Where to put ambient temp probe in MES smoker

[vsgill]

So now that I have a couple smokes under my belt I was wondering where everyone puts their probe to measure the ambient temperature of their smoker? So far I have tried on the same rack as the meat and clipped to the rack directly above the meat.

 

[chopsaw]

I was wondering where everyone puts their probe to measure the ambient temperature of their smoker?

For the MES ,,, in the drawer that I keep my therms in . To much over and under to watch the temps for me . If you just want to know what it is , put it by the meat and set the alarm high .

 

[daveomak]

The MES does not have uniform temperature distribution... Below the meat, is probably the most representative.. That will measure the heat before the meat cools the air flow..
Rotating the meat periodically will get the best uniform cook...

 

[SonnyE]

On mine, I will usually have it mounted (clipped on) under the rack I'm using, or dangling over the item being smoked (like bacon hanging on bacon hooks).
But generally, I keep mine mobile.
The biggest reason I clip under a rack is because I have mats on each rack, so under-mounting worked best for me.
And I like to try and Center up without getting in the dreaded drip zone. LOL! (May not be a problem if using a grill)

Also, I hand wash my probes very carefully to avoid water getting where the cable enters the probe. Then hang them probe up until dry. Hope that helps...
(I hand wash a lot of stuff to try and keep it nice)

 

[dr k]

I hang probes from the top rack with wooden spring clothes pins above and below the rack to secure it so it doesn't touch the metal rack. One probe on the left and one on the right side of the meat where air passes by it. The PID sensor is centered on the back top rack where it's the hottest compared to the center two racks and the vent is towards the top rear. All three are within a couple degrees after the initial preheat and your under way after fifteen minutes. Sliding an empty foil pan left/right/front/back on the bottom rack even if it is more to the right over the element will even temps depending on which is your go to rack and Gen of smoker you have. If you use the Mes controller don't push the pan against the back wall completely, blocking the sensor. If you have a PID then that sensor will be up by your food and it doesn't matter where the pan is on the bottom rack the heat will find it's way around. This isn't my current set up in the pic below but you can put the water pan anywhere to help with even temps and if I had the Gen 1 40 hybrid with the element and top vent on the right I'd try putting in the two tier water pan backwards so it slopes to the left to see if that pushes heat to the left for even heating.