Hello Dead Meat Society,
Reminder: Amazon Prime Day officially starts Tuesday. We already broke down the best grill deals of the Summer, so check that out before you spend a dollar this week. Drop this week's cook in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.
Now, here's what we've been cooking up all week…
First up, Serious Eats tested every wireless grill thermometer you might be eyeing in 2026, and the results might surprise you. Also, Texas Monthly's BBQ editor showed up at the National High School BBQ Championship and called it the future of Texas barbecue. And your grill grates have an expiration date, watch for it.
Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?
And remember, the stakes have never been higher!
Our weekly DMS Smokeshow winner will receive a FREE Stars & Stripes DMS T-shirt, PLUS…
Each month, one of the weekly DMS Smokeshow winners (the best of the best) will have $1,000 donated to their local food bank
👑 This Week’s Champ
This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Tyler J King for feeding his family right. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
🥈 Honorable Mention #1
Honorable mention to Brian J Vermont for a smoked meatloaf we’d all enjoy. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
🥉 Honorable Mention #2
Honorable mention to Skeet Stigler for these dino-tastic ribs. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.
Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.
That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?
STOP GUESSING TEMPS
If you're still using a single probe thermometer from 2018, or worse, cutting into meat to check doneness, we’re going to fix your entire life today, friend.
Serious Eats tested every wireless grill thermometer worth buying in 2026 and ranked them. (And we’re so very grateful.)
Here's what you need to know before Prime Day this week.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GREAT THERMOMETER?
A wireless thermometer doesn't just confirm when the meat is done. It tells us what's happening inside the smoker in real time.
You can track that stall on the brisket at 165°F. You can watch your chicken climbing to temp faster than expected.
And a great probe makes it all visible from your phone or a receiver, without opening the lid every twenty minutes and losing heat.
THE TOP PICKS
ThermoWorks Signals: Serious Eats' top pick. Four probes, 500-foot Bluetooth range, WiFi connectivity so you can monitor from inside the house. $279. The professional choice if you cook seriously and often.
Meater Plus: Completely wireless. No cables running to the grill. Single probe, app-controlled, and it works on Bluetooth with a 165-foot range. $99. This is the simplest, cleanest setup for people who hate cords.
ThermoPro TP20: This thing works on radio frequency instead of Bluetooth. Two probes, 500-foot range, no phone app required. $57. It’s the best pick for people who don't want to deal with connectivity issues mid-cook.
Inkbird IBT-4XS: Four probes, Bluetooth, $30. This may be a budget pick, but Serious Eats says it punches well above its price for the cost-conscious cook.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Probe count: One probe is fine for steaks… But brisket with a second probe monitoring pit temp is a different cook entirely.
Range: Bluetooth tops out around 165 feet. WiFi or RF gets you into the house and keeps the connection stable through walls. How close do you need to stay to your smoker?
Battery life: Long cooks need long battery. Anything under 20 hours on a charge is a problem on a brisket day.
App reliability: A great thermometer with a garbage app is still a garbage thermometer. Serious Eats tested the apps, too.
THE TIMING
Amazon Prime Day starts Tuesday, and several of these are already on sale, with deals likely to improve through the week.
Lock in what you want before the savings end Thursday.
What probe are you running on your pit right now, Dead Meat Society? And is it time for an upgrade?
BBQ Hot Take of the Week
Last week, we asked: It’s Father’s Day Weekend. What are your plans to celebrate?
We had a tie between: “I’m cooking. That’s the gift.” and “New gear first, then we cook.”
This week, we want to know:
What wireless thermometer setup are you running?
*Check back next week for the results*
Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.
🥩 NEXT GENERATION: 110 high school teams got together in near 100-degree heat to cook pork ribs, chicken, ribeye, and cast-iron desserts. Daniel Vaughn showed up and left calling it the future of Texas barbecue.
🥩 BBQ BRAWL: Season 7 is running now through July 6. Bobby Flay talked about why this show keeps working.
🥩 COWBOY CULTURE: Check out the food situation that comes with black rodeo culture in Oklahoma. It’s cowboys, live fire, turkey legs, BBQ, and more.
🥩 BBQ EFFECT: World Cup visitors are understanding the obsession 👇
🥩 PORK STEAKS: Tootsie at Snow’s BBQ has been running pork steaks for decades 👇
Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
Meat & Greet
Dead Meat Society is all about community. We’re here to support and uplift the pursuit of delicious meats and the people and brands who are doing it right.
Today, let’s Meat and Greet…
Rhett, aka @thisolgrill1977, is a backyard grilling and BBQ creator and Dead Meat Society crew member competing in the 2026 Favorite Chef competition (a nationwide cook-off presented by Carla Hall benefiting the James Beard Foundation) And he needs your vote. Go vote for Rhett here.
He also got the DMS skull tattooed on his arm. Most people just buy the merch. This takes extreme commitment.
Give him a follow @thisolgrill1977
Want to be featured? Post your merch and let us see you cooking in style!
Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…
🥓 DOUBLE RUB: Rub before. AND rub after you pull. The second hit goes straight into the meat.
🥓 BEGINNER TIPS: These are the grilling tips that you should know. Good reminders here even if you’ve been at it for years.
🥓 LIQUID SMOKE BURGER: A few drops in the patty mix before you form the burgers can make all the difference.
🥓 GRILL GRATE LIFESPAN: Cast iron outlasts everything. Even stainless holds up. But chrome-plated doesn't. Know what you're buying.
🥓 WET VS DRY: Two racks, one cook, and one old argument settled 👇
Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
A happy ending just for you.
That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).
And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…
The Butcher Shop
Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.
No excuses is exactly right 💀 Thanks for the share, John.
Flip it. Grip it. Stage it. The Dead Grill Station Kit Bundle gives you control over the meat and the mess, complete with…
Dead Skull Spatula
Dead Grip Tongs
Dead Drip - Tool Mat
It’s not just tools, it’s your grill station, dialed in.
HEADS UP, Dead Meat Society: July 4 is next weekend. So you gotta order right now if you want to have these on your grill in time for the celebration…
As part of our commitment to community, we will donate 10% of net profits to charities that matter.