Best way to Monitor temperature on a UDS

[Napper]

O.K.

I have built 11 drums to date. I have 4 and I have built 7 for my friends. In each drum I threaded a temperature gauge in the side between the racks.

Last Thursday I cooked 20 lbs. of wings on two drums and this time I used two seperate probes that were installed in corks in two holes in the top of the drum. Seem to be better way to measure actual cooking temperature. Gave much bmore consistant readings than side probe. I think the side drum mount is affected by the flow of cool air from the intake holes. I will try 4 probes tomorrow with two holes left for the exhaust smoke. I think that would be even better.

Will update everyone on results.

 

[Meat Burner]

Napper...anxious to see the results. I have two UDS rigs and love em! What temps did you get?

 

[Napper]

I love my drums too!
If I just need to cook for the family I use one drum, if I need more I use 2, 3, or 4 drums. Easy to carry for remote cooking. You cannot get the same taste from any other cooker if you don't burn some fat on the coals!

My side mount gauge was reading ~20-25 degrees lower than the probes in the top. Strange too that the probes in the top could vary 20 degrees at times. Especially after I would take the top off to turn the wings.

This may be like the story of a man with two watches. A man with one watch always know what time it is, a man with two watches is never quite sure!

 

[Meat Burner]

Interesting. I checked temps at the grate with a flat grate therm and it was very close to the side gauge. Well, I only checked one of the barrels so I might want to check the other. Let us know what you come up with tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[swamprb]

I've got two drums that have Weber Performer lids with thermometers in them and another with the drum lid that I mounted a dome thermometer in it and all three have a grate thermometer on them. I will be adding some eyelets for internal probes soon. Also use an oven thermometer on the grate and they all are in the same range, I feel very comfortable with the drums, I need to start using more lump in them and start that new learning curve!

 

[bonniesboytoy]

Swamp, when u say eyelets, do u mean small holes for the probe wires to go through or something else ??

 

[swamprb]

Swamp, when u say eyelets, do u mean small holes for the probe wires to go through or something else ??

Something like the BBQ Guru eyelets they sell for the WSM, I've got some rivnuts for autobody repair, I'm kind of tinkering around with removable side tables on the drums.

 

[Norcoredneck]

I have a 4" thermometer in my 55 and a 10 probe that my redneck Guru uses to control temp. When the long probe is controlling at @230 the gauge reads just under 200. On my 85 gallon I have Spicewine gauges at lowest rack and in dome lid. I run redneck Guru at @230 and lower gauge reads @210 and dome runs 250ish.
Side

Top

Guru (in Deg. C.)

 

[Napper]

Norcoredneck,

Got me confused for a moment!
Get into the menu of the Omega CN9000 controller and change that puppy from degrees C to degrees F.(Better have the instruction manual ready before you do!)

Same controller I use!