Ordering new smoker HELP!

I'd get them in lower corners of lid near grate or atleast have them put bungs for them there. You never know when a probe may die or you forget them :wink:

You have to figure out what works best for you.

Although I always use a digital thermometer, the ones mounted on the cooker are a little off due that they are toward the outside edge. Although they never match the digital, I have a sense of security from them as a back-up should the digital fail for some reason.

Easy to do now, harder later

Yeah, do them now. Drilling that hole later would suck. You may also find down the road that you aren't as attached to the digital thermometer as you once were (or it could fail).

T&S BBQ said:

I called Sarah today at Peoria cookers and ordered my new cooker. My question is should I get therms mounted in the lid or leave them out. She said they would move them down lower by the grate if I wanted, but now I'm not sure I need them, I always use digital ones on the grate, one on each side. The unit is the 24x48 backyard mounted on a trailer. Any suggestions would be great.

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I have also been in contact with Sarah Beth at PCC wanting to get more information as I can only find so much on the internet compared to other pit-makers. Will you be getting the adjustable tuning plates?

There are a handful of brothers here with the 24x48 and they appear to love them so you will not be disappointed.

If it was me I would have two therms both at grate level. But everyone uses digital monitoring anyways, so the therms will also serve as aesthetics.

Keep us updated. Wished PCC had more YouTube videos for the 24x48 as they do with the meat monsters.

As close to the grates as possible. The higher up they are, the more variation there is from the cooking surface. And you can't really rely on the probe thermos, they go out at the darndest times (like 12 pm on the night of a competition, and let's not talk spares, we lost three probes in one night).

T&S BBQ said:

Ok, I guess that was a dumb question, but what about height above grate level, how many inches above the grate should they be.
I am getting the tuning plates, but not adjustable. I'm going to have the last one toward the stacks removable for ease of cleaning underneath. I talked with a guy in wis. and that was his suggestion. He also said to move the therms down by the grate, his are up high, that's the way they come. He does a lot of comps. with the 48 backyard. Also insulated firebox,trailer mounted like the meat monster, which is a shorter trailer with removable tongue, alum. fenders, alum. wheels.

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OK, so you will be going with the standard baffle and have the last plate of the two closest to the stack removable.

I believe the only difference between the tuning plates at least from what I have seen on Peoria's website is that the adjustable tubing plates also uses two plates and the plate closest to the firebox can be adjusted from outside of the cooker while the standard baffle uses two plates that are fixed.

I was jolting down notes from here and other forums and about one to two inch above the main grate for the therms was the consensus.

Cant wait to see pics of your cooker in progress.

Congrats on the cooker.