Grill temperature gauge question

[fwismoker]

I have one of the red white and blue gauges like i see on many smokers here. I recently purchased an oven thermometer and now see that the gauge is very in accurate, it will show 35 degrees hotter but after things get heated up it might show 10 degrees hotter. 

Are there any better ones anyone would recommend?    

 

[fwismoker]

The gauge settled into about 25 degrees hotter than the cooker actually is. 

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Oven rack thermometers take a lot longer to reach a stable reading than a stem thermometer does, hence the difference between the two over time. Either type can be inaccurate, though you can calibrate a stem thermometer to a verified digital thermometer (boil-test) by placing the digital probe near the gauge stem and allowing both to reach stable readings, then adjust the hex "nit" on the stem to correspond with the proper temp per the digital reading.

Here's some info on boil-tests of thermometers...Altitude (Elevation) or more importantly, the Barometric Pressure (which is effected by weather and elevation), does effect the boiling point of water, so verify/calibrate your thermometers using this chart per your elevation above sea-level:

http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Calib-boil.html

All in all, no thermometer designed for back-yard or in-home cooking is 100% accurate. Yes, you could spend hundreds of dollars on professional grade equipment and get better accuracy. Most Digital thermometers designed for in-home/back-yard cooking cannot be calibrated, so you just find what they read with boiling water for a baseline. Most Analog thermometers can be calibrated, but will read more accurately near the temp they have been calibrated to than they will if you're running hotter or colder.

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

The gauge settled into about 25 degrees hotter than the cooker actually is. 

Based on the oven rack therm? If you can't verify the temp of the oven rack therm, you don't know it's accuracy to be any better or worse than the smoke chamber therm. The oven rack therm could be the one with the least accuracy.

Eric

 

[fwismoker]

I'm pretty confident the new oven thermometer is accurate... it's dead on to what the ambient temp is and what my kitchen oven is. 

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately my stem thermometer isn't adjustable but i suppose i can use as a baseline. 

 

[q-less]

All, except for Calibratable TRU-TEMP's are inaccurate, Weber's are the closest to accurate. All the other Bi-metals are notoriously unreliable, (ie.:Junk)

Use a good digital thermometer, preferrably with Stainless steel cables and great electronics, use one cable for grill temp, and another in the meat,or multiples as I use.

I use thermoworks, on 3 Charcoal Smokers, I have 7 probes, and 2 units to read.