I dropped $300 on a wireless meat thermometer and it was a game changer

For years I just used the built-in lid gauge on my offset smoker, figuring it was close enough. Then I saw a video from a pro pitmaster showing a 50 degree difference between his grate probe and the lid. I bought a four-probe unit to check, and sure enough, my lid was reading 275 while the grate was actually 225. That explained my tough briskets. Anyone else find a huge gap in their cooker's temps?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaid592mo ago

My old offset was off by almost 60 degrees, so I feel you. I was running it at what I thought was 250 based on the lid for months. @emery_lopez, that jerky story is too real, I was in the same boat with dry pork shoulders. Getting a decent probe thermometer was the first time my food actually made sense. I mean, it's crazy how far off those built-in dials can be.

the_patricia2mo ago

That "living in a fantasy world" line from @emery_lopez is exactly how I'd describe my old kettle's dome thermometer. @kaid59 you're spot on about things finally making sense once you get a real probe, turns out I was cooking everything at 210 when I thought it was 250.

emery_lopez2mo ago

My first brisket came out like shoe leather and I blamed the cow. Turns out my cheap kettle grill's dome thermometer was living in a fantasy world, reading a cozy 250 while the actual cooking zone was a sad 180. I spent months thinking I just had a magic touch for making jerky.