Fireboard seems to be the last of the food thermometer brands to throw a hat in the ring when it comes to wireless temperature probes. But was the Fireboard Pulse worth waiting for?
We've had the honor of testing the brand new Fireboard Pulse for the last few weeks and are sharing our experience with you here so you can decide if this is the next wireless thermometer you should buy.
Key Features of the Fireboard Pulse Dual-Band Wireless Probe
The Pulse is the first ever dual band wireless probe, using both Bluetooth connectivity and S1G technology. It features a wireless temperature probe and ambient probe all in one. Internal and ambient temperature monitoring can be done from anywhere with your mobile app connected to the Fireboard cloud.
The Pulse only takes 10 minutes to fully charge using a USB-C cable. Additionally, the charging stations have magnets, allowing you to stack and charge multiple probes from only 1 plug.
What is the temperature range of the Fireboard Pulse?
Though the Fireboard Pulse is only 1 single probe, it serves 2 different functions that each have different limitations. The part of the probe that is inserted into the meat to measure internal temperature has a temperature range of 14-212°F, while the part of the probe that sticks out of the meat to monitor temperatures of the air has a range of 32-662°F. Fireboard does offer colored probes for ease of keeping multiple probes straight, and those have a more limited heat tolerance of only 572°.
How does the Fireboard Pulse connect?
The Fireboard Pulse uses Bluetooth connectivity to transmit data to other Fireboard products such as the Fireboard 2 series, Fireboard Spark, and various smokers that use a Fireboard controller (like Yoder, Black Earth Grills, Lonestar Grillz).
By adding an S1G antennae to your Fireboard 2 controller, the range improves significantly.
The various Fireboard devices then sync to the Fireboard Cloud allowing you to track your Pulse probe from the Fireboard mobile app on your phone anywhere.
How reliable is the connectivity?
Many people have been asking "How far does the signal go?" First, let's clarify what you're asking.
If you're asking how close your Fireboard connected device has to be to the Pulse probe to receive a signal, here's what we discovered:
For a distance test, we wanted to see how far around our property the Pulse could stay connected from inside the Weber Searwood to the Fireboard 2 Pro while I walked around with it. Here in our driveway, I didn't have any problems staying connected all the way to the road. Halfway down the sidewalk, I was still connected as well. As I approached the neighbor's house with our entire house standing between myself and the probe, which was inside a grill, that's where I lost the connection. I don't know why we'd want to, but we can keep the Pulse S1G connected here at the house anywhere except within about 10 feet of our neighbors driveway.
Perhaps the distance you're trying to cover isn't really distance, but more like obstructions:
The thickest and largest grill we currently have on the property is the Lone Star Grillz 24x48 offset smoker. This beast is 1/4 inch metal all around, and we wanted to see if the Pulse could work on a heavy offset. We placed the probe on the top shelf and waited to see if the probe would stay connected. Turns out even a super thick grill like the Lone Star is no match for the Pulse as connection wasn't a problem.
If you're asking if you can monitor your cook from the grocery store or at work, that distance is basically unlimited as long as your mobile device has wifi and your Fireboard connected devices are transmitting data properly to the cloud.
Is the Ambient Temperature Sensor Reliable?
The circle section at the end of the device is the ambient temperature sensor, and it's been discussed pretty widely as of late how many wireless probes give pretty inaccurate readings for ambient temp. (This is the reason why Thermoworks chose to use a wired ambient probe to go with their newly released RFX Meat thermometer).
We wanted to put that to the test, so we smoked a chuck roast on our Memphis Grills pellet grill. We put the Pulse into the roast up to the minimum insertion line and then set an air temperature probe right next to the ambient section of the Pulse to get readings. We also set up an air temperature probe in the center of the grill grate further away from the meat to get a true grate temperature. What we found was that the ambient reading on the Pulse were within 10 degrees of what we were getting with the other two external ambient probes.
Can the Pulse Control My Fireboard Drive Fan?
For those already operating within the Fireboard ecosystem, this is a question that many have asked. Originally the Pulse was not intended for this use but Fireboard has made adjustments and improvements to bring this request to reality. So now the Pulse can be used to control the Fireboard Drive fan, which is great news to all the Big Green Egg and other kamado grill users who might have this fan.
Where is the Fireboard Pulse made?
Like all the other Fireboard products currently availabe, the Pulse is manufactured in Kansas City, MO.
Real-Life Cooking Applications
It's one thing to test what a wireless thermometer can do in a manufacturing lab, but how does it perform when you cook real food at home?
Pork Tenderloin in the Blaze Aluminum Kamado
For our first charcoal test, we fired up the Blaze Aluminum Kamado running between 325-350 degrees. This was a direct cook right over the coals.
I set up the session in the app, setting an alert for 130 degrees in case I got busy and forgot I was grilling. I flipped the tenderloin a couple of times during the cook, trying to even out the lovely looking crust. The Pulse had no problem with a direct cook over charcoal and we had no connectivity issues with the thick aluminum walls of the Blaze. Thanks to the Pulse, we nailed our doneness hitting that 145 degree internal mark after a 10 minute rest.
Ribeye Steak in the Grilla Chimp
We recently took our Grilla Chimp portable pellet grill on a little anniversary get-away trip to a beautiful cabin in the woods. We fired it up to 500° and placed a GrillGrate FlavorZone panel on the bottom shelf to preheat. We placed the Fireboard Pulse wireless probe into our ribeye steak and set it on the upper shelf to begin coming up to temperature.
We connected the Pulse to our Fireboard Spark instant read thermometer and had no issues monitoring temperatures from inside the cabin. Once the ribeye hit 120° internally we got an alert from the mobile app that it was time to give our steak the beautiful cross hatch sear on the GrillGrates.
Rotisserie Chicken in the American Renaissance Gas Grill
When we were brainstorming the tests we wanted to run with the Fireboard Pulse, one of the first things that came to mind was using it in a rotisserie chicken on the grill. Traditionally you can't use thermometer probes on the rotisserie because wires and constant turning don't play well together.
To test the Pulse we fired up the American Renaissance Gas Grill that we installed in our outdoor kitchen and put a chicken on the rotisserie spit. I set the burners to medium low and inserted a Fireboard Pulse into the breast and another into the thigh. This way I could monitor both white and dark meat during the cook. After 20 minutes, the bird was coming along nicely, and at the 50 minute mark, our rotisserie chicken was ready. No problem for the Fireboard Pulse with rotisserie use.
Direct Steak Sear on RCS Premier Charcoal Grill
We wanted to test out the max temperature limits of the Pulse so we lit the Renaissance Cooking System charcoal grill with some Black Bag Fogo Charcoal to test with a hotter direct fire. On this test, everything started out fine, we put the probe into the steak, set up the app for the cook, and then the skies opened up on us. We found ourselves grilling in a downpour, but it can't stop our testing. I intentionally kept the probe towards the edge of the fire, which is what I'd do in real life to protect the probe, and I didn't have any issues over hot lump charcoal. A beautiful medium rare steak in the rain, and the Pulse handled it like a champ.
Conclusion
Now the decision is up to you. Is the Fireboard Pulse worth it for you? Will it change the way that you cook for the better? Let us know down in the comments below, and let's continue the conversation about this new wireless thermometer.
