Have you ever noticed that there is a thermometer sticking out the top of your smoker or grill? Have you ever wondered what it’s good for?
Most people just accept that the number on their dome thermometer represents the internal cooking temperature of their grill or smoker—like the digital readout on an oven.
But here are a few things to consider…
The Problems
1. The quality (and therefore the accuracy) of the “dome” thermometers that ship with almost all smokers and grills, even very high quality smokers and grills, is usually very poor. This dial thermometer is an afterthought, typically sourced from the Far East.
2. Almost all of these “dome thermometers” have bi-metal probes with springs inside of them made of two metals that expand at different rates pushing the needle on the display. Physical shocks can knock these metals out of alignment, which can happen time and again when you close the lid of your grill or smoker quickly.
3. Recalibrating a dome thermometer that is frequently out of alignment can be tiresome and difficult even if there is an adjustment nut provided (on many such thermometers there is no way to recalibrate).
4. Even if your dome thermometer WERE calibrated OR accurate it would STILL just be averaging the temperature of the air at the very top of your smoker or grill, not the temperature of the air down where the action is. Anyone familiar with convection currents knows that there can be radically different temperatures in different zones of the same smoker or grill—as much as 50°F.
5. Cold air rushing in from outside when you open your smoker or grill to check your food can drop the temperature of the air in the dome relative to the cooking temperature near the grill.
6. Warm air reflected upward by a deflector plate or drip pan up along the sides of your smoker or grill can likewise raise the temperature of the air in the dome relative to the cooking temperature near the grilling surface.
Conclusion
The simple truth is, if you are using dome temperature as reflected by the standard dome thermometer on your smoker or grill as a gauge of the cooking temperature of your food, you could be off by as much as 50°F in either direction, too hot or too cold!!
Think that could impact the quality of your steaks??
(Let alone your results with longer cooks like ribs or turkeys.)
Don’t overcook your food by relying on faulty measurements!
The Solution
Measure the air temperature of your smoker or grill where the food is actually being cooked!
Here’s what we recommend:
Key 1: Suspend the tip of the probe measuring your internal air temperature about 1” above the grill surface that will actually cook your food.
Key 2: This can be accomplished using…
a. probe clips that can accompany some cable probes
b. binder clips or other kinds of clips from the office store or hardware store ORc. a ball of tin foil (our favorite)
The tin foil method is the one preferred by many professional BBQ teams. To do this, simply crumple tin foil around your air temp probe so that it protrudes 2 to 3” beyond the foil and so that the ball of foil, resting on the smoker or grill grate, places the probe tip about 1” from the grilling surface.
The great thing about this method is that you can reshape the foil ball as needed during the cook. You can even move it around with a pair of tongs (remember not to touch it with your fingers!).
Key 3: Use a thermocouple probe with an industrial quality cable.
Thermometers sold for home BBQ or oven cooking often employ lower quality thermistor probes with limited ranges and limited moisture sealing, not to mention less accuracy. Consumer cooking alarms suffer from a very high rate of probe failure in BBQ use due to their proximity to flames and hot coals. BBQ cookers are also very humid environments. Moisture is the other most common reason for probe failure. While higher quality thermistor probes (like in our top rated ChefAlarm) can be more accurate and more durable in the demanding environment of grills and smokers, most BBQ professionals prefer to use professional thermocouples built for the commercial smokehouse industry at higher temperatures.
Key 4: You’ll also need an instrument capable of processing thermocouple probe readings….
The new ThermoWorks ThermaQ reads two commercial thermocouples: one probe can be used in the food, with an alarm setting, and the second probe can be used to read the grill or smoker air temperature where the food is located. Over time, you will spend less on probes by using the professional probe solution from the start. Thermocouples also come in a greater variety of probe types that allow many different measurement solutions.
So what should you do with that dial thermometer in your dome? We recommend leaving it in place. It looks nice and it fills the hole! Just don’t depend on it to measure the internal temperature of your grill or smoker.
When you’re cooking, read the temperature next to the food. After the temperature of the food itself, that’s what really matters.
Jim FitzHarris says
Since I began using a Thermapen, the quality of my cooking on the grill has improved dramatically! No more over-cooked meat, no chicken that’s burned on the outside and still raw next to the bone. I even use it to ensure the bread I make and bake is done before I pull it from my oven. It’s absolutely now an essential tool in my kitchen and on the deck. It’s the one best investment in cooking tools a person could ever make!
bob wells says
great solution for a problem cooking my bbq. I have been getting different results every time. now I know why. I will be getting your ThermQ soon. thanks,BOB.
bob wells says
keep sending your tips on the right way to cook a perfect cut of meat. I am becoming a better cook because of what tips you have shown me. thanks,Bob
Doug Banker says
I really want a ThermaQ. Is there any chance a future model will have WiFi capability? I’d also love the ability to check on it remotely from a cell phone. Smoking is a long process and often ties you to your smoker. WiFi would give you the freedom to do other things and still be able to monitor your smoker. If you have or know of a better solution, please let me know. Bluetooth is too limiting and won’t fill the bill.
Thanks a lot! Absolutely love my Thermapen!
Kim Allison says
Stay up to date on new Thermoworks products by keeping an eye on your emails. So glad you love our Thermapen! They really are awesome 🙂
Mike Diamond says
Being a biginner with my new BGE, I would like to invest in the right equipment to measure the internal temperature of my dome and food.
The ThermaQ looks excellent but will it accommodate more than 2 thermocouple probe readings for multiple steaks or roasts etc.?
If not, what do you recommend for that application?
Some of the remote thermometers look interesting but also look like they may not last without replacing the probes, and I question their accuracy.
I don’t want to throw good mone away buy purchasing thermometers that have questionable longevity.
I can skip the remote feature and fan attachments that some manufacturers offer.
Just want solid and proven equipment moving forward.
Will need probes for salmon, roasts and poultry.
Thanks for your help,
Mike
678-347-6455 Cell
Kim Allison says
Mike,
Thank you so much for your question. Here is a response from the president of our company:
“ThermaQ is the best we have to offer. It includes two channels. Many pro-circuit teams use more than one. The thermocouple probes that it uses are the same probes used by commercial smokehouses. They are many times more rugged than the thermistor probes made for consumer products. Our kits offer various selections of probes. The kits offer significant savings on the combinations. You can add other probe designs to any kit. Any of the smokehouse penetration probes are good for roasts and poultry. I prefer a needle probe for fishes like salmon. However, if I were cooking a whole salmon, I would use the larger smokehouse probes.
Regarding the need for more than two channels, in most cases you need multiples of two. For example, if you were roasting two turkeys in one smoker, the truth is that you need the temperature of both birds and you need two smoker temperatures. One sensor in the location of each turkey. No smoker is thoroughly uniform throughout. Rather than build the complexity of four or more channels into every instrument, it is more cost effective to offer two channels per instrument. This way each unit is set-up for one cook and is easier to manage and to read.
ThermaQ is extremely easy to set. The electronics are the same used in all our commercial/scientific instruments and is the most accurate available to a commercial user. The continuous Max and Min are very useful when smoking and when resting meats.”
I hope this helps you out.
Loren Davis says
Like Doug, I too am patiently waiting to upgrade to your wifi enabled BBQ thermometer when it becomes available.
Kim says
Loren,
Thank you for your comment, and your suggestion has been forwarded to our product development team. We appreciate customer recommendations!
-Kim
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