To Hot

[sc 4x4 guy]

Well I tried a butt this morning! It only took 4 hours for my meat thermometer to say it was 160 but the grill thermometer stayed around 225-250 so I think it must be wrong and was closer to 350 instead. Butt turned out good, so alls well that ends well

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Yep, another case of factory installed thermometers not being calibrated. You can calibrate most any dial thermometer...there should be a hex on the stem next to the dial case (most of mine fit a 7/16" end wrench), inside the cook chamber. The exception being a button-type temp sensing dial like on some cheaper pit/grill combos...they're non-adjustable.

If it makes you feel any better, most will tell you their brand new smoker thermometer is way off...50 to 100+*F...I've never had one that was very close right out of the box...Weber kettle, Smokey Mountain GOSM, Smoke Vault, oven/deep fryer/accessory thermometers...the list goes on. It's best to check your cooker factory thermometers when you season them...verify with a digital probe or other thermometer (that you have personally biol-tested) placed close to the factory thermometer's stem/base. Even if you don't know how or can't make adjustments you will have a baseline reading for reference. I like to recheck mine after transporting and at least once a year, or more often as dictated by subsequent accuracy checks.

Eric

 

[sc 4x4 guy]

Plan on upgrading this is on a New Braunsfel Hondo offset and the thermometer is in the top of the lid wanting to put 2 more one in the lid near the bottom edge on the fire box side and one on the far side in the side wall just above grate level. Is there any need for one on the fire box? And any brand thermometer that is better than others

 

[sc 4x4 guy]

Also trying to talk the C.F.O. into one of the digital Bluetooth with ambient and a couple of meat probes. Anybody using any of these?

 

[forluvofsmoke]

You'd probably need a specialty probe and head for firebox  monitoring, if you want to go that far. It would give you advanced notice of the need to adjust dampers with changing weather/wind conditions, or add fuel, but really isn't necessary. I've had fryer thermometer stems in my old SnP 40", just stuck in under the grate through a hole in the barrel...the firebox end of the chamber can get rather hot if you you don't have a baffle plate...like 450*+ hot...but then I did have a full width/depth custom tuned plate in the smoke chamber that reduced grate temp variances to 15* and under, anywhere on the grate...nice to cook on, but damn tough to fire and hard on the stack of charcoal bags...

...

I've never considered going with digital set-ups with remote capability for pit monitoring (other than the typical RF type...have used a couple cheapos) so I can't make any recommendations on that.

Eric