If there’s one piece of gear that will immediately make you a better pitmaster, it’s a good thermometer. Not a fancier smoker, not a premium rub — a thermometer. Knowing exactly what’s happening inside your meat at any given moment is the difference between pulling a brisket at the perfect moment and serving something dry and disappointing.
I’ve been cooking on a Pit Boss pellet smoker for years and I’ve tried a lot of different thermometers. In this post I’m going to break down the three I actually use and why each one earns its spot in my setup — so you can figure out which one fits how you cook.
Do You Really Need More Than One Thermometer?
Short answer — yes, if you’re doing any kind of low and slow cooking.
Here’s why: an instant-read thermometer and a leave-in probe thermometer do completely different jobs. An instant-read gives you a fast, precise spot check — perfect for steaks, chicken, or anything you want to check quickly. A leave-in probe lets you monitor temperature over hours without opening the lid, which is everything on a long smoke.
I use both every single cook. They’re not redundant — they’re complementary.
The Instant-Read: ThermoWorks Thermapen One
If you’ve spent any time in BBQ communities online you’ve seen the Thermapen recommended over and over again. There’s a reason for that — it genuinely is the best instant-read thermometer on the market.
I have the Thermapen One and it’s the tool I reach for more than anything else in my entire kitchen — not just at the smoker. Checking a chicken breast on a weeknight, making sure a pork chop hit temperature, testing oil before frying — an instant-read thermometer is one of those tools that quietly becomes essential for everything once you start using one. If you’re only going to buy one piece of gear from this entire list, make it an instant-read thermometer. The brand and price point can come later — just get one.
That said, here’s what makes the Thermapen One specifically stand out once you’re ready to invest in the best:
Speed — it reads in about one second. That sounds like a small thing until you’ve used a slow thermometer and watched your sear window close while you’re waiting for a number.
Accuracy — the Thermapen One is accurate to ±0.5°F. For something like a reverse seared steak where you’re pulling at 120°F and every degree matters, that precision is real.
Build quality — it feels like a professional tool, not a toy. The auto-rotating display, the fold-out probe, the backlit screen — everything about it is well thought out.
The honest caveat — it’s not cheap. If you’re just getting started and want to try an instant-read before committing to a premium option, there are solid budget picks in the $20-30 range on Amazon that will get the job done. But if you’re ready to buy the last instant-read thermometer you’ll ever need, the Thermapen One is it. I haven’t looked back since switching.
👉 Check out the Thermapen One at ThermoWorks
The Leave-In Probe: Inkbird IBBQ-4T WiFi Thermometer
For long cooks — brisket, pork butt, ribs, whole turkey — you need something you can set and walk away from. The Inkbird IBBQ-4T is what I use for this and it’s been rock solid.
It connects to your home WiFi and syncs with the Inkbird app on your phone, which means you can monitor your smoker temp and meat temp from anywhere — inside the house, running errands, wherever. The app shows you a real-time temperature graph and sends alerts when you hit your target temp.
What I like about it:
Four probes means you can monitor multiple cuts at once, or track both meat temp and ambient smoker temp simultaneously
WiFi range is unlimited as long as you have internet — no dropped connections like you get with Bluetooth-only models
The app is genuinely good and easy to use
Rechargeable battery lasts through long overnight cooks
The one honest downside — the probes are wired to the base unit, which means you’re dealing with cords when you’re moving meat around or wrapping a brisket. It’s not a dealbreaker but it’s worth knowing going in.
👉 Check out the Inkbird IBBQ-4T on Amazon
The Upgrade: Inkbird Fully Wireless 4-Probe Thermometer
If the wired probes on the IBBQ-4T bother you, Inkbird makes a fully wireless version that solves that exact problem. Each probe is completely wire-free — you stick it in the meat and it transmits on its own. No cords to tangle, no cables to manage when you’re wrapping or repositioning.
It supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and even a no-phone local mode, so you have flexibility depending on where you’re cooking. The probes are IP67 waterproof and dishwasher safe which makes cleanup easy.
I’ll be honest — I got the wired version first and it’s served me well, so I haven’t made the switch yet. But if I was buying today knowing what I know, I’d probably go straight to the wireless version. The convenience is real, especially on longer cooks where you’re opening the smoker multiple times.
👉 Check out the Inkbird Fully Wireless Thermometer on Amazon
Which One Should You Buy?
Here’s a simple breakdown depending on where you’re at:
Just getting started — grab the Inkbird IBBQ-4T and a budget instant-read to start. Learn the process, get comfortable with temp monitoring, then upgrade your instant-read to the Thermapen when you’re ready.
You already have a leave-in probe — the Thermapen One is your next buy, no question. The difference between a good instant-read and a mediocre one is felt on every single cook.
You want the full setup — Thermapen One for instant reads, Inkbird fully wireless for leave-in monitoring. That combo covers everything you’ll ever need at the pit.
The bottom line is this — great BBQ is about controlling variables, and temperature is the most important variable of all. Whatever you’re cooking with right now, a reliable thermometer will make it better.
Have a thermometer you love that I didn’t mention? Drop it in the comments — I’m always curious what other pitmasters are using.
