This means YOU can always have the receiver by your side and within a range of 300 feet, you can monitor the progress of your grill and food at your convenience.
Some others(like Weber’s) can connect to your phone or laptop via a specially designed app, and it’s a shame Ivation doesn’t have that. From what I understand, these offer a longer range between you and the thermometer since they pair via WiFi instead of Bluetooth. It would be nice if Ivation had this feature, but I know some might be technophobes who might disagree!
It has a large display that is easy to read and has clear lighting. If YOU are cooking in low light the display is still easy to read which is good news as I love to grill at night!
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
