Meat thermometer

Thermapens are very good.  A bit expensive but worth it. Instant read is good for checking internal temps quickly.  Bunch of different colors … a blue green colored one on sale now.  Can't leave it in the food while cooking though.  

+1 on thermopen

I would start with a fast instant like ThermoPop or Thermapen first. I use a ThermoPop and love it. It gets more use than any other accessory.  I use an iGrill 2, but not that often. 

+1 on Thermopen... We use both on the egg and in the kitchen all the time. You will not over or undercook anymore

+1 on the Thermopen.  Great addition to my BBQ armory. 

I disagree, no question an instant read thermometer is the first thermometer I'd buy. I say instant read, but I went with a thermopop myself and love it. As a few have mentioned you will be able to use the instant read on more than just the egg,  my wife uses it when she cooks. 

I see it about once a month when a new egger asks which accessories are must have and to me an instant read thermometer, a maverick and a way to go indirect are my 3 must haves. 

leemschu said:

I'm thinking I'm going to go with a thermopop and a maverick et-733.

Good choice.  I have both a thermopen and a thermopop and they are both great.  I also use the Maverick 733 on low and slow cooks and it has worked very well for me.  The thermopop didn't exist when I bought the thermopen but I bought the pop as a spare and use it indoors at the moment.

According to your post, you want to be able to measure the temp during the cook so I would suggest the Maverick as once inserted you do not have to open the Egg to determine the temperature. This is also making the assumption that your cook is a larger portion being done indirect over a period of time and not something like a steak or hamburger in a direct cook. I do not recommend probes to be in the meat on direct cooks as the insulation will be destroyed by direct exposure to the burning coal bed. With an indirect cook route the wires over the leg of a platesetter to protect them from direct radiation of the fire. On raised direct the wires can be shielded with HD foil if needed.  It is always good to have a verification from the Thermopen/Thermopop before removing protein from the Egg when using a Maverick type device as they can be somewhat inaccurate. Ultimately you will likely have both as most of us do as they complement each other well and serve different purposes. If you do not require wireless, Thermoworks makes some very fine units that will monitor extended cooks also and are far more accurate than the Maverick. On indirect cooks I monitor with a Maverick and confirm finish with a Thermapen.

I just got a Maverick T-732 for $50 off of ebay, can't wait

I think it is nice to have both an instant read (like a Thermapen or a Thermopop) and a leave in thermometer (like a maverick).  As noted above they are for different kinds of cooking.  Use the leave in for big hunks of meat like butts, roast, turkey, etc.  Use the instant read for steaks, chops, chicken parts, etc.  

If I could only have one I would start with an instant read.  If you are cooking butts or a turkey you can always open the egg and check the temp with an instant read.   A leave-in like a maverick is pretty much useless on steaks, chops, chicken breast, etc because it is too slow and you have to have a big hunk of meat to get an accurate reading. 

I'm a big Thermapen proponent. I also have a Maverick. Before I had either, I thought that being able to keep up with my temperatures remotely would be way more valuable. So I got the Maverick long before I got the Thermapen, and I thought the Maverick would be much more useful. I can't really pinpoint why this is, but the Maverick in hindsight hasn't been that useful to me. In fact, I'd say it's not worth the trouble of setting it up, much less the expense of buying it. I haven't used it in well over a year (including lots of long, low-and-slow cooks), while I use my Thermapen virtually every single cook. Lots of other people like the Maverick and have different opinions about it than I do. That's fine. And again, I can't really logically explain why I find it so useless. On the surface, it just seems so much cooler than a Thermapen. But in practice, I just don't use it. For example, I did a 12-hour brisket cook overnight on Saturday/Sunday, and not once did it even cross my mind to pull out the Maverick. But the Thermapen was a key part of the cook.

(No opinion on Thermapop versus Thermapen. I've never used the former.)