Newbie- Need thermometer recommendation

[seaserpent]

Purchased a Brinkman charcoal smoker, have limited experience. Looking for thermometer information. Do I need 1 or 2 ? What brand or make/model should I purchase. Would prefer to not make a huge investment. At the same time do not want to buy junk and repurchase a new one in x months ultimately costing me more in the long run. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[thunderdome]

I have the Weber Style probe thermometer that has a belt clip,however the range isn't as good as I'd like. Might as well be attached to the probe's cord.

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en...-8&sa=N&tab=wf

Found it on Amazon. It works great though, and I guess that's all that matters (about $27 before shipping).

I think most people on here trust Taylor for price to value thermometers (Can be found for under $15)
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...0070921x00003a

Jeff has a section on them as well about half way down on the main page:
http://www.smoking-meat.com/barbecue-supplies.html

Remember to calibrate every so often. Not doing this has thrown a lot of BBQ off

 

[coffee_junkie]

I have tried many, I think most on here would agree the best is the maverick ET73 bbq/pit thermometer. It monitors meat and smoker temps. Worth every penny. If you feel you need a second one, you could look at some cheapos they sell at wal-mart. But I would start with the maverick. as with any digital thermo they need to be checked for accuracy, boiling water and ice water to test.

 

[chefrob]

do you want a stick (instant) or one you leave in while cooking?

 

[txbbqman]

Welcome to the family, you will find tons of help from good folks.

My recommendation goes to the Maverick ET-73, I absolutely love mine.

 

[seaserpent]

Not sure what I need so:

1. do I need one to leave in ?? or one that stays out ?

2. do I need one for smoke ? or just one for meat ?

Recomendations ???

 

[txbbqman]

If you are just wanting to check the meat temp every now and then you could always go with a ThermaPen

For the longer smokes, which most of mine tend to be, I use the Maverick ET-73, you can find them pretty reasonable on Amazon.com

I like the ET-73 because it has one probe for the meat and one that clips into the grate so you can monitor both at the same time.

Plus the remote sensor that comes with it has a decent range

Here is a link to one so you can see

Maverick ET-73

And That is a real good Price Also

 

[pineywoods]

I would recommend the Maverick ET73 it has two probes one for the meat and one to monitor smoker temps. It also has a remote so you can carry the receiver in the house and still monitor temps which is a nice feature.

 

[chefrob]

for cheap but effective this will work @ around $5....


or for an instant read i use this but it can be pricey........

and for a wirerless "monitor" i have this around $25-$30........

this is probably what i use the most if anything at all @ $20-$25.......

but to be honest i don't use thermometers for much other than poultry.....i usually go by the "feel" of the meat.

 

[hoser]

Like they^^^^^^^^said..Maverick ET-73 is by far the most versatile...if you can see your way to spend a bit more, Thermapen is absolutely the best out there, but a bit pricy.

 

[mballi3011]

I would say that you need atleast 2 one for the smoker and one for the meat. Then one alot of people here including my self have is the maverick brand ET-73 and their good alittle pricey bubt you can find them on E-bay or other websites. I also have a cheapy wally world thermo and it works too. The main thing with ANY thermometer is to test them with boiling water and then later ice water to see if they are calbrated correctly.