Ceramic owners...do you use your dome thermo?

rlt · Jan 25, 2013

I have 5 shoulder picnics on the egg today. About 35 pounds of meat, but my dome thermo seemed off. I put my digital thermo probe in the cooker on the grate and its about 100 degrees higher than the dome thermo. Dome reads 250 but the digital probe reads 345. thoughts?

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Deanr · Jan 25, 2013

The tip of your thermometer may be resting against one of the shoulders.
You can try pulling it out a little for the rest of the cook. Just enough so it clears the meat. Too far and it will not be accurate.
You can also take a little time and check the calibration with some boiled water.

fingerlickin' · Jan 25, 2013

I may glance at it every once in a while, but I always use my maverick on the grate to be sure.

Smoothsmoke · Jan 25, 2013

I always use my dome thermo. I know it may be off from the grate temp, but no biggie. Have you calibrated yours recently?

Happy Hapgood · Jan 25, 2013

fingerlickin' said:
I may glance at it every once in a while, but I always use my maverick on the grate to be sure.

Me too. It's a good quick glace indicator for my WSM to see if temps are rising or falling.

You could also test your dome thermometer with a boil test just to check it.

SimcoBBQ · Jan 25, 2013

Clip your digital to the dome thermo to see how accurate it is!

tjv · Jan 25, 2013

take the metal spring out and put it on the outside. see pic for one way. You can leave it this way for all cooks.

good advice given to base your cooks off one thermometer and only clance at others.....

t

Haveuseen1? · Jan 25, 2013

I have a kamado joe, and use the dome thermometer everytime. I also check the calibration about 2 times a year. That thing is accurate.

rlt · Jan 25, 2013

I haven't ever calibrated it. I will have to do that. But, would it be possible that a large quantity directly under the thermo, but not touching it, might affect the reading?

Gore · Jan 25, 2013

I always use my dome thermo; however, if you're putting a lot of meat on, then the dome temp may be MUCH lower than the grate level. Remember, you've got all that cold meat between the fire and the dome. That's going to act like a great big insulator! A 100* temp difference is not unusual!

Also, as already pointed out, the dome thermo can actually penetrate into your meat on the top grate! This can also be confusing the first time it happens!

Hoss · Jan 25, 2013

My LBGE has no dome therm.I check it every once in a while but I have learned where to set the vents for different temps.I check myself sometimes and am always within 10 degrees +\- of target temp.Took a lot of cookin time to get there though.IF I were gonna use one I would check the calibration of the thermometer at least monthly.

Patrickkva · Jan 25, 2013

I replaced the dome therm on my Primo with a Tel-Tru. It's spot on accurate with the Maverick or GURU (that I've compared it to) that I can trust it. The stock dome thermo was waaay off.

Pyle's BBQ · Jan 25, 2013

Have you cleaned the probe recently? The carbon on the probe will cause the temp to be lower also.

JMSetzler · Jan 26, 2013

With 35lbs of meat on your grill, there is going to be a big temperature variation below and above the grate. It's just like the difference of temps below a heat deflector and above it. That much meat is going to act like one big heat deflector holding heat below the grate. Your dome thermometer will probably read 50-75 degrees LOWER than directly below the meat. Maybe even more. I would recommend turning that meat once every 2 hours or so to get it cooked evenly.

shirknwrk · Jan 26, 2013

What everyone else said: Calibrate your dome thermometer using boiling water (Remember, boiling point varies with altitude... closer to 210° here in KC. Make sure the probe is not stuck in the meat (or too close to it). The dome will normally be hotter than the grid if cooking indirect (with a platesetter or other heat barrier) but the grid will be hotter if cooking direct. The temps. tend to even out as the cook progresses and the ceramic gets hotter. Lots of meat on the grid will slow the upward flow of hot air and cool it (until it reaches the same temperature as the surrounding air). I sometimes clip the probe of the Maverick to the Tel Tru probe to check.

Ceramic owners...do you use your dome thermo?

rlt

Knows what a fatty is.

Deanr

Knows what a fatty is.

fingerlickin'

Quintessential Chatty Farker

Smoothsmoke

Babbling Farker

Happy Hapgood

somebody shut me the fark up.

SimcoBBQ

Full Fledged Farker

tjv

Full Fledged Farker

Haveuseen1?

Full Fledged Farker

rlt

Knows what a fatty is.

Gore

Phizzy

Hoss

Quintessential Chatty Farker

Patrickkva

Knows what a fatty is.

Pyle's BBQ

Babbling Farker

JMSetzler

Babbling Farker

shirknwrk

is one Smokin' Farker

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