Stoker probe calibration?


 
P

Patrick S.

New member
Hi folks,

Question for fellow stoker owners of this forum:

I just received a new Stoker this week, and am testing it out before I attempt a cook on it this weekend.

I have 4 probes total, 3 food & one pit.

Currently I have them all plugged in and sitting on a table in the house. All 3 are located right next to each other.

I'm getting a wide range of temps from each probe, and I'm wondering if I need to do anything to calibrate them:

Pit: 61.7
Food1: 58.3
Food2: 72.6
Food3: 59.1

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Just a quick followup on my own post.

Is it possible that this thing does not read accurate at low temps?

I'm at work right now, but I will try putting the probe tips in some hot water tonight (all at the same temp) and see if things even out.
 
Yes... each probe SHOULD come with a calibration number. Neither of the 2 probes that I have did.

Anyone know how to calibrate these things to get that number?

I have a Thermapen that I can use to get accurate reference readings - but I don't know what those numbers mean or how you go about getting those numbers.

All the manual says is that the "factory" provides them... which certainly wasn't true in my case.
 
Ok... I just answered my own question. I called up Rocks BBQ and asked him how I can calibrate them.

He suggested that I calibrate them by putting them in boiling water and adjusting the calibration numbers until they read 212 (for sea level).

[ The boiling water temp is different at different altitudes, and thermoworks has a calculator to help you figure out what it should be based on your elevation and the current barometric pressure in your area (really cool( http://www.thermoworks.com/software/bpcalc.html ]

If you are going to do the boiling-water thing, you really should do the calculator above - because in my area (4750 feet, 30in pressure) - water boils at 203.97 degrees... and being off by 9 degrees can be pretty serious if you are dealing with a meat probe...


The guy at Rocks BBQ said that the water has to be really boiling, and you have to have the tip right in the middle of it - and not touching the pan or anything... because the boiling water can vary in temperature by 5 to 7 degrees.

He also mentioned that most of the probes have calibration numbers around 37 or 38...

So - hope this helps anyone else who might need to calibrate their probes
icon_smile.gif
 
THanks for the reply.

Yep, that is the same situation with me, I did not have any calibration info on my probes. The page that should indicate that is left with blank lines.
 
Just a quick update,

I was able to calibrate all my probes using boiling water and the stoker is working great now.

Did some babybacks, followed by a standing rib roast this weekend, and the results were amazing.

Thanks again.
 
I did not get the calibration number with mine either. I called them up and was told they were all calibrated to '37' When I dip them in a roaring boil, I'm getting about 205. I should be just over 210 at my elevation. He said he calibrates everything at his location near sea level with a 212 degree oil.

Hopefully I'll get everything setup correctly today.

Michael
 
Mine never came with calibration number either. Just did the boiling water method and wrote my calibration information in the book. Some were close to 37... others were not.

Kenny Davis
 
Just got my stoker today and the probes are reading between 70' and 75'. I have 4 probes, 3 food and 1 pit. They are all set on the kitchen table next to each other. Should i worry about this level of variance? How do I calibrate them if it is needed?
 
Jay, it's easy enough to calibrate them so yes, I'd calibrate them.

Be sure to use the calculator posted above or there are others posted on the board. You can find your barometric pressure for your location on most weather sites.
 
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