<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Roy C:
[qb]Of particular interest was Webb Collings idea of wrapping the probe cable with ceramic braided sleeving from Omega. Has that held up? I'm thinking of doing the same.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I can't take credit for the idea. Someone else here suggested it.
I've used the sleeved probes on a couple of occasions so far and it works perfectly. I used the Nextel 1/8th inch nominal diamater sleeving from
www.omega.com. It was a tight fit over the new Maverick probes; and easier fit over the standard Polder-sized probes. I extended the sleeving to the bend in probes on two of them (for insertion into the meat) and extended it to within 2 inches of the tip on a couple of probes (for measuring through the sides of the cooker).
In both cases, I used aluminum foil self-adhesive tape to seal and cover the ends of the sleeving -- the frayed ends are kind of nasty and irritating like fiberglass insulation, so you want them sealed.
I can tell the sleeving provides effective insulation because I could grab the end of the probe with my hand for long enough to remove it from the pork shoulder. Doing that with the bare metal would leave a serious burn. Overall, the sleeving makes the probes a bit easier to handle.
I expect the sleeving to greatly increase the reliability of the probes. That's really been the Achilles heel of all the remote thermometers. If you use them in a roasting situation (375 degrees), you are dangerously close to the point at which they fail (400 degrees), particularly considering that the rising heat makes the area around the circumference of the cooker or through the lid hotter than the grate temp. The cable has to pass through these hot spots.
The ceramic sleeving is rated to handle 1300+ degrees F (continuous) and has extremely low thermal conductivity. It's the new high-tech replacement for asbestos fiber, with the only downside being that the stuff is expensive as sin. Ten feet of sleeving -- enough to do four probes (only extending to within a foot or so of the plug) - was $30 with shipping. But, I've burned up two probes in the last couple months and I saw no end in sight for the number of probes I would go through.
