Temperature/Thermometer Question


 
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Phil Pavlovicz

TVWBB Member
I'm new to to the forum, so this may have been discussed at some length already, but here is my dilemma: My WSM 18 is new this year, so it came with the built in lid thermometer. I had read someplace that this thermometer can be inaccurate, so I tested it by placing a digital instant read (Tru-temp 3516) in a wine cork and placing through one of the top vent holes. Sure enough, the digital is consistently reading 30 +/- deg higher than the WSM lid thermo. I tested both in boiling water and they seem to read fairly accurately at 210 – 214 degrees. Now I don't know which one to trust.

I'm also thinking of picking up a remote probe thermometer so I can monitor meat temp better. Any recommendations on brands/models?

Thanks!
 
I have found on both my WSM's and my OTG that once a cook is well under way the grate, lid and vent temps are within 10 deg. Your lid thermo is reading where it is located and the vent is reading in a different location plus air flow. If you check without meat or water in the pan I believe you will see tighter differences.

JMO as long as you pick one and stick with it you will be in great shape. Anywhere between 225-275 is perfectly fine and will produce great results on all Q meats. Don't worry about temp fluctuations as long as they aren't out of control (less than 225 or more than 300).

Something else to consider is: if your fire is burning on one side or the other close to the edge, your dome and vent guages can be way off!

All this in reference to low n slow, high heat is a different story.

Good luck to ya
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Phil I`m dealing with the same dilemma,
I am also new to this site. I was doing a 10 lb brisket a few weekends back. I was doing a great job holding my target temp of 235-245 degrees "so I thought" using only the weber thermo that sits in the lid. Figuring on 2-3 more hours of smoke, I decide to test my internal temp to confirm, and Bam! I was already at 195. To make a long story shorter, I tested all my thermos the same as you and two out three weber thermos were off. Not just off by a little, I`m talking 40-50 degrees. I was cooking at 300 all day instead of the 250. I`m glad I checked the temp when I did or it could of cost me the brisket.
I recently purchased a Maverick ET-73. It has 2 probes one for the cooking chamber"inside the smoker" and the other for meat. I know allot of people on this site use and would recommend them. I am also considering buying a tel-tru barbeque thermometer BQ-300 to install in the lid, but the 38$ price tag???
I hope this helps.
Welcome to the site.
 
Note also that temps at the center of the grill and at the edges will vary quite a bit.

It might make you feel better if you do something similar in your oven. If it's not a convection oven you'll probably have quite different temperatures at a high versus low rack position, and also the way the thermostats work is they let the temp drop 25-50 degrees and then turn on full blast to bring it back up to temp, and then they let it drift back down again. The WSM is much more stable. Plus of course oven thermostats can get off with time and hardly anybody ever checks it...
 
Thanks Doug,
I`ll tell my wife how her oven works, and she should check her thermostat.

I do feel better
 
Thanks everyone! I'm looking into the Maverick and definitely need to do something before winter. I'm a year round griller (and now smoker) so having a remote read inside will be a big advantage.

I really just want to feel comfortable that I'm maintaining the magical 225-250 degrees with some level of accuracy.

Thanks
Phil
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Phil Pavlovicz:
.

I really just want to feel comfortable that I'm maintaining the magical 225-250 degrees with some level of accuracy.

Thanks
Phil </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Buy a cheap oven thermometer and put it on the grill(s) where you have the meat. Take some notes and monitor the difference in temperature between the 2 thermometers. After a few cooks you will have a feel as to the difference in the 2 thermometers.

Richard
 
I have a Maverick ET-73 and a new 18.5 WSM. I have logged the last 3 cooks manually. The 1st cook was brisket and the cooker ran really hot and temps were all over the place with the diff. betw. grate(near center, right next to meat)/lid running from 270/225 to 241/270 to 276/315 to 252/225 to 289/225.

For the next smoke, butt, I tightened up the smoker by bending all parts to cylindrical, plus CajunBandit door. 269/250, 267/265, 241/225, 236/235,235/238, 237/265, 283/305.

Last smoke, turkey breast, no additional changes. 314/270, 230/225, 253/290, 220/235, 232/235.

All with foiled terra cotta platter, top vent completely open, all vent changes at bottom.
 
It takes a few cooks on your WSM to season it in and you'll find the temps will become more stable and predictable. In my humble opinion, the WSM's lid thermometer should be considered as a decoration only. It is generally not reading the same temp as your meats feel on the cooking grate.
With that in mind, consider a Maverick ET-73 which will give you both food and pit temp readings. This device should serve you well.
When I first started smoker cooking, I was all about watching the temps to a finite degree. As I gained experience, I developed the attitude...."so what is a few degrees difference"? Even with a few degrees spread, the meats are consistently good.
But remember, when the cooker seasons in after a dozen or so cooks, temp management will settle in.
 
I have seen the exact same scenario. I have a new 18.5" WSM and the Maverick ET73. I placed the ET73 probe in the clip on the grate and compared the temp to the built in Weber therm and the ET73 was consistently 30-40 degrees hotter every time.
 
I think Morrey hit it right on the head. I had some temp issues when my smoker was new. After a dozen smokes or so it was much more stable.

"You got to build up a little resin man!" LOL
 
Well I ordered a Maverick ET-73 (through the site, so the tvwb should get a cut
icon_smile.gif
). I haven't done a dozen smokes yet, but with each new cooking session I notice that the unit is more stable and easier to keep at a constant temp, so keep smokin and I'm sure you'll find the same result.

I want to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving this year, so I want to do a practice bird first. The new thermo will get it's test with that smoke.

Phil
 
Good luck using your new ET-73 Phil. I like using both probes (food probe especially) since you don't have to be taking the wsm lid on and off to check your meats. "If you're lookin you ain't cookin".
Consider brining a turkey prior to smoking. It makes the bird soooo much more moist. I just dissolve salt and sugar in water, then submerge the bird. I found that round water coolers you can buy at Walmart work perfect for this brining. Dump a bag of ice on top and secure lid. Next day you are ready to cook a great dinner.
 
And just to make sure Phil is totally confused... I always put mine in the thigh (which should go to more like 175).

Why? Because I like the thigh. :-)
 
That does it! I'm returning the the Maverick and buying something with three probes....but awe heck, it's after 5 on a Friday. I'll think I'll have a cocktail instead.

Tahnks for your help guys!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I really just want to feel comfortable that I'm maintaining the magical 225-250 degrees with some level of accuracy. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

ok, here's your homework assignment.

Its 6 pages of debate regarding the importance of the dome therm and whether accuracy is required. I was going to spell out my opinions on the matter, but I'd just be regurgitating a lot of what I said in that thread.
 
ok, here's your homework assignment.


This was one of the 1st long posts that I read before I joined in. Very glad I did before I started with my WSM as it helped to know what to expect and what not to worry about. Best advice in there is to cook at higher temps 250-300 and learn your times per the cut of meat.

Maybe just my WSM's but I have noticed the grate, lid and vent temps are always within 10-15 deg of each other after a couple of hours when the meat has started to stabilize.
Thanks j for bringing this one back to life.
 
Phil;

Remember that you have lots of advice on a message board, and usually tips you get are proven winners. Many of us have experimented with various techniques, and while some may be better than others, they typically all produce good end results.
After you brine your turkey and use the ET-73, I am likely to probe the breast in the area close to where the wing joins in. (Don't hit bone tho) That area is the last to get done in my experiences. I probe til I get to about 165 in that particular spot, then pull off and rest for an hour or so in foil to retain heat.
I am very careful where I place the pit probe since readings can vary so much. If you place the probe near the edge of the cooking grate, heat rises from around your water pan and can give false readings. To prevent this, I bought an alligator clip from Radio Shack. It has teeth to clip on one end, and a hole for your probe to slip in on the other end.
I take a bamboo skewer and push it into the turkey somewhere about the rib cage. I then clip that alligator clip with the pit probe onto that bamboo skewer. This way the pit probe is feeling exactly what the turkey is feeling.
You should be set!
 
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