All thermometers are not created equal

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 2nd, 2017, 10:41 am

Started a cook some Cornish Hens and a big turkey breast Saturday evening...not smart to start so late but that's another story...everything was going great until my thermo's went haywire. I have a couple of cheapies that I picked up from Wally World that have been doing fine up until now. Temps started fluctuating. At first they read way to high, then went up and down. Ruined my mindset for the cook. Now that I have started to measure temp to insure the meat is done, I don't have the same confidence in just looking at something and saying when it's done unless I over cook it. I could have just cut a piece and watched it from there, or switched to an Analog thermo(once I found it), but the whole thing just threw me off. I ended up putting everything in pans, wrapping them in foil and putting it in the oven. Flavor was good but texture went out the window. Tastes like some awesome roasted chicken. I am not happy this morning, and now know why it is worth paying for a thermo that you can count on...and Keeping an analog thermo nearby..Now that I have calmed down, I also learned not to throw out my old school skill of measuring doneness with a knife and fork just to satisfy the scientist at the FDA.

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Post by **Pete Mazz** » April 2nd, 2017, 10:47 am

I have a thermapen and a cheaper variety from Amazon. The cheaper one works just fine but takes a couple seconds longer.

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 2nd, 2017, 11:11 pm

Thermo pen.. I'll add it to my list. What about a temp monitor that I can stick into the meat and watch it from a distance? Anything that works with an iPhone that gets good reviews?

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Stewart · Post by **Stewart** » April 2nd, 2017, 11:25 pm

I just bought a therma pen looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about. I've used an old dial meat thermo since I started this whole journey and it's never let me down.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » April 3rd, 2017, 9:00 pm

The thermaworks smoke has 2 probes and is a very nice. There's a remote monitor for the recliner, it also will have an add on later this year that will make it wifi so you can watch it on your phone.

Making memories!

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 7th, 2017, 8:54 am

I decided to look Amazon for a Thermopen. Of course I ran across several similar products including the knock off version made by Lavatools that I bought last year. It only cost 24 bucks and had great reviews. So I decided to conduct a temp test.

Gathered up each of my thermos.
1. Taylor Brand - Pen style- $10 cheapie from Wally World.
2. Backyard Grill- monitor style- $15..another cheapie from Wally World. I have 2 of these.
3. A plain Analog meat thermometer
4. Thermowand- pen style-$24 made by Lavatools sold on Amazon

I put on a pot of boiling water and tried each one. They all read within 2 degrees of each other at room temp. They all read 212 in the boiling water but the Thermowand by Lavatools took about 3-4 seconds to hit temp while each of the others took about 10-12 seconds. The Analog took even longer. The cool down was equally different. Ran the probes under water from the sink...took 30+ seconds to drop temp and even longer to get back to room temp. Lavatools Thermawand was much faster.

I noticed 1 more interesting thing as well. I tested the 2 Backyard Grill- Monitor style thermos side by side. They transmit wireless signal from the base to the monitor with a 30' range. Everything was fine with only I turned on, but when I turned on the second unit, the signals crossed. I only had 1 probe connected and both monitors registered temps...but then both went nuts. Temp fluctuations..lights and alarms went off and on. Bonkers. 1 at a time on these babies.

Lessons learned. Better thermos are faster..definitely a plus and worth it when it counts. Lower priced (not cheap) thermos can definitely get the job done. Cheapos..only when the meal doesn't matter.

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Squiggle · Post by **Squiggle** » April 7th, 2017, 4:24 pm

Nice work dude, definitely some interesting results there.

Post by **Pete Mazz** » April 8th, 2017, 2:52 am

Yep, the Thermapen is the fastest thermo I've got but only by a second or two against the cheaper one from Amazon. I also really like that the probe is really thin and doesn't create a gaping hole that all the juices run out of.

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 9th, 2017, 10:50 am

I have always heard people say that the Thermopen is fast... but I never really understood how big the difference could be for each thermometer, or how much speed matters in reading temps.

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Post by **Rodcrafter** » April 9th, 2017, 5:28 pm

It really comes into play when you open the smoker to check temperature on about 50 breasts every second counts

Making memories!

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 10th, 2017, 5:33 pm

Wow.. there's something to consider. Out of 50, how many do u check temp on?

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Post by **Rodcrafter** » April 10th, 2017, 5:57 pm

Personally I check every one. I have a thermapen it only takes a second or two. I may be a nut but I don't have a lot of left overs

Making memories!

Mo Smoke · Post by **Mo Smoke** » April 10th, 2017, 8:55 pm

In other words... You're a baadddd man.

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Welder10 · Post by **Welder10** » July 23rd, 2017, 8:18 am

Where can you buy the thermopen?

Post by **Pete Mazz** » July 24th, 2017, 5:30 am

http://www.thermoworks.com/

SmokerBuilder.com