Externally visible thermometer for kettle chamber?


 
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Dave Glasgal

TVWBB Member
Over the weekend, a very generous person donated their old 22" kettle. It's just the basic one, with the ash pan instead of the container, and it doesn't have a thermometer. It needs a little bit of TLC and sadly a new grate since this one's got a fair deal of rust dust, but amazingly I may actually have a lead on that from a neighbor.

I'd really like to try my hand at smoking with this, but I've literally never smoked before so I'm starting with absolutely no first-hand experience as far regulating my temperature. I understand the basic idea of how to do this by using both the bottom and top vents, but I don't have a feel for actually getting the temp where I want it. And this is where my question comes in: is there a thermometer I can use that will allow me to put a probe inside the chamber but keep an eye on the results without removing the lid and letting the heat out? And perhaps more importantly: is there an inexpensive thermometer that'll let me do this? I know how much it would cost to get a kettle that is actually designed with a thermometer, so I don't want to spend 75% of that price just for one tool when it would cost just a little more for a brand new grill.
 
I use this one and have been really happy. It only has a 3 month warranty, and the probes started failing, but I just did the buy another and swap with Amazon. I am sure others will recommend much better ones but they can get pricey.

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On my 06 OTG I used a turkey fryer therm clipped into one of the holes on the top vent when smoking.
I also used a wooden clothespin and slid the probe thru the metal spring hole.
Your reading the hot exhaust so those temps are usually 12-15 degs higher then grate temp.
 
timothy said:
On my 06 OTG I used a turkey fryer therm clipped into one of the holes on the top vent when smoking.
I also used a wooden clothespin and slid the probe thru the metal spring hole.
Your reading the hot exhaust so those temps are usually 12-15 degs higher then grate temp.
Click to expand...
Hmm. I have a ThermoWorks Dot that was given to me a couple years ago which includes this probe. In theory could I just hang that down through the top vents? I was hesitant because the instructions say that the cord should be kept away from pans and oven racks because they can get hotter than the air itself, but if I'm only working at around 250-300, I feel like the vent and kettle around it would be within the cord's safe operating range (700F).

I feel like I'd have to just make sure I don't mount the Dot itself to the kettle, as that would probably cause some harm. But the cord should be long enough that I could fasten it to the leg or rest it on a nearby table.
 
Put the probe through a cork to keep it off the kettle dome and you will probably be fine. I have used the fryer thermometer method and it really works well enough.
 
Dave Glasgal said:
Hmm. I have a ThermoWorks Dot that was given to me a couple years ago which includes this probe. In theory could I just hang that down through the top vents? I was hesitant because the instructions say that the cord should be kept away from pans and oven racks because they can get hotter than the air itself, but if I'm only working at around 250-300, I feel like the vent and kettle around it would be within the cord's safe operating range (700F).

I feel like I'd have to just make sure I don't mount the Dot itself to the kettle, as that would probably cause some harm. But the cord should be long enough that I could fasten it to the leg or rest it on a nearby table.
Click to expand...
I have that one and it's a food probe but still should work.
Yea I wouldnt use the magnets to mount it on the kettle... A table is what I use.
 
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