Temperature observations

[Vincent Carrocci]

Guess I can always test it every now and then. I just hate running wires everywhere. I like to keep it simple. But everybody is different. I don't need to know the exact temp at all times. I just need to make sure I'm in the ballpark so to speak.

Andy, you probably already know this, but, for those who are pretty new to WSM cooking, you should not rely on the accuracy of the built-in dome thermometer. They are not reliable. The best thing to do is use a wired probe, preferably one that can be calibrated, and to position that probe in the same location within the cooker every time you cook. That will allow you to collect consistant and accurate temperature data.

 

[Andy Erickson]

Andy, you probably already know this, but, for those who are pretty new to WSM cooking, you should not rely on the accuracy of the built-in dome thermometer. They are not reliable. The best thing to do is use a wired probe, preferably one that can be calibrated, and to position that probe in the same location within the cooker every time you cook. That will allow you to collect consistant and accurate temperature data.

I agree. Not a bad idea. I did the same with my new 22.5 so that I knew what it was doing. Now I will just adjust off the top vent and not worry about it. That way I don't have to run wires everywhere and it is less hassle. But again, that is what I like to do. I don't want to discourage anybody from checking temps at different places. I just want to throw in my two cents that it isn't absolutely necessary either.

 

[Vincent Carrocci]

I agree. Not a bad idea. I did the same with my new 22.5 so that I knew what it was doing. Now I will just adjust off the top vent and not worry about it. That way I don't have to run wires everywhere and it is less hassle. But again, that is what I like to do. I don't want to discourage anybody from checking temps at different places. I just want to throw in my two cents that it isn't absolutely necessary either.

I think for the casual cook, there isn't a much of a need to be a hawk on the cooker temperature. Not so in the competition world, which is where I do a lot of cooking. The key thing we both agree upon, regardless of the situation, is that however often you check your temps, be sure to check them in the same location and to use a measuring device that is dead on accurate. That is why I think the stock unit in the WSM lid is little more than window dressing.

 

[timothy]

That sounds about right when comparing top grate vs lid mounted thermos IME. At the beginning you can see about a 50 deg difference but as the cook progresses they tend to mirror themselves.
One point is the lid mounted therm is reading a temp in a different location than a grate mounted therm. The length of the stem on that therm and the amount of cold meat loaded on at the get-go influences how that therm reads vs a grate mounted therm.
It could be a Weber or in my case a Tel-Tru that reads different than grate, but they should because they are reading different locations.
Personally I only use the Top vent. Stick a cheap turkey fryer therm or dangle the probe from my mav in one hole. That's pretty close to 12-15 deg higher than grate regardless of the amount of meat or ambient outdoor temps because the therm is tempered sitting in the exhaust.
Bottom line like everyone said do what works for you

Tim

 

[J Hasselberger]

Personally I only use the Top vent. Stick a cheap turkey fryer therm or dangle the probe from my mav in one hole. That's pretty close to 12-15 deg higher than grate regardless of the amount of meat or ambient outdoor temps because the therm is tempered sitting in the exhaust.Tim

That was my go-to on an old WSM (no lid therm), and it worked fine. I installed a Weber lid therm to "update" my pit and struggled for a couple of cooks until I figured out that the lid therm is doo-doo. I probe at the grate now and the world order has been restored.

 

[Andy Erickson]

I smoked two pork shoulders on Friday night overnight. I put them on around 11 p.m. and stayed up with it until about midnight once it stabilized. I went to bed when the top dome temp was 235 degrees and woke up eight hours later and it was still 235 degrees and held that until about noon when I pulled the meat off as it was done. I have no idea what it did when I was sleeping, but know that the pork turned out perfect. I love how the WSM just stabilizes and keeps going with minimal adjustments. I was using a full water pan FYI.

 

[Len Dennis]

I smoked two pork shoulders on Friday night overnight. I put them on around 11 p.m. and stayed up with it until about midnight once it stabilized. I went to bed when the top dome temp was 235 degrees and woke up eight hours later and it was still 235 degrees and held that until about noon when I pulled the meat off as it was done. I have no idea what it did when I was sleeping, but know that the pork turned out perfect. I love how the WSM just stabilizes and keeps going with minimal adjustments. I was using a full water pan FYI.

I find that the only time the temp seems to fluctuate for me (and it's usually down) is when the (spent) coals start to clog the air flow on the grate. If I'm up, I'll just give a bit of a poke (tongs or stick) to clear an air passage. Temps pick back up to where they were before the clog.

 

[J Hasselberger]

I have no idea what it did when I was sleeping, but know that the pork turned out perfect. I love how the WSM just stabilizes and keeps going with minimal adjustments. I was using a full water pan FYI.

The iGrill2 displays a running line graph of temperature for each probe in the iPhone/iPad app. When I wake up, I can see exactly what the pit and meat temp did overnight. Great Q-nerd feature. The graph also displays the time along the x-axis, so if the pit temp does drop during the night, you will see exactly when the temp moved. Very handy.

 

[Andy Erickson]

The iGrill2 displays a running line graph of temperature for each probe in the iPhone/iPad app. When I wake up, I can see exactly what the pit and meat temp did overnight. Great Q-nerd feature. The graph also displays the time along the x-axis, so if the pit temp does drop during the night, you will see exactly when the temp moved. Very handy.

I guess it it if you care about knowing what your smoker is doing every second. I really don't. I just care about the end product. I feel very confident in just letting it roll once I have it stabilized. I'm very confident it won't go over 290 or below 200 with water in the pan. As long as it is between 225 and 275 I'm very happy. I used to have the wireless maverick and realized the alarm never once went off in the middle of the night cause the cooker was always between my set temps the whole night anyways. So I never use one anymore.