Temperature probes?

[AaronTackett]

Hello all, I'm fairly new to smoking and was discussing the hobby with a co-worker who has been doing it for years. He was advising me to purchase new thermometers. I am using an old school meat thermometer and trying to rely on the built in thermometer on the lid for smoker temp. He was telling me he uses a wireless thermometer with two probes, one for the meat and one for the smoker. I was looking for some more information on a setup like this. I would like to get one that would allow me to keep tabs on my temperatures without having to go look at the lid every 30 minutes or so. Are some brands more reliable than others? Do some brands have a longer range on them so you can get farther away and still read the temps? I like to do yard work while my smoker is doing its thing and it would be nice to be able to mow the front yard and still see the temp on my food/WSM out back. Thanks!

 

[ChuckO]

I just bought the Maverick ET-732 to replace my old probe(s) also a Maverick (I forget which model, but I think it was DT7)
Mavericks are pretty good and the ET-732 comes with the clip to attach to your grate, so you're getting grate temps and not depending on your dome dial thermometer
I paid $65 and $5 of that was tax

 

[Dave R]

If you haven't found out, the thermo in the lid isn't accurate. Most folks use digital thermometers. I have the Maverick ET-733 which I like. My neighbor has the ET-732 but can't have the receiver more than 20' from the base unit. For the ET-733, I could take my receiver across the street and still have a signal (about 150') away. Besides that, when I do a smoke, my 8 year old son likes to carry the receiver around with him and report the temp to me while I do other things around the house.

Dave

 

[Joe F]

If you haven't found out, the thermo in the lid isn't accurate. Most folks use digital thermometers. I have the Maverick ET-733 which I like. My neighbor has the ET-732 but can't have the receiver more than 20' from the base unit. For the ET-733, I could take my receiver across the street and still have a signal (about 150') away. Besides that, when I do a smoke, my 8 year old son likes to carry the receiver around with him and report the temp to me while I do other things around the house.

Dave

Apparently the 732 above is defective.

Either the 732 or 733 will do very well.
Amazon has been running specials on the 732.

 

[Kevin MM]

I bought the Digi q2 so that it will help me regulate the pit temperature as well as give me the food temp. It is still very new to me but I'm trying to make smoking easier for me and keep what hair I have left on my head and not loose it to stress!!

 

[J. Ray Silva]

My 732 works from quite a distance. Never really measured it, but I have had it all over my house, yard, and garage.

 

[Lee Landrum]

I have a maverick 732 and love it...if you are relying on your stock thermometer you are not getting accurate info, I have a new wsm 22 and my stock unit is way off!! It has alarms that u can set for low or high smoker temp and an alarm you can set once your meat reaches a certain temp..., range is great as well I would love to have an instant read as well like the thermopan from thermoworks for smaller items where a probe isnt practical. Go look at amazon, just make sure you click the link from this site so if you buy the site gets a small kick back to keep her running

 

[Darren Wilson]

If you haven't found out, the thermo in the lid isn't accurate. Most folks use digital thermometers.

The lid thermometers ARE accurate at telling you the temperature of where they are situated! I carried out calibration tests with all my thermometers including the dial one supplied with my WSM, and ALL read correct temps for 100C/212F in the boiling water test. I have also put a digital probe at the same level as where the dial stock thermometer sits in the lid and the temperatures were.......... IDENTICAL on both the stock dial and the digital probe!!!!!

The issue is not the thermometers but where the reading comes from. The lid thermometer is going to give the temperature almost 12 inches ABOVE the grill! If the probe from the lid thermometer was at grill level, the temperature reading would be the same as what a digital probe would give from the same area.

Some people stick a probe through the top exhaust vent, which is going to give higher readings than at grill level due to the natural air flow & the hot air moving through it!

 

[James Lake]

Maverick is the only game in town for me.