Maverick ET-733 Redi Chek BBQ Thermometer review

The Maverick ET-733 is an earlier radio thermometer that still illustrates a useful cooking choice: follow two foods, or follow one food and the barbecue chamber, with the same pair of included probes. Its separate receiver lets you read temperatures without a phone. The probes themselves remain connected to an outside transmitter by cables.

Choose what the two probes will do

The original ET-733 instructions identify two interchangeable probes and two grate clips. A probe can be assigned to food or barbecue monitoring. This is flexible, but it is still two physical measurements: using one for the chamber leaves one for the food.

That tradeoff is important when planning a meal. If you need two different foods and a separate chamber reading at the same time, the documented included set does not provide all three. A higher probe count or a separate chamber sensor would answer a genuinely different requirement.

For food, place the sensing tip inside the part you actually need to measure. For chamber use, the grate clip holds a probe in the cooking space. The original setup example makes that distinction explicit; a probe touching hot metal is not automatically reporting the same thing as one positioned to measure the surrounding air.

A receiver for numbers and alarms

The handheld receiver displays both probe readings and their settings. Its temperature alarm can respond to a food target or to high and low barbecue limits. The receiver also has a five-second backlight, useful when checking beside a dimly lit barbecue.

The transmitter has its own local temperature display, which alternates between probes. That lets you inspect readings beside the cooker. The documented alert controls and audible temperature warnings are on the receiver, however. Do not assume the local transmitter provides the same alarm or illumination.

This distinction can decide the purchase. If you want to carry a numeric display, the receiver arrangement is relevant. If you only want a local beep beside the oven, another documented local-alarm tool may be simpler. Neither routine requires assuming that the ET-733 includes Bluetooth or internet access.

Check the link before walking away

The original manual gives a receiver-first registration procedure each time the system is turned on. Confirm actual readings before relying on a remote warning. It also describes a loss-link alarm after a sustained interruption, with a specific re-sync process.

A radio link should be checked where you intend to use it. Walls, placement and interference can matter. A device that works with the units side by side has not thereby proved that every room in a particular home receives the signal.

Set the intended target deliberately. The older instructions include many food and doneness presets, plus numeric adjustment. Treat the presets as controls, not as a substitute for current food-specific safety guidance. A suitable target and correct probe placement still matter.

Cables, rain and cleaning

The specified measuring range is 32–572°F. The instructions also prohibit exposing the probe sensor above 572°F and warn against flame contact. Keep the outside transmitter away from the hot cover and route the wires so the lid does not crush them.

Rain resistance is limited and differs between units. The manual says the receiver is not rainproof; the transmitter is described as rain-resistant but not watertight. That is not permission to soak the connectors or wash the entire set under running water.

Wash the metal tips as instructed, dry them and wipe the electronic units with a damp cloth. Keep the plugs and sockets dry. The manual specifically connects moisture or heat damage with probe faults, so care is part of owning this system rather than an unrelated afterthought.

An earlier reference with a clear job

ET-733 suits someone comparing an earlier two-probe radio set for one barbecue session, particularly a food-plus-chamber routine. Choose a different arrangement for several foods plus ambient temperature, cable-free rotation or internet viewing.

When considering an older set, confirm the actual receiver, transmitter and probe version supplied. A current replacement-probe compatibility list identifies the ET-733, but does not prove every historical package is complete or that an old offer is available today.