My New WSM has a factory installed Thermometer


 
B

Brian Silvey

TVWBB Member
Yes! I am the proud owner of a 22" WSM. I just finished assembly so it's never been used. I have been using a CharGriller offset for about 4 years. Makes tasty Q, but I'm tired of fiddling every hour to maintain temps. This last year I did my first competition and everyone had either a WSM or a Cajun Bandit or one of those trailer pits or all of the above. So I spent the money and upgraded, I also have a Cajun Bandit on order. I'm looking forward to being able to do longer cooks that don't cut to deep into my beer drinking time.

With my offset I have a Maverick, dual prong, remote thermometer that I use. I notice the WSM now comes with a factory installed thermometer. Are they any good? Or should I just ignore it?

Thanks,
Brian
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I notice the WSM now comes with a factory installed thermometer. Are they any good? Or should I just ignore it? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>considering what you've used before this NEW WSM, btw, is the greatest smoker on the market (toss away your other junk)...
yeah, the "factory installed thermometer" is good. Why would you THINK of ignoring it?
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If you have the Maverick I'd use it. Most around here will say the built in thermometer isn't as accurate. Now I don't have a Maverick and just use the built in and everything I've cooked on my WSM has been tasty.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Most around here will say the built in thermometer isn't as accurate </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
how accurate do you WANT the therm to be??!!
you're cookin' food for pete's sake, not sending women and children to the moon!
If it's off by 5 - 10º, are ya gonna die from alien sun showers?
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By the way, WHERE is this perfect world everyone speaks soooo highly of?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Lampe:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I notice the WSM now comes with a factory installed thermometer. Are they any good? Or should I just ignore it? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>considering what you've used before this NEW WSM, btw, is the greatest smoker on the market (toss away your other junk)...
yeah, the "factory installed thermometer" is good. Why would you THINK of ignoring it?
icon_confused.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

When I bought my CharGriller Pro I read that the built in thermometer was not accurate and should be ignored in favor of a Maverick type. When I searched here for info on the WSM's built in therm I only found a thread from several years ago when they didn't have one at all. Hence my question.

I'm sure the WSM will make my CG look like a dinosaur, but I'll keep it around for grilling.

Thanks,
B
 
I agree with Jim, the thermometer is not real precise but good enough for the job at hand. I have found that my WSM works best with the needle pointing straight up. So that is where I try to keep it. It happens to be about 240. Your maverick is great for the meat temp to test for doneness. Smoke some meat and I am sure you will wonder why you waited so long to join the WSM team.

Mike
 
I say do a boiling water test on your thermometer it should sit at 212% if so your good to cook. I also have a maverick and I have only used it three times and that is to measure the doneness of my meat. The WSM is a every good product it is very close to a set it and forget.
 
I have a CharGriller and a WSM. I now use the CG as a grill and Rotisserie cooker. I had the same question you asked when I got my WSM. My experience with the Weber therm is that it's not spot on but close enough. I stick my Maverick cooker probe through the top vent if I want precision. It may take you a few cooks with the WSM to get a feel for it.
 
I took a closer look at the WSM thermo and it is a much better quality thermo than what comes with the CG.

Thanks for the replies. Can't wait to try it out.

B
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Most around here will say the built in thermometer isn't as accurate. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Most around here say a lot of things. The problem is that many people get two or three therms and want them all to agree which is impossible since they're all located in different places.
 
I tested mine with boiling water and it was pretty good, measuring around 210.

Your grate temp and lid temp are going to vary. I can glance out on the deck at my lid therm and it'll give me an approximation. That's all I use it for.
 
I use the lid therm to tell at a glance if temp is going up or down. The Maverick ET 732 hits it on a gnat's a$$ at grill level temps.
 
I have a Maverick ET 73 that I often use with my WSM but I always use the lid thermometer for making vent decisions. On some cooks I don't get the ET 73 out, but I always use the lid. Also, I am able to mess things up with little personal effort such as letting meat drip onto the probe or knocking the probe into the water pan. You are probably more coordinated than I, or at least I hope so for your sake, but that's why I use the lid therm.

I normally record the lid and the Maverick temps in my log but work from the lid.
 
Checked my Weber thermometer a couple times in boiling water and it's always been +/- 2 or 3 degrees - that's good for me.
Have (had) a couple old Maverick Redi-Chek's - broke the probe on one of them. I'll replace it with a 732. These are accurate.
Also have a Maverick grate thermometer. this is the one that I really don't pay to much attention to. Don't take my lids off unless absolutely necessary.
 
If I was going to use one or the other, I would use the Maverick.

But since the Weber's built in and I(you) have a Maverick as back up, why not use both.

As you learn how the 22 acts and understand that the dome temp is different than the grate temp, you might be able to do without the Maverick.

You can never have too many thermometers!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">quote:
Most around here will say the built in thermometer isn't as accurate

how accurate do you WANT the therm to be??!!
you're cookin' food for pete's sake, not sending women and children to the moon!
If it's off by 5 - 10º, are ya gonna die from alien sun showers?

By the way, WHERE is this perfect world everyone speaks soooo highly of? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

RIGHT ON, JIM!!!!!!!!
 
I measure @ the top vent, with either the Mav or a stick in therm.
That's the way I started and I prefer that then measuring @ the lid.

Tim
 
My WSM is a 2008, so it did not come with a dome thermometer.

I measure in the top vent with a Taylor candy thermometer that is dead accurate 212° in boiling water. I use it to watch for temps to stay within a certain range, and I adjust the vents accordingly to keep my WSM in that range. This thermometer has worked like a champ and if it breaks or is lost, a replacement is $9 @ Ace Hardware.
 
The WSM thermometer has always been fine for my purposes. I generally cook in just a few ranges: lower 200s, upper 200s, or 300s. Sure, the thermometer may not reflect the exact conditions at the grate(s), but it tells me if I'm in the ballpark, and even the crappiest thermometer will tell you if you're rising, falling, or staying about the same.
 
My lid temp is usually 20 ~ 30F below the grate temp.
I use a Maverick 732 as my main thermometer but I do use the lid one as sanity check. My maverick have let me down more then once where it seems to get stuck and will not update the temp for the life of me, or give completely off readings and keep jumping from 60 to 260, at this point I just go by the lid and add +20 to have a ballpark temp at grate level
 
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