Significant Temperature Difference Between MAV ET-732 and WSM 22.5's gauge

[Ben E Lou]

I did a cook this afternoon and it gave me cause for concern. The ET-732 was consistently showing the BBQ temp in the 260-290 range, while the WSM's temp gauge was showing in the 220-240 range. Both are quite new. The WSM arrived on 12/27, and this was only my third cook on it. The Maverick is brand new. This was the first cook using it. My gut intuition tells me that the Maverick is closer to being correct, mainly because in all three of my cooks so far, the meat was up to target temperature faster than I would have expected it to be if the WSM's gauge had been correct. Thoughts?

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I'd bet on the Mav. The gauges that are installed on BBQ(s) are notorious for being inaccurate. If you want to boil some water then make an ice bath to check them to give you some confidence you can.

 

[Rick Body]

What Dwain said.... On mine the installed gauge will bounce all over the place during a cook, whereas my thermo stays steady.

My probe is an alligator clip so I use a clothespin and clip it onto the grate, then clip the probe on it. Just think about how much higher the installed gauge is from the meat/grate temp

 

[Bob Mann]

Both thermometers are reading the correct temperature for where they are located in the cooker.

In my WSM, the grate temperature is typically 50F higher than the dome temperature.

Here is a thread I put up about this subject this past July.
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?26165-Dome-vs-Grate-Temperature&highlight=dome+thermometer

I go by a thermometer at the grate level.

Bob

 

[Jerry N.]

Trying to have two thermometers match is a recipe for going crazy. Test your maverick to make sure it's reading correctly. Make sure when you place it in the cooker it is not touching or too close to the meat and make sure it's not right on the edge (where the heat is rushing up the side of the cooker). Then trust it and ignore the other (dome) thermometer. Personally, what I found is that even though my dome thermometer reads differently, it reads consistently. So I adjust the number by cooking what seems a little high on the dome thermometer and I'm good to go. I don't even pull out my maverick anymore. The biggest problem I think there is with dome thermometers is stem length being too short. I have an old WSM and mounted my own dome thermometer with a little longer stem. As I said, it may not be "accurate" but it is very consistent and I rely on it with good results. Then for the meat, I rely on a Thermapen. It is not only accurate, it is a great tool for feeling whether your meat is done as you push it into the meat.

 

[Ben E Lou]

Thanks for that link, Bob. That's great info. And thanks for the comments from all. This will make me feel much more comfortable.

 

[Mike Leiter]

I go by probes on the grate and one in the food and rely on them for my main temp readings. The one in the dome I use for a quick visual reference walking by or if near the door outside will give me a quick glimpse of temp if not near readout for remote probes. Although the dome one is fairly accurate for the temp at the dome top it can give a quick visual on the whole units temp...If its rising you know the grate and food temp is also...if it drops, vice versa....For accurate food temps I go by my Maverick I know is within 1 degree of actual temp at this time by doing the hot water and ice test with it...I did it with all my probes to get a base reading from them and know how far off they may or may not be.

 

[Don Reed]

Yep, so I go by the Maverick reading as well, sometimes it's at grate level and sometimes I just stick it through the vent.