START WITH A GOOD THERMOMETER

[mrbooker]

I use TEL-TRUE thermometers. I have a large commercial size smoker, a gas vertical smoker and a vertical wood/charcoal smoker (to mention a few) and they all have TEL-TRUE therms. Tel-TRUE guarentees them to be within 1% accuracy. (maybe its 2%. Not sure) So if your cooking at 225 deg, your therm will be within 2 1/2 deg. TEL TRUE's are not cheap but neither is a 5 lb beef brisket.

 

[mballi3011]

First off welcome Mr Booker to SMF. Now I think that any thermo meter unit is a good one if you test it in boiling water every now and then. But yes a good thermo unit is a necessity You'll like it here cause there are alot of really good folks that would just love to help you with anything to do with smoking. Now we like having new folks here to give a new prospective on some of the ways we do things around here. Now if you are really new then I would suggest that you sign up fir the 5-day E-course it free and it will give you the basics on smoking and a few recipes too. Here's a link to it:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/list/127

then you will have a method to your newly found madness and believe me it will be a madness. Then when you start smoking things you will have to learn how to post the pictures / Qview 

here. So here's a link to a tutorial on how to post your Qview so we can see what your doing.

 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/82034/how-to-post-qview-to-smf

Now the next thing you have to do is run out and get something to smoke. Then just smoke it and if you have any questions just post  them here and we will answer all your questions that you might have. Oh yea there's no stupid questions we were all there in the beginning and we just really like to help others enjoy the fabulous smoked foods that we do. So again

Welcome to Your New Addiction  

GO GATORS    

 

[roller]

Welcome !!!!!!!! There are alot of good Thermo`s out there....

 

[SmokinAl]

It doesn't matter what brand of therm you have it needs to be checked in ice water & boiling water every couple of smokes. If it is right on then it's good to go. The thing I like about the digital therms with the probe wire is you can put the probe on the grate next to whatever your cooking. If it's in the lid the temp difference between the lid & grate may be as much as 20 degrees.

 

[mrbooker]

Here is a pic of the char-Griller thermometer and my Tel-True. It shows about 60 deg difference.

 

[venture]

That sounds about how far off my CGSP therm is off too.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[Fife]

I think all of them that come with the smokers are off wish they would upgrade to something better.