Cordless grilling tool with unparalleled precision

The temperature is . Whether you’re searing steaks and burgers or slow-smoking brisket, you need an accurate reading of your grill’s heat levels and the internal temperature of your food. There are plenty of options, from instant-read thermometers to probe-based devices that monitor your cooking at all times. Of the latter, some are wired and some are wireless, and not having wires criss-crossing your networks can be a real upgrade.

Wireless grill probes aren’t new, but they’re a big name in grill thermometers . Finally, ThermoWorks, the company behind the popular Thermapen, has launched its first experiment in wireless temperature tracking . For superior precision, the company takes a different approach than many of its competitors, giving both backyard grilling masters and commercial grillers a reliable and versatile sous chef.

RFX technology

The ThermoWorks RFX Series relies on sub-Radio Frequency (RF) wireless technology instead of just using Bluetooth. This allows a line-of-sight range of up to 1,500 feet between the probe and receiver, though you may want to keep the latter close to your grill just to be safe. Like the previous ThermoWorks There are magnets on the back of the charging stand and receiver of the probe, so it will stick to the cool side of the grill easily. The RF signal is strong enough to continuously beam through the thick walls of an offset smoker or the confines of a Dutch oven even when inside the grill.

In addition to the wireless technology, ThermoWorks offers some key features that match up well with its wireless probe competitors. For example, by charging the RFX Meat Probe in its slim charging unit for just 10 minutes, you’ll get up to 52 hours of cooking time. The Gateway receiver provides the necessary Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to monitor your grill remotely from anywhere. It can also connect to up to 70 wireless probes simultaneously, making it suitable for commercial environments.

The RFX Meat is IP69K rated, so it’s dishwasher safe and designed for deep frying and sous vide cooking. The probe can also withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which means you can use it to precisely monitor steaks during high-temperature searing.

Finally, it supports RFX gateway . This device turns smokers – offset, ceramic, barrel or drum – into smart grills by maintaining the desired temperature. Billows gets temperature updates from the Pro-Series Air Probe via an RFX receiver. It’s great when you prefer to use wood or charcoal for low and slow cooking instead of a pellet grill and still want a slightly unwieldy workflow.

RFX starter kit and standalone options

Since you need both RFX Meat and RFX Gateway to get started, the best initial option is to get one of the ThermoWorks packages. This package, called the RFX Starter Kit, includes the gateway receiver and radio probe. Also included is a Pro-Series air probe for ambient grill temperatures, grate clip, charger (for the gate) and colored probe rings.

The company gives you a choice between one, two, or four probe packs, all of which will save you money when purchasing each product individually. They currently cost $159, $239, and $349, respectively, but ThermoWorks notes that this is the “lowest introductory price,” so I expect everything to get a little more expensive soon. If you are truly You need to purchase the RFX Meat or RFX Gateway separately — if you lose one or encounter some other culinary tragedy — the wireless probe is $89 while the receiver is $79. Again, these are initial prices that I expect to rise.

Using RFX meat on the grill

The RFX Meat is the fourth ThermoWorks product I’ve tested. I used two models of Thermapen instant-read thermometers as well . the It remains a staple in my home’s kitchen and patio, especially for checking the internal temperatures of meat and fish. I’m always amazed at how a company builds devices that are reliable, easy to use, and extremely accurate. All three of these attributes also apply to the RFX binary.

Like some competitors, ThermoWorks placed multiple sensors in the probe column. These four components give you a more accurate reading of the internal temperature of your food to within 0.9 degrees. The company opted for a separate Pro-Series wired ambient temperature probe that plugs into the RFX Gateway receiver to keep tabs on the grill. There are some benefits to this.

First, the separate probe moves the sensor away from the meat, so that the initial cooling zone or evaporation around large cuts of meat doesn’t skew your readings. Second, you have the freedom to move the probe since it is not connected to the main radio. Even if your grill has a sensor built into the cooking chamber, the Pro-Series option from ThermoWorks is a good secondary safety check because most grill companies don’t place their sensors at the level of the cooking grates where the food is placed.

The RFX system provided consistent contact during my testing sessions, which included low, slow, all-day smoke for a pork butt and a faster three-hour cook for a Thanksgiving turkey. I did not experience any leaks, and in the case of this bird, I was able to keep the RFX Meat probe in place during the resting phase. This was critical because I took the turkey off the grill at 160°F in the breast, so I needed to make sure it reached 165 with carryover cooking before carving it.

The ThermoWorks won’t win any design awards, but it gets the job done. Honestly, I’d take reliability and ease of use over aesthetic polish any day. There are plenty of grilling apps that look better but don’t work as well, and when you’re trying to cook a $100 brisket, any source of uncertainty can be stressful. Similar to the competition, the ThermoWorks app lets you set high and low alarms for any of the sensors, and you can also choose how often the app updates its readings. This means that when you sear a steak, you can keep track of each degree, but for longer cooks, you can choose three-degree intervals. RFX sends updates based on temperature changes, not time, so you’ll need to give this some attention.

True grilling nerds will also appreciate the temperature graphs and the ability to add notes as needed. The company recently added an advanced mode that plots the temperature data for all four RFX Meat internal sensors on a graph. Each line is marked in a different colour, giving you an in-depth look at the changes over time during the entire session.

One of the first things I noticed in the app’s main (devices) screen is that a carousel of the company’s products and cooking tips appears by default. This was annoying to me, as it took up space in an area where I only wanted my valuable cooking data. Fortunately, you can hide this box, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one who would want to do so.

Competition

There are a few companies that make wireless grill sensors, but the brand I spent the most time with is Meater. The Traeger-owned company has several different options with previously Being the best Bluetooth tool for most backyard chefs. It has multiple sensors for internal meat temperatures as well as a built-in ambient sensor on the opposite end. The Meater Pro is extremely durable and can withstand both high-heat searing and deep frying. It’s also dishwasher safe like RFX Meat, which is a big plus. If you want built-in Wi-Fi, you’ll need to spend the money to buy the dual probe which is another $100. The Meater app also provides estimated finish times, which is great, but the guesses aren’t always accurate.

Conclusion

The ThermoWorks Starter RFX Pack is a reliable and simple way to keep tabs on your grill without standing directly in front of it. The appliances ensure that you are cooking at the correct temperature and that you achieve the exact degree of doneness you want. I like the RFX Gateway’s separate wired perimeter probe for its increased accuracy, and it’s easy to route the cable out of the way.

The RFX starter kit is certainly more expensive than the likes of the Meater Pro, but ThermoWorks has already confirmed that more products that work with the Gateway will be available soon. The company needs to make good on its promise to quickly offer an offline mode via Bluetooth, so grillers who aren’t in Wi-Fi range can still use the RFX to cook. But having both is a major advantage over some of the company’s competitors. No matter how you call it, the RFX entry-level range is further proof of why chefs and pitmasters rely on ThermoWorks precision for their cooking needs. The company simply does not miss.