Pit temperature and meat temperature

[Jim Noble]

I've had a Tailgater 20 for about a year, but have just been fooling around with it. I finally decided to cook some serious recipes and learn how the thing really works, so I'm a beginner.

I smoked a 7 pound double brisket this weekend, using the digital controller and the Traeger probe. After it was done (overdone, really), I realized how much I have to learn and how much I need help with monitoring both pit temp and meat temp.

First question: Will a good quality BT or WiFi meat thermometer ALSO read out cook temperature in the chamber, or do I need something else for that? On my grill or in my home oven, I use a good instant-read meat thermometer, but on my tiny Tailgater opening the lid too much wrecks the cook temp. My digital cook temp setting of 225 (recommended by Traeger) takes forever to cook things, and I suspect the actual ambient temp in the smoker is lower, maybe a lot lower.

Second question: How about a permanent install through the probe port for BT or WiFi readouts of cook temp, with a separate meat thermometer with remote readout?

Any help with product choice(es) would be much appreciated.

 

[RayClem]

You have learned a valuable lesson: NEVER TRUST THE TRAEGER TEMPERATURES.

The best device for measuring the internal meat temperature is an instant read thermometer. The "gold standard" device is the Thermoworks Thermapen which is used by many professional chefs. However, you do not need to spend $100 to get a suitable instant read thermometer for amateur use. You just need a device that reads in less than 3 seconds and is accurate to +/- 1 F. That will prevent overcooking. There are many options. Here is the one I use. It is currently on sale.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BC9KF45/r

As for chamber temperature, you can use an analog device such as an oven or grill thermometer. I have a Galafire grill thermometer with a large dial that I mounted in the lid of my Ironwood. I had to drill a hole in the lid, so on new grills that is likely to void the warranty. You can see the 3 3/16" dial from 20 feet away.

https://www.amazon.com/GALAFIRE-Thermometer-Charcoal-Temperature-Replacement/dp/B07VG6M228?

There are wireless probes that read both chamber temperature and internal meat temperature. I have the ThermaPro TempSpike that comes with two probes. They are also sold individually. Each probe has an internal meat temperature sensor and an external chamber temperature sensor. Meater (now owned by Traeger) also has a similar device. The dual TempSpike is currently on sale,

https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-ThermoPro-TP962-Meat-Thermometer/dp/B0BMLDL5GM/

https://www.amazon.com/MEATER-Unit-Bundle-Thermometer-Connectivity/dp/B07K374YT1/

A lot of folks on the forum use the Fireboard temperaturee probes. They allow plotting graphs of the temperature during the cook. If that is something you might find important, check out Fireboard,com.

There are also wired probes by such companies as InkBird and ThermoPro that are worth considering.

There

 

[midwest]

I have an Ink Bird and it has been great. It comes with 4 probes so one can be used in the chamber if you want. I usually use one in the chamber and the other in the meat. I then monitor the Ink Bird app and adjust my treager temp from the App to keep the IB where I want it. I have noticed at lower temps my Treager probe is pretty close but once I get over about 300 degrees, the higher I go the further off the probes get. I also have the Thermopen. It seems like a big investment but all you have to do is ruin one expensive cut of meat and you'll realize it is worth it.

 

[RayClem]

I have an Ink Bird and it has been great. It comes with 4 probes so one can be used in the chamber if you want. I usually use one in the chamber and the other in the meat. I then monitor the Ink Bird app and adjust my treager temp from the App to keep the IB where I want it. I have noticed at lower temps my Treager probe is pretty close but once I get over about 300 degrees, the higher I go the further off the probes get. I also have the Thermopen. It seems like a big investment but all you have to do is ruin one expensive cut of meat and you'll realize it is worth it.

Your experience with temperature differences between the RTD thermocouple and 3rd party probes placed in the cooking chamber is quite common. The difference is small on many grills but quite significant at higher temperatures. However, I caution that I have also heard reports of the chamber temperature measured by 3rd party probes being higher than the controller setting, so the only way to know for sure is to make your own measurements.