# Basic gadgets ???



## jbili (May 30, 2014)

Hello and a good evening to all.

My wife and I have been smoking for about a year now and are thoroughly enjoying it.

We have a WSW 22" charcoal smoker. We use hickory and/or apple wood chips when we smoke

We are looking for a good reliable outside cooking thermometer  and a meat thermometer and also a meat injector

Nothing all too fancy preferably made here in the good ole USA

Is a meat thermometer that you just stick in and remove ok or is the type the stays in the meat a whole lot better

We don't mind paying a little extra for something that's worth it but on the other hand don't like to pay for something that's just a gimmick

Thinking of getting the Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue gloves also

Thanks for all the help and input

Happy smokin

Joe


----------



## pc farmer (May 30, 2014)

Get a mav thermo and a instant read.

I like to use them both.  Weber has a good instant read for 10 bucks.  I love it.

I have a cheap injector from Cabelas and it seems to work good.  I have cured a ham with it.


----------



## noboundaries (May 30, 2014)

Howdy Joe.  Sounds like you're ready to add some nice gadgets that really can make difference in your Q.

First off, the Steven Raichelen gloves.  Get 'em.  I have both the leather and insulated gloves.  The insulated gloves get used every single time I smoke.  If I'm walking to the smoker, I've probably got the gloves in my hand.  I use the leather ones more around the grill and in the oven in the house so if you are only going to get one pair, get the insulated rubber ones.  The leather ones are not really insulated so you can't carry something hot long distance unless you are using hot pads.  I learned that the hard way.  The insulated gloves will get hot too but I have no problem carrying hot pans 50-75 feet without hot pads.  Makes for easy reaching in the WSM too if you are cooking on two levels.   The rubber insulated gloves clean up easy too.  The leather, not so much.

The workhorse of the thermometers is the Maverick 732 or 733.  When you buy the unit just go ahead and buy a 6' meat probe and a 6' chamber probe too.  Use the 3' probes that come with it as backups.

Injector?  Unless you're going to inject a lot of meat a single probe injector works fine.  I have the Grillpro I paid less than $10 to purchase.  I wasn't too impressed with it when I first got it, but it has been a workhorse.  Chickens, butts, briskets, chuckies, turkey, it all works.

Ahhh, smoker toys.  Always fun!


----------



## jbili (May 30, 2014)

Thanks for all the help .

Is there a big difference between the 733 and 732.There's a $25 difference in price on amazon.     Smoker is sitting on concrete backyard patio so the kitchen and garage door (If were not outside that's were we'd be) is less then 30 feet away.


----------



## hillbillyrkstr (May 30, 2014)

If your considering a new thermo and have an iphone or iPad I'd highly consider the igrill 2. It just came out this week and it can use up to 4 probes at once (only comes with two in box). I have an igrill 1, and a maverick 733 and they are both great. Being able to use 4 probes at once catapults the igrill 2 over every thermo IMHO.

Mav 733 is just the newest model from maverick. I didn't own a 732 so I'm not sure what the changes were but I know there was a few.


----------



## jbili (May 30, 2014)

No I don't have an iphone.

But is the $10 probe from Weber a good alternative or does the 732/733 make a big difference

Thanks


----------



## hillbillyrkstr (May 30, 2014)

$10 weber probe is an "instant read" thermo. Meaning you open the grill/smoker and check the temp real quick and then close it back up. The maverick you actually shove probes in the meat and keep them in the whole time your cooking. 

Two totally different things. I don't have a good instant read thermo and haven't had one ever. Gonna buy one eventually as they are nice to have. However i do have a maverick and an igrill and I use at least one of them everytime I smoke.


----------



## fowldarr (May 31, 2014)

You guys are bad for me.  Just ordered the gloves, and some cool meat shredder claws so I can make pulled pork wolverine style.


----------



## hillbillyrkstr (May 31, 2014)

Hahahaha! Barbecuing like a mutant!


----------



## wade (May 31, 2014)

jbili said:


> Thanks for all the help .
> 
> Is there a big difference between the 733 and 732.There's a $25 difference in price on amazon.     Smoker is sitting on concrete backyard patio so the kitchen and garage door (If were not outside that's were we'd be) is less then 30 feet away.





hillbillyrkstr said:


> Mav 733 is just the newest model from maverick. I didn't own a 732 so I'm not sure what the changes were but I know there was a few.


Hi Joe

I have been using several 732s for a few years and recently bought a 733. They are both great thermometers however I actually prefer the 732 as it is simpler (less fussy) to operate. The dual purpose probes on the 733 can be useful at times though. Both models have great wireless range - my smokers are about 150 feet from the house and I never get connectivity issues with the remote units indoors so your 30 feet should not be an issue.

I own two Weber Style remote thermometers as well however the wireless link on both of these has been incredibly unreliable and they also seemed to go through a new set of batteries every time I used them. I still have them around somewhere but they don't get used any more

I do also use an instant read Thermapen thermometer regularly however this is more for testing the temperature of food when grilling.


----------



## fowldarr (May 31, 2014)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> Hahahaha! Barbecuing like a mutant!



That would be an awesome mutant ability to have


----------



## hillbillyrkstr (May 31, 2014)

Sure would! Actually I think some of my genes might have mutated over the years!! Lol


----------



## noboundaries (May 31, 2014)

jbili said:


> Thanks for all the help .
> 
> Is there a big difference between the 733 and 732.There's a $25 difference in price on amazon.     Smoker is sitting on concrete backyard patio so the kitchen and garage door (If were not outside that's were we'd be) is less then 30 feet away.





Wade said:


> Hi Joe
> 
> I have been using several 732s for a few years and recently bought a 733. They are both great thermometers however I actually prefer the 732 as it is simpler (less fussy) to operate.


I'll second what Wade said about the 732.  If I were to buy another one I'd get the 732.  It has some fancy features too but I don't use them.  All I want to know is the chamber temp and the food temp while I'm anywhere in the house.  I learned with another Maverick product (OT3-BBQ) that the fancy features just eat up the batteries, especially when using the alarms.


----------



## mdboatbum (May 31, 2014)

Since you said "basic", I'll try to weigh in on my experience. I have the Maverick ET-732, a green Thermapen and for injectors I have several that came free with jars of Cajun Injector Creole butter.

The Maverick has been great, aside from the death of one probe. The wireless function is nice, but I think I could live without it. If I had it to do all over again, I might just go with a couple $15 non remote probe thermos and use one for the meat and one for the pit. They're cheap, locally available and as far as I can tell, are just as reliable as the maverick, the probes being the weak link.

The Thermapen is just plain awesome. It's balls on accurate, fast and about as complicated as a hammer. It's also a very pricey little gadget. I've become dependent on it for every day cooking, and would be ENORMOUSLY unhappy if someone were to take it away from me. All that being said, if I were to do it again, I think I'd probably try the $30 Thermopop by the same company. From what I've read it's almost as fast, just as accurate and nearly as simple. It's also 1/3 the price. In addition it has the rotating display, and since I'm left handed, I really like that function. With the Thermapen I've gotten pretty used to reading numbers upside down.

The injectors I view largely as a throwaway item. I don't compete and I probably inject once or twice a month at the most. Since I really like Creole Butter for chicken and pork loin, I usually have 4 or 5 of the things in the kitchen drawer. I reuse them until the needle gets dull or breaks or they just look like they need to be retired. To clean I just soak in soapy water then run some soapy water through the needle several times with the plunger. I usually follow that with a spray of Clorox Clean-Up and a rinse in hot water.

So basically, the setup i have retails for about $165 +/-. The setup I'd probably get if I were starting from scratch would run me $65 +/-

That leftover $100 would buy a good bit of meat.


----------



## jbili (May 31, 2014)

Wow thanks for all the good help. I guess its a choice between the thermopop and the 732.

How spicey hot is that creole butter. That might be an all around win win for an injector

How accurate is the thermometer on the WSM itself. I read a lot about the original gauges being not too consistent. Our smoker is only a year old if that helps any.  If its consistently running for example 15 degrees too high that's not a problem, but on the other hand if its inconsistent then it's a big problem

Once again thanks and I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend

Joe


----------



## mdboatbum (May 31, 2014)

jbili said:


> How spicey hot is that creole butter. That might be an all around win win for an injector
> 
> *It's not really spicy hot at all. IT has an extremely savory flavor which in my opinion knocks chicken out of the park. It also contains no real butter, or at least no butter fat, as it's entirely fat free. *
> 
> ...


----------



## jbili (Jun 8, 2014)

Think we'll go with the thermopop   and this injector


----------



## hillbillyrkstr (Jun 8, 2014)

I just ordered a thermopop from amazon tonight. Seemed liked a better deal at $25 then the thermopen for $90. A few extra seconds is really nothing when you consider I lve been using a super cheap thermometer that takes at least 15-20 seconds.

I have a stainless injector I bought off amazon years ago for $20 and then last summer my wife found the same one in a different package at the local grocery store marked down to $3! No BS! I had her buy all they had left (4-5) and I've been giving them to my buddies and family here and there. Plus I have a extra one just in case.


----------

