Newbie Thermometer ?( Help Please)

[shorty]

I am trying to determine if my external temp gauge on my new smoker is accurate. What type of internal thermometer should I use. willa meat prop work or do I need to buy a temperature gauge type thermomter. Was not sure where else to ask this question.

 

[meowey]

I use a digital meat thermo that I hang inside my smoker and run the wire out through one of the vent holes to the unit.

Hope this helps.

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[shorty]

Well I am trying that now as I season my smoker and my gauge on my smoker says 200 and my meat probe says 303 I was just wondering if that was possible for my temp gauge to be that far off.

 

[meowey]

Yes it is possible to be that far off. Is the meat probe set near or at the same level as the smoker guage?

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[mrgrumpy]

Is the probe directly on the grate?

You need to poke it into a piece of potato to raise it just off the grate to read the air temp at meat level.

Yes, the stock therm could be off that much.

Bill

 

[shorty]

well looks like my gauge is about 120 degrees off. but that is easily dealt with I think.

 

[bbq bubba]

Question is Shorty? can you get that baby down below 300*?? havent seen that model yet, adjustments?

 

[shorty]

Well i am not sure of that, if not I guess I will have to use it a little at the higher temp. what else can be done. The only adjustment is a vent on the top of the backsideof the smoker.

 

[meowey]

Shorty,

I have to ask. During the seasoning of the smoker, did you fill the water pan? That helps regulated the temp of the smoker.

Also, when you put a hunk of meat in to cook, it will lower the temp a bit.

Just thinking and trying to help.

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[shorty]

Well I just did a boil check on all my thermometors the digital meat prop read 206* and my analog prop read 210* say just to see I took the gauge off my smoker and dipped it in the boiling waterand it read 200* so I am not off as much as I thought. I am assuming all these will be accurate readings.

 

[tys]

This might seem like a stupid question, but I have to ask. Wouldn't poking a meat thermometer into the potato give you the internal temperature of the potatoe as opposed to the ambient temperature of the smoker?

 

[meowey]

Poke it completely through and the potato holds it above the grate.

Hope this helps.

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[tonto1117]

I also noticed when I purchased our ET-73, that it came with two probes, one for meat temp and a much shorter blunt ended one for grate temp. First time I used it, I put the shorter one through a potato and discoverd that it wasn't mathching up with another thermo I had on the same grate level. Came to discover that the potato was to thick and with the shorter probe I wasn't getting an accurate temp. So make sure you cut the potato down so enough of the probe is through it. Hope that makes sense.