I have NO CLUE what temps I smoke at

[zachg18]

I realize that sounds crazy, but on my last cook I used an additional thermometer on my WSM (Inkbird Thermometer).

I assume my Inkbird is more accurate, but I had NO idea how inaccurate the WSM Thermometer is (assuming the Inkbird is showing proper temps).

I was getting readings of 275F on my Inkbird when my WSM was showing me in the sub 200F range....below what the "smoke" range on the WSM thermometer...and to be honest i wasn't seeing much smoke

Could it be off by as much as 75 degrees?!?!? Makes me think this whole time when I've had the WSM steady at 225F (on the WSM thermo) I was really cooking in the 300F+ range?

BUT then hours into my cook when my WSM thermometer was in the 250-260 range my inkbird was showing the same.

Very frustrating not knowing what temp I am actually cooking at

 

[sandro]

Did your past Q taste good

 

[zachg18]

Did your past Q taste good

For the most part, but I've had some briskets where I struggle with getting it as tender/moist as I would like. And it's hard to tell if that's a temp issue if I have no clue with temp i actually smoked at haha

 

[sandro]

For the most part, but I've had some briskets where I struggle with getting it as tender/moist as I would like. And it's hard to tell if that's a temp issue if I have no clue with temp i actually smoked at haha

I'm not gonna say temps aren't important—they absolutely are, just less so than one would think. A brisket gets tender when the collagen breaks down and that indeed requires temps and time, fat renders with temp and time also. The WSM thermometer may very well be 75 degrees off, although I believe your digital probe was sitting at grate level? There will always be a sizable difference between dome temp and grate temp, however it's often the other way around: dome tends to be higher as hot air raises and stagnates up there—that said, I don't own a WSM.

At any rate, if your grate temp says X go with X, that's where the food is and the only one that matters

 

[Stingerhook]

I gave up looking at temperatures, my wsm's run where they want and the food is good. Most I do is close a vent if I feel it's to hot.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

I gave up looking at temperatures, my wsm's run where they want and the food is good. Most I do is close a vent if I feel it's to hot.

That's kinda how I run my stickburner but I have less experience/confidence with my WSM18.

I use an "old" Maverick et73 clipped just under the grate but not under the meat. It reads 70 degrees hotter than the lid temp until the meat is good and hot and then they read close to the same.

I cook according to the Maverick.

 

[patrickd26]

YEah.... Thermometers (even meat thermometers) are really more of a guide. Find a rhythm of when to spin the grates, flip, wrap (if you do that), and then aim, for doneness. Again, temp is just a guide on doneness. Don't let what you experienced get in your head! It's a craft, and it'll come with time. The interesting thing is that even after MANY years of cooking, you'll keep learning as you go!

 

[thirdeye]

No sweat bro. From 1975 to 2003 I didn't use any kind of thermometer. :thumb: Then I was inspired....

 

[smoke ninja]

are you talking about the dome therm in the smokey mountain? thats not super accurate and can take time to adjust.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Dude. You Nailed it. Dome temp on my WSM only tells me if the vents need adjustment (open/closed more). Grill temp is much more accurate for your meat cooking temp.

 

[kevinstaggs]

I used to cook on a WSM22 a lot. From the day I got it, I ignored the dome thermo. I always used a third-party thermo. Unless my memory fails me, and it often does, the dome temp was about 50F lower than the grate. That's hard to make sense of unless you assume the built-in thermo is junk...

 

[Bob C Cue]

Sorry to tell you that you can only make good BBQ at 225 degrees. So if you can't accurately measure your temps you might as well give up.

 

[zachg18]

No sweat bro. From 1975 to 2003 I didn't use any kind of thermometer. :thumb: Then I was inspired....

LOLOLOL now that is impressive!

 

[zachg18]

I'm not gonna say temps aren't important—they absolutely are, just less so than one would think. A brisket gets tender when the collagen breaks down and that indeed requires temps and time, fat renders with temp and time also. The WSM thermometer may very well be 75 degrees off, although I believe your digital probe was sitting at grate level? There will always be a sizable difference between dome temp and grate temp, however it's often the other way around: dome tends to be higher as hot air raises and stagnates up there—that said, I don't own a WSM.

At any rate, if your grate temp says X go with X, that's where the food is and the only one that matters

Yeah, I agree I dont think it matters much in terms of collagen breaking down, but I wonder if it is making my bark a bit too crispy? Maybe I can wrap a bit sooner, but then I dont get the bark color I want...

 

[Clasko2]

Had same issue with my WSM. In direct sunlight the dome thermometer would read 30-50* higher than grate temp, and even if it were in the winter at night, the dome thermometer would read 30-50* cooler than grate temp. It was only on cloudy days with a reasonable outdoor temp, say 75ish degrees, that the dome and grate temp would be the same.

And yes, had the same conclusion as you, before I bought a thermometer for grate temp, I was guessing I was cooking colder than I thought on some days and way hotter than I thought on others.

But you get used to how your cooker runs, and roll with it.

 

[1MoreFord]

Test your InkBird in boiling water and ice water. If it passes those tests, and it probably will, then trust your InkBird. Don't forget to take into account your elevation above sea level for the boiling water portion.

As thirdeye pointed out folks didn't use thermometers until fairly recently. I cooked for years w/o out one. It was part of the mystic of BBQ knowledge.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I have the same concerns. I'm thinking about taking a hammer to my WSM temp gauge, so I have to trust my fancy, more expensive, electronic one.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Had the same experience with my WSM. I even bought an aftermarket gauge and it is still off. Now at 225* it's about 60* off and at 275* it's about 25* off (both lower).

 

[Smoking Piney]

I gave up looking at temperatures, my wsm's run where they want and the food is good. Most I do is close a vent if I feel it's to hot.

And your results are awesome, Marty. :-D