Thermoworks Thermapen MK4

tbonejack

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Jun 12, 2016

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #1

I have a nice ThermaQ with grate probe and meat probe.  It works very well.

The Thermapen MK4 is on sale right now for $79.  People rave about their quality and ease of use, and I'm tempted to buy one.  But I'm a bit hesitant.

I'm new to meat-smoking, and I have some questions if anyone has time to answer.  I'm wondering if using a Thermapen is a good idea, since punching holes late in the smoking process would allow juices to escape.  So I'm tempted to just stick to my ThermaQ and insert the meat probe early in the process, just like I've been doing.  But what do I do when finishing off meat in aluminum foil?  I can't insert the ThermaQ probe through the foil, can I?  It seems like maybe the Thermapen would be great to use when finishing in foil.  Unless it causes valuable juices to be lost.

I hope I'm not rambling too much.  Is it OK to use a Thermapen when smoking meat?

 

chef jimmyj

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #2

The Probe in the Tpen is very thin and the hole, even a few holes, will make little difference. No reason not to punch through foil, I do it all the time...JJ

 

SmokinAl

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #3

You will love the Thermapen. It's worth every penny.

Al

 

driedstick

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #4

SmokinAl said:

 
You will love the Thermapen. It's worth every penny.

Al

Click to expand...

 

tbonejack

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Jun 12, 2016

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #5

Thanks all.  I ordered one.  Bright yellow.

 

driedstick

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• Jul 22, 2016

• #6

TBoneJack said:

 
Thanks all.  I ordered one.  Bright yellow.

Click to expand...

You wont be disappointed !!!!

DS

 

tbonejack

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Jun 12, 2016

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• Jul 28, 2016

• #7

driedstick said:

 
You wont be disappointed !!!!

DS

Click to expand...

Well, my Thermapen MK4 arrived today.  I'll be using it this weekend.

 

3montes

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• Jul 29, 2016

• #8

Thermapen is invaluable. I don't even temp probe the meat until the last one or two hours. The only time I put a probe in early if it's a very temp sensitive cut of meat like prime rib when I want to take it off at a precise temp.

I would worry more about injecting meat before smoking and making dozens of holes with larger probes. I've always said if you make a hole to put juice in you made a hole for juice to come out.

 

wade

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• Jul 29, 2016

• #9

TBoneJack said:

 
Thanks all.  I ordered one.  Bright yellow.

Click to expand...

Just don't but the bright yellow one.

Ops too late !

Only joking. I have a couple of Thermapens and they are great. You will not be disappointed. 

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2016

wklkjn

Smoke Blower

Jun 29, 2016

77

42

Bolivar, Ohio

• Aug 6, 2016

• #10

Ok, it's just me being a cheapskate.

I know, I know.  You get what you pay for.

So, I have an IGrill mini that I have set up to monitor the smoker temperature - I hadf to buy a $5 clip to mount it to the inside grill.  It works great.

And when I saw people recommend the Thermapen, I quickly went to Amazon to find it.

To my surprise, it's listed for (gulp) as much money as I paid for my Masterbuilt smoker!!! :)

$156.  Check it out.


But, I found a 'Knock-off' for $12 bucks so I bought it.


I've been using it, it's got the necked down tip, and I suspect it reads the internal temp of the meat slower than the $156 model.  But it seems to be working fine.

I suppose it's all about quality, accuracy, and dependability.  I'll have to see how long the one I bought works, but I tested in boiling water and it seems to be right on compared to my IGrill probe.

Just thought I'd share my experience.

Thanks!

 

jarhead1979

Smoke Blower

Jan 10, 2015

136

21

Farmersville, TX

• Aug 6, 2016

• #11

wklkjn said:

Ok, it's just me being a cheapskate.
I know, I know.  You get what you pay for.
So, I have an IGrill mini that I have set up to monitor the smoker temperature - I hadf to buy a $5 clip to mount it to the inside grill.  It works great.

And when I saw people recommend the Thermapen, I quickly went to Amazon to find it.
To my surprise, it's listed for (gulp) as much money as I paid for my Masterbuilt smoker!!! :)
$156.  Check it out.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermapen-Professional-Thermocouple-Cooking-Thermometer/dp/B01819DI00/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1470487595&sr=1-3&keywords=thermapen

But, I found a 'Knock-off' for $12 bucks so I bought it.
https://www.amazon.com/TD-OFFER-Thermometer-Electric-Barbecue/dp/B00ZFPNQMY/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1470487595&sr=1-7&keywords=thermapen

I've been using it, it's got the necked down tip, and I suspect it reads the internal temp of the meat slower than the $156 model.  But it seems to be working fine.

I suppose it's all about quality, accuracy, and dependability.  I'll have to see how long the one I bought works, but I tested in boiling water and it seems to be right on compared to my IGrill probe.

Just thought I'd share my experience.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

W,

For some reason, everybody tries to make double their money when reselling thermapens. What they don't tell you is that the device doesn't carry the warranty unless you buy it from the manufacturer. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4

The new model (MK4) is $99 and you can buy the original for $79. Still a bit steep, but I bit the bullet and purchased one last week. No looking back for me. Well worth the investment.

By the way, you can register on their site to get sale offers via email. I hear they offer decent sale prices from time to time. They also give one away every Monday.