Thermometer through Gure Eyelet

I just installed my BBQ Guru eyelets yesterday...was very easy, just as they said.

I was wondering about using a 7 3/4 inch Taylor candy thermometer through one of the holes to get a temp just below the upper cooking grate. I have been using one of these thermometers to mearure my temps about 3 to 4 inches under the dome through the top vent and it seems to be working very well.

My question is about temp accuracy with the side hole placement. As I understand it, there is a column of hotter air that goes up the edges of the cooker to the dome and then the heat circulates through the cooker. Is the thermometer going to measure that hotter temp at the edge or will it measure nearer the far end of the thermometer which will be 5 or 6 inches inside the cooker?

Thanks for any thoughts.

The part of the thermometer that senses the temp is in or very near the tip, depending on whether it's a digital or bi-metal analog. The stem length you have should work fine in either case.

What is the difference between the digital or bi-metal analog? Both measure the temp from the tip, don't they?

I know this might be overkill, but I'm toying with the idea of mounting the thermometer holder from a Genesis grill at the grate level. It would be more secure than the Guru eyelet, they are only a few bucks from Weber, and if your not wild about the replacement thermometer, Tel-Tru has one for $19.
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/support/part/schematic.asp...1IM5038&prev=P471001

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lee Morris:
I just installed my BBQ Guru eyelets yesterday...was very easy, just as they said.

I was wondering about using a 7 3/4 inch Taylor candy thermometer through one of the holes to get a temp just below the upper cooking grate. I have been using one of these thermometers to mearure my temps about 3 to 4 inches under the dome through the top vent and it seems to be working very well.

My question is about temp accuracy with the side hole placement. As I understand it, there is a column of hotter air that goes up the edges of the cooker to the dome and then the heat circulates through the cooker. Is the thermometer going to measure that hotter temp at the edge or will it measure nearer the far end of the thermometer which will be 5 or 6 inches inside the cooker?

Thanks for any thoughts. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I used the same arrangement when I first got my WSM (still do, occasionally, in spite of all the electronic thermometers I've accumulated since then). I also used this setup with a Brinkmann Gourmet smoker for 4 years, before I got my WSM (no Guru eyelet, just a hole I drilled). In both cases, it worked fine. My personal preference is to measure temperature at, or as close as possible to, the cooking grate, so your setup is better, IMO, than through the lid vent, through the lid, etc. I still have my original Taylor candy thermometer, and a second one I bought as a backup, and I trust them just as much as any of the electronic ones I have.

I installed a lid thermo, and use a Weber replacement thermo in the Guru eyelet just below the the grill.

After an hour or so, the readings are within 1-2 degrees. So the lid will always start hotter, but it evens out.