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ThermoWorks “Smoke” Wireless Dual Probe Thermometer

thermoworks smoke thermometer

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The Smoke thermometer by ThermoWorks is wireless, has dual probes, is splash-proof, has extremely rugged construction and amazing battery life not to mention how simple it is to set min/max alarms on the fly. ThermoWorks has established themselves as a leader in the thermometer and temperature sensing industry and the quality and workmanship speaks volumes.

Here's a few specs from the website:

  • 2-Channels, one for the meat and one for the pit
  • Wireless to 300-feet line of sight
  • Uses commercial-grade Pro-Series Probes
  • Pre-paired with receiver – no setup required!
  • Splash-proof sealed design, rated to IP65
  • Dashboard-style display shows Min/Max and Hi/Low Alarms
  • Backlit large digit displays
  • Pair multiple wireless receivers to one base for the entire BBQ team
  • Now Available – Smoke Gateway (Wi-Fi) & Smartphone App

Designed for competition BBQ teams and professional chefs, Smoke outlasts and outperforms every competitor. Not a cheaply-made housewares product, Smoke features a rugged housing with molded-in seals for splashproof protection.

The Thermoworks products are always packaged really well, in easy to open packages.

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As you can see, the product is well protected by the inner container that holds everything snuggly during shipment.

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Here's everything that is included when you purchase the “Smoke”.

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Parts List in order from top left:

  • Lanyard
  • Grate clip for ambient probe
  • Ambient probe
  • Meat probe
  • Main Unit
  • Receiver

We'll start with the main unit. Very rugged construction, plastic but when you are holding it, it's not overly light. It feels like you could throw it in your toolbox or even drop it on concrete from 10 feet and it would still keep on working without a hitch. I like products that feel tough!

Button Functions:

  • Set– allows you to set the high and low alarms so it can alert you if either of these are breached.
  • ON/OFF– Turns the alarms on and off
  • VOL– controls the volume of the alarms
  • Down– decreases the numerical value during setting of the alarms.
  • Up– increases the numerical value during setting of the alarms.
  • Light– turns on the light if it's dark and you need to see the screen.

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If you flip it over, you can see that the batteries are disabled until you pull out the plastic piece.

The (2) AA batteries last 1800 hours (that's a long time for batteries to last).

The back side is also where the buttons are for turning it on, changing from Fahrenheit to Celsius, Calibration (haven't used this) and for syncing the unit should you need to do that.

For what it's worth, I've had mine for a long time and I've NEVER had to use the sync button. It's meant to be an automatic feature.

I love the fact that the buttons are recessed so you don't accidentally push them  with your fingers when you're holding it.

See the (2) silver colored magnets, those are some strong magnets!

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And then there's the receiver unit.. it has a single button which works to turn the receiver on and off and operates the light feature in case it's dark and you can't see.

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The back of the receiver is much like the back of the main unit. It has a plastic pull tab to ensure the batteries are brand new when the unit arrives.

This unit also uses (2) AA batteries and they last 1800 hours. Let's just say you won't go broke on batteries anytime soon =)

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An included lanyard attaches to the receiver so you can hang it “about your neck” (that's how they say it on the east coast where I came from)

Around here they say, “Around your neck” ;-)

This is the one single gripe that I have about the receiver. It should be flat on the bottom side so you can stand it on your desk or bedside table. It is rounded for some reason an  must lay flat on it's back side if it's not around your neck.

That seems like an easy thing to correct.. (cough, cough Thermoworks)

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As with most probes, I'm not sure why thermometer companies don't make them waterproof.. seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to use some RTV or high temperature sealant during production to make them water tight.

This setup comes with an ambient probe and a meat probe (both cables are 47 inches long). The ambient probe is for measuring the temperature of your smoker and the meat probe, well, that pokes into your chicken, brisket, pork butt, whatever you're cooking and reads the internal temperature.

Here's the ambient probe and the clip that they provide so you can clip it right to the smoker grate where the food is.

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And, of course, the food probe..

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This thing is so easy to set up and get going that you probably won't need the instructions but, in case you do, there's a handy card that tells you everything you need to know.

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I could not wait to test it out so I fired up my Landmann gas smoker and ran it through a test cook.

The strong magnets hold the main unit to the handle of the smoker really well.

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Meanwhile the receiver unit is letting me know the temperature of the smoker after I've went into the house and settled into my chair. It can also hang around your neck while you are mowing, doing yard word, etc.

And here's a minor but frustrated complaint.. why in the heck wouldn't they make the bottom side of that receiver unit flat so it can sit on the desk. If I don't want it around my neck and there's no metal near me, I have to sit it sideways on it's long side then when I read the temperature, my head turns sideways. Don't make me come up there and help re-design this thing!

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Have I mentioned that I love this thermometer? Other than a few minor complaints that would be easy to correct, It does exactly what you'd expect it to do, no syncing required, easy to set alarms and it's so tough, I'll probably pass this down to my kids when I get too old to cook.

You know you want one of these! If I'm right, click the button below to purchase:

If you have a Smoke thermometer and would like to leave you comments about it, please do so in the comments area below.

Update:

Thermoworks has now released the Smoke Gateway which connects your smoke thermometer to your wifi and to your smartphone.

What does this mean for you?

This means you can download the app to your IOS or Android smartphone, connect to the gateway and then be able to monitor the temperature of your smoker and meat from ANYWHERE in the world. Most of us will just be going to the store for supplies but it's a very sweet capability.

You can see my review for the Smoke Gateway here.

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9 Comments

    1. Stephen, it’s super easy to use and should only require calibration in an ice bath about once a year. If you need more information on creating a proper ice bath and how to adjust the temperature on the Smoke thermometer, let me know.

  1. I was in the check out line at Walmart when I noticed a small item that looked like a small pig, about an inch long, with a suction cup on the end. It’s intended to be used on an iPhone to support it at angle for viewing, This works well with the remote to set it on a stand rather than with the lanyard,

  2. I have the Camp Chef Smoke Pro pellet smoker and the ThermoWorks Smoke.

    My Camp Chef has a temperature gauge mounted on the cover that tracks well with the temperature I’ve selected. However, it never really matches the ambient temp. of the TW smoke probe that I mount on the grate with the clip.

    I know I should not have two devices measuring the temperature since it’s unlikely they’ll read the same… but I do.

    I’ve called Camp Chef and they say their reading is correct and I’ve called TW and they say theirs is correct.

    So my question is… which would you believe?

    1. Since TW is a maker of thermometers and they have made a huge name for themselves on being fast and accurate, I would naturally trust it over almost anything else.

      It may be that the Camp Chef built in thermometer is in a location where the airflow is different and while it may be accurate or within a degree or two, it is simply a different heat in that area.

      There is nothing wrong with using a probe attached to the grate to give you a sense of the exact heat the food is experiencing if that makes you feel better about it.

  3. Sorry to hear that Ed. I live in southwest Louisiana and I stayed here when Hurricane Katrina hit. No power for 34 days. I had (and still do) an Oklahoma Joe smoker with the fire box on the right. The wind blew a tree down on it and squashed the legs. But the rest of it was 1/4″ steel and didn’t hurt it. I put gas pipe on for legs and been cooking since!
    God bless you and yours…

    Dan