Do you need multiple probes????

alejail · Mar 26, 2017

Ok...I am looking for a meat and ambient temp thermometer. I have seen the igrill2 in action and love it.....but it's expensive.

Since I am extremely new at this.....from what I see...the only thermometer that can add up to 4 probes is the igrill2. My question to all you expert smoking gurus is......

Do I need a probe in every piece of meat? Say I have ribs, a roast, and some chicken in there....Do I need the ability to add all 4 probes or will just one meat probe with an ambient temp sensor work?

Can you put the probe in the fastest cooking meats then transfer to the slower cooking meats as everything finishes?

And if possible...what are your recommendations to look at?

dward51 · Mar 26, 2017

About the only time I probe meat during the cook (as in a 2nd probe full time in the meat) is when doing a large muscle mass like pork butts or beef clods. I usually cook 2 to 4 butts at a time and only full time probe 1 of them. That is so I can generally get an idea of how much longer the smoke is going to take as mine are all at 225* and long......

As to chicken and everything else, I probe with a hand held Thermapen for final temps only. In a mix of roast and chicken like you described with only a single meat probe, I would probe the roast and spot check the chickens with a hand held. Ribs are done by time/temp and the "bendability" test or stick probe and not so much by internal temp.

There is no reason you can't probe everything the entire smoke if you have the ports and probes available, but do not think you "must" spend the extra money and do so.

chef jimmyj · Mar 26, 2017

Doing multiple meats, I stick the probe in what ever meat I expect to be done first. I then move to the next finisher. Daves system is valid as well. Try different methods but multiple probes are a Nice to Have not a got to have and if not affordable way down on the list...JJ

klutzyspuds · Mar 26, 2017

Looks like your getting pretty solid advice from Dave and JJ.

Meat probes and instant read thermos are a necessity to do many different types of smokes, but breaking the bank is not. Work with what you have.

Probing full time is nice for larger meat muscles, but an instant read can be just as effective as long as you are diligent and don't probe too often, but don't wait too long either.

Mark

alejail · Mar 26, 2017

Thanks for the advice! I just want to have great BBQ without having to break the bank. The more I look into all the tools and "toys" you can definitely spend a small fortune if you didn't do any research.

SmokyMose · Mar 26, 2017

AleJail said:
Thanks for the advice! I just want to have great BBQ without having to break the bank. The more I look into all the tools and "toys" you can definitely spend a small fortune if you didn't do any research.

I'm with you, Ale. I look at the fancy "multiple probe" high$ units and wonder why. I do use a remote style Maverick (29.95) to keep track of pit temps in case they go wonky while I'm in the kitchen or garage, but another Maverick (19.95) in the fastest cook is fine. With a stick burner you don't leave the smoker unattended long, anyway...

dabigbozman · Mar 26, 2017

I've been thinking of getting a second TP-20, they are a cheap good quality thermometer. Then I could do 3 meat probes and one for ambient temp.

crankybuzzard · Mar 26, 2017

I have all 3 iGrills (even the first gen one), a Tappecue ( 4 probes), 2 Mavericks (2 probes, but I drowned one of them), and a couple of homemade units that all have 4 probes!

What do I use the most? The maverick or my new ThermoPro with 2 probes. 1 for the pit, the other for the meat(s). I do like Jimmy, probe in first off, then rotate down/up as needed.

In reality, more often than not, I find myself using one probe for pit temp, and then going out and checking the IT with an instant read...

Want to spend some money, buy a decent remote therm (Maverick) and a decent instant read. Use the remaining cash to buy something to stick a probe into.

SmokinAl · Mar 27, 2017

I have multiple wireless probes. I even have the new Fireboard that has 6 probes.

But honestly most of the time I just check the meat with an instant read when I think it's getting close to being done.

I may use 1 probe in the meat, but don't bother with monitoring the grate temp with a probe, because I have a couple of Tel-tru therms in the smoker lid & they are pretty accurate.

Al

BGKYSmoker · Mar 27, 2017

Know your Q and your smoker and you dont need any probes. I just use my thermapen for checking.

sundown farms · Mar 27, 2017

I have the ChefAlarm by Thermoworks unit that only has one probe connection. I have the probe that came with it--the one bent at 90 degrees-- and bought the air probe to check grate temp in my MES and another straight probe when it was on sale. I set them up and the cables to all three run out the top vent port with the unit magetically mounted on the side of the MES. The bent one, used in the fastest cooking piece of meat, is marked with a piece of duct tape. When I want the grate temp I plug in the air probe and when I want the meat temp I plug in that one. That gives me a quality temp reading in as many places as I own probes.

tallbm · Mar 27, 2017

Hi there and welcome!

I think it will depend on your cook and your smoker.

I have an MES40 where the temp at one rack may be different from the temp on another rack due to airflow and such within the smoker.

In my case if I use 2 racks I'm usually smoking two different kinds of meat (chicken breast on top rack, whole chicken on 2nd rack OR pork spare ribs on top rack and country style pork ribs on second rack).

So in my 2 rack 2 meat smokes I like to have a meat probe in both of the different meats and a 3rd probe backing up the notoriously off or swinging temp of the MES built in smoker probe.

In my setup I think 4 probes would be the max (3 in meat, 1 backing up smoker temp teading, OR 1 in meat on rack one, 1 in meat on rack 2, and 1 probe at rack 1 level measuring rack level temp, and last 1 probe on bottom rack measuring rack level temp).

I use 2 probes all the time (one in meat and one to measure rack level temp as a backup to the onboard smoker thermometer).

Again this is because of the nature of most of my cooks and the type of smoker I have. Other cook and smoker combos may vary as you can tell from the posts above.

I hope this gives some food for though :)

gr0uch0 · Mar 27, 2017

Dabigbozman said:
I've been thinking of getting a second TP-20, they are a cheap good quality thermometer. Then I could do 3 meat probes and one for ambient temp.

May want to pose that question of Dillon to see if there's any interference issues with the 2 remotes. I don't know the answer.

thermopro · Apr 6, 2017

gr0uch0 said:
May want to pose that question of Dillon to see if there's any interference issues with the 2 remotes. I don't know the answer.

Nope, there shouldn't be any interference issues.

rubbinbutts · May 5, 2017

ThermoPro said:
gr0uch0 said:

May want to pose that question of Dillon to see if there's any interference issues with the 2 remotes. I don't know the answer.

Click to expand...

Nope, there shouldn't be any interference issues.

That's what I do I have a tp08 and a tp20. Tp20 for two separate meats and tp08 for one meat and ambient temp. Sometimes the two remotes get confused with each other but if you hold the remote next to the transmitter and hit sync it fixes itself.

Do you need multiple probes????

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