Temperature and where/how to measure

[DutchFrank]

I am a newbie in the smoking circle but have found out that the right temperature is most important, so where and how do I measure it ( before I ruin the smoker). I have a WSM and a Weber thermometer with remote sensor. Do I insert the sensor thru the top vent and leave it dangling there. Do I insert it thru the top vent and put it in the meat to measure the core temp. Do I just lay it on the grate.
Or, do I start drilling a hole on the side and put the sensor in and put it ....
I know, a lot of questions but I hope you can help me because here in Holland there are not many answers to be found

Thanks
Frank[/b]
_________________
You get what you inspect, not what you expect

[allsmokenofire]

Welcome to the forum!

If you want to measure the cooking temp, insert it through the top vent and let it dangle just above the grate, making sure it's not touching the grate or the meat.
_________________
Mike
Team Enoserv

[SoEzzy]

Take a deep breath Frank, it will be all right, now a second one, there now things are looking a little better, one more deep breath, in through the mouth and out through the nose.

Here is my take on the thermometer woes.

Grab an ordinary oven shelf thermometer, stick it on the top grate, close the lid let your temperature stabilize again, (10 minutes or so), hold the probe of your Weber just inside one of the holes of the top vent, allow enough time to get a stable reading.

When you have a reading for that top vent, lift off the lid and read the temperature on the oven thermometer, you now have a cooking temperature, (at the shelf), and a top vent temperature, there will be a 25° to 30° degree (F) difference between them, the difference will remain fairly constant across all the heat range with your cooker, if you are at 225° at the grate and 255° top vent, (30° difference), or 260° at the grate and 290° at the top vent, (still a 30° difference).

With this characteristic being known, you can monitor the top vent and have a pretty good idea of the cooking temperature on the top grate, you can do the same calculation on the top vent and bottom grate for that figure too.

BBQ is a low and slow process, so anything cooked in the 200°- 250° zone at the grate is doing ok, and with a 50° difference you can see exactly how tight you need to be controlling your temperature! NOT!

I just stick a thermometer through the top vent and cook away till 5 or 6 hours have gone by, then I use a instant read thermometer, and look to the internal temperature of the meat, if I am cooking pork butts to slice I am looking for 180° – 185° internal, (5 – 6 hours into a cook butts are often in the 155° – 165° range, so they still need at least 2 – 3 more hours of cooking), if I am going to be pulling the pork, I am cooking to 195 ° - 205 °, (5 – 6 hours into a cook butts are often in the 155° – 165° range, so they still need at least 5 – 6 more hours of cooking), With thoughts of cooking for 12 – 14 hours for perfect pork butts, the main thing you need to use you thermometer to control is the overall cooking zone, as long as you stay within + or - 10° of your target you are doing ok.

Beef brisket can take as long as 14 – 16 hours, Ribs are only 4 – 6 hours, chicken can be as little as 2 – 3 hours, these are when cooking low and slow.

If you use your WSM as a hot and fast cooker, you do need to take the time to work out your monitoring a bit closer, but it really doesn’t matter all that much if you put your thermometer probe wire, under the lid, down the vent, or through the side, drilling and put on a fitting to limit smoke escape when the probe is not inserted, they are really just personal choices.

Relax, pick up an Amstel, sit back and enjoy the smell of smoke and cooking meat coming out of your pit, take another deep breath, a sip of lager, relaaaaaaaaaaaaax!

P.s. Welcome to the forum.

_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[DawgPhan]

check out the weber board...they have all sorts of great thermometer mods on there..


I think that it is virtualweberbullet.com or something like that...

[roxy]

If its a meat probe your using I find that if you stick the probe through half a potato and set it on the grill it will hold the probe about half an inch over the grill and you are finished you have a really tasty snack to eat.
_________________
Chargriller Akorn
WSM
LIAR #100
_________________
Do not rely on a rabbits foot for luck, it did not work out too well for the rabbit...

[robd]

Frank,

The above post is a dead on review of how to measure temp in a WSM. You'll probably find that putting the therm thru the top vent and subtracting a temperature rise value is the easiest method.

Also, as stated above, check out virtualweberbullet.com. They have a ton of great info on how to set up and use the WSM. They even have a whole section on thermometer installation options.

[DutchFrank]

thanks all, I start measuring and experimenting next sunday
_________________
You get what you inspect, not what you expect