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?

2 comments

2 Comments

kaid593d 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.

emery_lopez3d 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.