Great Tip

[Scot W]

Might sound like common sense but this weekend did an 8 pound shoulder and for some reason could not get my thermostat to read over 160? opened the door, all the vents, had wood on fire! Figured at that point the Thermostat was broken?

Nope, just needed to clean the debris off the 22.5 probe that reads the temp.

Yes, the shoulder was done too much, but learned a lesson to wipe it clean before each and every session.

 

[Dave Russell]

Scot,

Yessir...cleaning the tip of the probe is a "great tip".

However, I still wouldn't get too comfortable with the Weber OE gauge. They're pretty cheap and it'll very likely start "sticking" and reading low at some time in the not so distant future. I'd at least check it periodically in boiling water, and it's nice that it has a wing nut for easy removal.

My first one starting sticking after a while, then my second one did the same, and the next one Weber sent me was over ten degrees low right off the bat. I just ignore it and go by my Maverick Redicheck probe hung in the vent. That's closer to actual grate temp anyway, since it's in the stream of circulation and not as affected by the top grate meat temp.

 

[Morrey Thomas]

Scot,

As you learned something from your mistake, that alone should constitute a successful cooking lesson. Folks who cook the most are bound to make the most mistakes.

I refer to the OE dome mounted Weber thermometer as a hood ornament on a nice car. Looks snazzy and racy, but that's just about all it's worth in terms of actual performance.

Of course you will get tons of tips and advice from posts on this board. Some are good and some not so good, so filter it all carefully. Most advice comes from personal experiences so some value can be extracted from most.

Dave offers solid advice to use a quality aftermarket thermometer and to position the sensing probe close to where the meat will be on the grate. I use and recommend a Maverick ET-732 remote system. Oddly, the internal temps of a WSM can vary from place to place since convection is moving heat all around inside. Measuring near the meat is the real deal since thats what your meat cooks at....not the dome temps. Hanging the probe thru the vent hole works well if you are not a frequent "peeker". BTW...If you're lookin' you ain't cookin' goes the saying. I personally installed eyelets thru the walls so the probes could go inside the WSM w/o cluttering vent holes. Again, personal preference.

I can assure you will love your WSM as soon you and and "it" become best friends....and what I mean is that you are famailiar with the operations and factors influencing your cooking successes.

 

[Paul H]

Scot, I always scrub my temp probes after the cook. Just to clean off any deposits on them. They can accumulate over time . They don't get squeaky clean but smooth.