Dialing in an adjustable lid thermometer to read grate temp


 

AndyC

TVWBB Member
I have seen post and YouTube videos where folks installed an adjustable thermometer on their lid and adjusted it to report grate level.

I decided to try this on my Jumbo Joe first, before drilling on my WSM.

What I have found is I can get it to match at one temperature, but that higher/lower are off. Am I doing it wrong?

For Jumbo Joe that's fine. The only temperature I am likely to use the lid for is 225. Otherwise, I am usually lis off and direct grilling. On my WSM or kettle, though, I cook a bigger variety of dishes and care more.

Thanks in advance!
 
You could kind of do it but you're assuming there is a direct relationship between the lid and grate temp and I don't think there is. At times my lid and grate match but most of the time they don't. Sometimes the lid is lower and sometimes the grate. If you use water or not might matter. How much meat is in the smoker may matter and change that reading. I know T-Roy from T-Roy Cooks on Youtube did it and he seems to turn out good food so it may be worth a shot. You just need to dial it in for your cooker.
 
I dont think this is a good solution, bc you just found the problem with it. The grate temp, verses the dome temp will never be the same difference across the temp band bc of varying factors, like flow, and weather (sun, wind, rain, temp, etc.).

The gen III WSM has a silicone grommet in the side, positioned right in between the two cooking grates. It has two self sealing holes, one for a mechanical probe thermometer to measure grate temp (but it has to be long, you dont want to temp close to the wall) and another "slit" for an electric meat probe. They make accurate inexpensive dual probe thermometers, so what I would do, is drill my hole in that same place, order that grommet from Weber, then youre good to go!
 
How does knowing the exact temp at the cooking grate improve your BBQ. When you set your oven to 350 deg it's not 350 at every location. But once you lean how your oven works it doesn't really matter. I'd do the same for your WSM and dome thermometer. Once you figure out how the relationship works between cooking and dome temp works it doesn't really matter what the exact temp at the cooking grate is.
 
Dont waste time.
It varies

Put a single chicken breast on there, it read same
Put 15 lb of 40f meat on directly under it, it will read lower

Even at grate, moving probe by 2" can change reading 10F
You got basically blocks of ice in there at start

Temp can be lower near them. So dont get too close.
 
I like reading @ the top vent with a turkey fryer temp or probe ( just let it " hang out" )
Temps are usually 12-15 degs higher then grate and are not affected by the mass of cold meat, cause your reading the exhaust.

That's my story, and I'll stick with it for the last 11 yrs :wsm:

Tim
 
Sounds like purchasing a problem which can be much more easily addressed. Yes, “You can tie your mule to the Queen Mary but, why?” Use a grate probe it’s cheap and more accurate than trying to calibrate ineffectual dome thermometers to far more accurate and, readily available thermometers.
If you’re inclined, Timothy’s turkey fryer technique is perfectly accurate. This is not a five degree accuracy issue, move the heck along and get cooking! Practice and reasonable safety procedures will render excellent results. Gee whiz!
 
Back in the days when I was actively flying I would keep a keen eye out for that patch of earth where upon take-off I could crash safely..... ;)
 
Folks, we aint bakin cakes. To many variables outside to try to dial in a perfect cooking enviroment.
Pay attention to the meat, it can handle temp swings up or down but you have to know when to pull it.

Tim
 
Folks, we aint bakin cakes. To many variables outside to try to dial in a perfect cooking enviroment.
Pay attention to the meat, it can handle temp swings up or down but you have to know when to pull it.

Tim
This is why I wish we had a like button!
 
there IS a LIKE button....

icon14.png


See?
 

��
So there!
One member here reminded me that very point early on in my smoking adventures.
Chasing the five or ten degree window is an exercise in frustration, fifty degree swings are a problem but, a 25 window is no big deal.
Heck, my thumbs up didn’t take!
 
Is this a serious question??

In certain cooking situations, the dome can be 25-40 degrees hotter than at the rack. Dome thermometers should generally be avoided.

The innaccuracy of dome location is less important at 225 than 300. Cook low and slow....its done when it gets done. Thats all that matters. It can be 200 or 250....just time.

Temp doesnt really matter until over about 275 in my limited experience. Except be high enough get things like turkey out of danger temp zone in 4 hrs or so. And temp of 275 is good for setting rib bark without drying out in process. But if dont wrap ribs....cook low not an issue.
 
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I guess there's a lot of opinions on this. Personally I want to know an accurate temperature so I go with a digital probe at grate level. Knowing the temperature can give you an idea of what to change next time if a cook doesn't go right. Maybe you didn't render enough fat? Next time try a little hotter. Next time you dried everything out. Try cooking lower. That said, everyone else is kind of right, too. You can get way too obsessed with the temperature. If my WSM settles in at 245 and I wanted to cook at 225, I just kind of roll with it. If you are starting out, you need to know what temp you are cooking at. Once you get more experienced you'll know what rules you can break. Most of the guys answering that it doesn't matter are at that level. You can just roll with the dome temp if you know what your cooker is doing.
 
Is this a serious question??

In certain cooking situations, the dome can be 25-40 degrees hotter than at the rack. Dome thermometers should generally be avoided.

Depending on what you're cooking, it can be tricky to find a good spot for a grate probe that's not too close to a cold hunk of meat or too close to the hot outside edge of the grate.

I've been cooking using primarily lid temp for 21 years, it works fine. +/- 25°F between grate and lid doesn't really matter. Internal meat temp is more important.

Just for fun, here are some lid temps (left) and grate temps (right) from a brisket cook I did using ThermoWorks Smoke in 2017. For this particular cook and this particular meat on this particular day with water in the pan, the temp difference is just a few degrees to maybe 20 degrees between my industrial-grade lid therm with 4" stem and the Smoke air probe on the top grate. Notice that the temp difference sometimes flips, i.e. the grate temp is hotter than the lid temp.

Time/Lid Temp/Top Grate Temp

12:30 am 228 225 +3
1:00 am 260 255 +5
1:15 am 275 267 +8
1:30 am 265 264 +1
2:00 am 280 275 +5
2:30 am 288 286 +2
3:00 am 297 297 0
3:15 am 300 310 -10
3:30 am 270 292 -22
4:00 am 244 268 -24
4:30 am 244 257 -13
5:00 am 300 301 -1
5:30 am 262 282 -20
6:00 am 271 258 +13
6:30 am 274 273 +4
7:18 am 260 268 -8
 
Is this a serious question??

In certain cooking situations, the dome can be 25-40 degrees hotter than at the rack. Dome thermometers should generally be avoided.

So once you know this and know how your WSM cooks.

How is knowing the exact temp at the cooking grate improve your BBQ? How does looking at your digital readout and seeing 226.7 deg F improve your BBQ over knowing your lid thermometer reads 20-30 deg high and taking 250-20=230 to 250-30=220.

Does knowing your temp at the grate of 226.7 improved your BBQ over knowing it's in a temperature range of 220 to 230.
 

 

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