Question about temperature control
 

I got myself a new portable kitchen grill for Christmas. I love it, but I've always been a grillman...ribeyes and such, quick cooking.

I want to try a smoked ham. I know you need to keep the temp relatively low, 225 or so and go slow. The pk does not have a built in thermometer, so I am not sure the best way to go about this.

I have a surface thermometer, but that measures the actual temp of the grate, correct? Would it be best to use this and compensate?

I was also thinking of getting one of these fancy remote sensor thermometers. The igrill that works with the iPhone looks cool, but that measures temp inside the meat, correct? How do I measure the temp of the air surrounding the meat? Isn't that what I really want to do?

I'm not sure what exactly you are cooking on...

Is it this ?

If so, and you don't want to spend big $... get something like this

Yep, that's the one.

That thermometer should work, thanks.

If you are looking to spend some money the iGrill will measure ambient temp as well as the temp of the food. There is a separate probe you can buy for ambient ($20) but you can use one of the probes that come with the device just as well. Just stick it through a piece of potato or something and set it on the grate. The Maverick ET-732 is another similar remote unit that a lot of Brethren seem to use and it is similar in price.

The simple dial thermometer does work but it's been my experience that they get smoked up over time and you can't read them...but being cheap they are easy to replace. Sometimes simple is better. The bigger disadvantage is having to open your cooker to check the temp.