Thermometer Questions and Response from Weber


 
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I sent and e-mail to Weber support about the WSM not having a thermometer. Here is the response...notice the website mentioned.


Thank you for your email. I'm sorry the smoker doesn't come with a thermometer. I believe it has to do with an accuracy issue considering the different levels within the smoker. Some customers insert a thermometer through the lid vent, however, with heat rising I don't believe it's an accurate reading for where the food is situated.

Here's a great website you might find helpful. It's not endorsed by Weber, but very popular among customers --
www.virtualweberbullet.com


If you need further assistance, please let me know.


Sincerely,

Dianna Class
Weber Customer Service
1890 North Roselle Road Ste. 308
Schaumburg, IL. 60195.
Fax # 847-407-8900
800-446-1071
 
Hi Bryan, It's a good thing that Weber dosen't put a themometer in the cooker cause it would just put a whole in a great cooker. Use a candy therm thru the top vent or a Polder or Taylor stuck thru the meat and you will have 'no problema'.
Dave
 
If weber put in a thermo, then people would probably complain that the thermo isn't good enough. Most cookers that do come with a thermo aren't worth a darned and get thrown in the trash and replaced with something better. If they added a good thermo the price would probably go up at least another $20. Plus, it would probably be the only thing that they would have warranty problems with (everything else in the smoker is metal that probably almost never needs to be replaced). I'm surprised that the person couldn't/didn't give you a better answer and they really didn't need to say that they were sorry. Either way, it's one hell of a product that they have and I will use mine till the day it dies (may be a long long time from now).
 
What's wrong with a hole in a great cooker? I would much rather have bought it with a nice thermometer already inside and gladly paid more, however having to drill it myself and buy a thermometer allowed me to pick the perfect thermometer:

WSM_thermometer2.JPG


I'm sorry to offend you candy thermometer clipped in the vent folks but I wanted something nicer looking, easier to read, more appropriately graded and more sturdy than that. Weber not having a thermometer is a huge and glaring omission. Weber is selling an imcomplete product which is a surprise given the overall goodness of their whole line. And the argument about accuracy and heat rising is bizarre since their gas grills come complete with hood thermometers already installed, a pretty smart design also (meat thermometer that clips into a channel, can also be removed to take meat temp readings).
 
Jason - What brand of thermometer is that in your picture? How much did it cost and where did you obtain it?
 
I would have installed a thermo in the dome but I just can't get the guts to buy a $30-40 drill bit that I know I'll only use one time. I just bought the cheap $10 weber therm and stuck it in the top vent. ECB's have a thermo but it's worthless. SNP's sometimes come with a therm but it's mounted in the wrong spot (so now you've got a hole in your cooker that's not necessary). I don't blame weber for not installing the thermo. I have yet to see one person that wasn't pleased with the product, return it, or didn't buy it because of the missing thermometer. So, they must be selling a great product. BTW your not offending anyone with your pictures. It looks nice. One day I'll either install one like yours or bite the bullet and get a digital wireless (which would end up costing the same as installing a dial thermo but I'm still suspect of a company having a unit that will actually read within 100' - consistently).
 
Agreed, $60 for thermo and Unibit is a bit steep but I'm a tool freak and appreciate an excuse to buy a cool tool. A $17 7/8" hole cutter from Home Depot would also work reducing total cost by $13 and at least 1 person here has tried and endorses it. But like I said, the Unibit is great and I know I'll be using it for other metal holemaking since it works so well.

A $60 wireless probe thermo is also in my arsenal and it works pretty well but that's for the meat and it's kind of a hassle (gotta deal with the cable, gotta hang or find somewhere to put the transmitter, gotta keep up with batteries, gotta worry about rain) not to mention a permanent thermo like mine just plain looks nice. I wanted something I could just look at and see my dome temperature. No muss, no fuss. You really want both a meat thermo and also a smoke thermo, or at the very least a smoke thermo.

Hell, even my Weber Genesis has a thermo in the hood and it's just a gas grill. I remember that being the first thing I thought when I saw the WSM: "what, no thermometer?!" Go check out a Genesis at Home Depot some time - the thermo install in that is both elegant and functional, not to mention cheap.
 
The fact that someone doesn't want to drill a large hole in his/her WSM shouldn't be taken as criticism of those who do. I use a candy thermo in the dome and am not bothered by how it looks -at least not as much as I would be by cutting a hole in the WSM. All that said, I'm not too "handy" and there's no telling what would happen if I did attempt to drill.

Paul
 
Well, I took exception to "It's a good thing that Weber dosen't put a themometer in the cooker cause it would just put a whole in a great cooker. Use a candy therm thru the top vent or a Polder or Taylor stuck thru the meat and you will have 'no problema'."

It's not a good thing Weber failed to put a thermometer in - the vast number of folks finding the need to do so after purchase is testament to that - and the quip that "(doing so would) just put a whole in a great cooker" sure seems to imply a hole is inherently bad. Holes can be good when they serve a purpose.

I certianly understand being afraid or unwilling to drill but I think the vast majority of us would agree the WSM is an incomplete product as offered.
 
It's not a good thing that Weber doesn't put a thermometer in the WSM because "it would put a hole in a great cooker." It's a good thing they don't because there's no consensus as to where it should go.

I measure at the top grate for accuracy. Others measure thru the top vent for convenience. Still others mount a thermometer in the dome or center section for their own reasons, whether it be cosmetic, for visibility, for reading temps at different points in the cooker, or for the fact that they are free to choose a thermometer that fits their budget or meets their level of precision.

I don't find the WSM to be an incomplete product because it lacks a thermometer. I'm glad I'm free to choose my own temperature-reading solution, whatever it may be.
 
Gotta agree with Doug on this one. When I first bought my WSM, I was disappointed that there was no thermometer. But after using it every weekend for several months, I can see why Weber does not include one.

They would get complaints about the location or quality or both. As it is, everyone can do exactly what they want with their thermometer.

Peter
 
Right on, Doug! I don't know how many posts I've read about the temp at the dome being 25* higher than the grate, then someone else says their grate temp is higher than the dome at one time but lower later on, and on and on. Fact is, that the temps fluctuate in there and if the real temp is that important to you (some say it isn't ~ just a general idea of the temp will do), then that temp should be taken where the meat is. Just below the grate is good, if you're sure that juices aren't dripping on the therm, or on the grate with the meat are the best places to measure the temp. You just have to be sure that the rising heat along the side of the WSM and the cold temp of the meat aren't influencing the probe.

Now don't get me wrong, measuring through the lid vent or with a lid therm works. I just agree with Doug that the most accurate place to measure the temp is where the meat is.

my 2 cents . . /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
It seems to me that Weber didn't include a thermometer because of the way they designed it. If you put a fire in the pit as instructed and put and keep water in the pan as instructed, then your temp is gonna be pretty stable at 250 degrees or so. It's the nature of people like us to tinker and perfect. That's when we do things like the Minion method etc. . . Weber did not design the product thay way. When used as instructed, you don't need a thermometer. Everything else is done at your own risk. The good news is that the risk is minor and the beneift of some great Q is the reward.
 
Jerry N. may be a "new member", but in my opinion he nailed it on this one. My biggest fear is that Weber may decide to discontinue the WSM - I love it like it is ! Let's see, the Amazon deal has 9 more days and I really do need a 3rd WSM for my family of 2 ... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Everyone has different needs, wants and preferences. For newbies like me I have to suggest there may be a better answer.
Two probe wireless. I learn by watching the smoker temps-it really is amazing how stable the WSM is AND more importantly, watching the meat temps (from the comfort of the easy chair).
The best cooks seem to fiddle the least with the WSM. With that in mind, a remote seems to make the most sense.
 
Not to knock the wind out of anyone's sails-- Jerry N. included-- but there are plenty of variables beyond materials-other-than-water in the pan and alternate charcoal-lighting methods that affect the temperature at which a WSM will operate. Mind you, it will more than likely operate in a stable temperature range left to itself, but I want to know that I'm cooking at 225* or 250* and not 190 or 300. Ambient temperature, wind, shade, solar gain, mass and temperature of the meat, vent settings-- all contribute to what temp at which the WSM will stabilize. Only a thermometer can tell you what you need to know.
 
Clearly I don't speak for the group and sorry if I offended anyone. Luckily we all have diverse opinions and the combination of all our experiences coalesces to make forums such as this one great.

As a death rattle let me I point out the Weber gas grills do in fact have thermometers in the lid, and that while an imperfect way of approximating range automobiles all come with fuel gauges. /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

LOL
 
I posted this part under another topic:
"I also use a candy therm in vent, works great! I simply remove it and clean it after each smoke. So far it has given me enough info for good Q. I do use a maverick probe for butt and larger cuts of meat. I like the fact that the WSM has no therm installed, it allows you to decide whats best for you."
I test my therm in boiling water after 3-5 smokes to check it. I also have standard range therm I used at first to see bottom rack and also to see difference between top rack and Dome.
I think at first I tried to control too many variables too much. A meat probe for large cuts and the one in the dome will do me for right now. I do like the look of many of the mounted therms.
 
This is a great discussion thread! It really shows the variety of viewpoints when it comes to measuring temp in the cooker.

Personally, I agree with Jason's statement that the cooker is not complete without a factory-installed thermometer. The replacement Genesis thermometer, mounted in the lid handle as on the Performer kettle, would be adequate for most people, would be plenty accurate, and cheap to replace if necessary. Those of us that want to measure at the grate with a probe or add thermometers in the body of the cooker could still do so.

Regards,
Chris
 
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