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Cooking Outdoors

Remote Grilling Thermometers

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

9 years ago

I invested in a Kamado grill by Kamado Joe. It's apparent that close monitoring of the internal temp of what's on the menu is a pretty important contribution to the cooks skillset. Who uses a remote thermometer that monitors both grill and meat temps? Do you like it or not? What brand/model is it? Is there anything else you can share that will guide me to the right choice? It doesn't seem like it's a huge investment (under $100) in the face of what the grills cost, so price isn't much of a factor.

Al

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Comments (4)

Kim G
9 years ago
Look at Maverick and ThermoPro. We have had both. The Maverick bit the dust as it got very wet in an outside drawer (our bad). It was replaced with a termopro to try something different. Both work well and have two probes. You can use one for the grill and the second for your meat or use both in two different meats.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, Kim. My research beyond Houzz showed that the ThermoPro consistently got much better reviews, so that's what I purchased - Model TP20, which has 2 probes. I've used it thrice since it arrived and it performed as promised each time, though one of the probe sockets is a bit temperamental. The probe wants to pop loose from a firm connection and give a bad reading. Once everything is set up and the sending unit situated so it doesn't get jostled, all seems to work very well. I did an overnight low & slow smoke of a 12 lb brisket over the weekend, pulling it out of the grill when the internal temp read 195*. If it wasn't my first brisket, I'd be inclined to say it was perfect, but I'll wait until I have a better basis for comparison to risk sounding like I'm boasting (the grill deserves the credit, not me). I know one thing, I wouldn't trade the Kamado Joe for a dozen of the best gas grills. Since I moved back to charcoal by way of the Kamado after at least 20 years of using top of the Weber gas grill line, I do have a good basis for comparison between the two. Plus, it's great fun learning all the different techniques you can use to grill, bake, smoke ....... An artisan bread and pizza will be my next endeavors.

Thanks again for the reply.

Al
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Thermapen is not the right piece of gear if you want to check an oven temp. It is designed to be inserted into food. I have one, but have only had it since late last year so no comment on durability yet, though it seems well built. It is VERY accurate, 207.5F for boil, which is what it ought to be at my altitude and I get a solid reading out of it within a couple seconds. So, so far I am happy with it. Yet I still miss my old Polder, a two piece affair with a probe designed to be left in the food while cooking and a remote display and alarm that you could set to go off when the food had reached the proper temp. It was a degree or so off, but no big deal, and it was convenient to shove it in the bird and walk away, knowing the alarm would go off when it was time to pull dinner out of the oven. I melted the probe lead using it in my BBQ and haven't replaced it, but I probably will. Some cooking chores are better accomplished with the Polder Alarm setup than having to use a one-shot, hand-held, device like the Thermapen.
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They're a pain but the ones that most pros still seem to use. The pit boys use them in the grill too. It shouldn't be that big a thing really. You probably wouldn't use it that often. I don't know of one that's easily visible. The remote ones and probe type are great for cooking food but they're not really made for checking the oven temps. I've seen some that clip on the front of the rack which helps for visibility but that's not really the place to check an oven's temperature. You want it in the middle or toward the back and you need to check different spots if you have a large oven because of hotspots. I'd just check the thermometer at a few oven temps and see how it compares then put the thermometer back in the drawer. If you're doing something critical, dig it out again.
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Kim G
9 years ago
No Problem - glad the termoPro is working for you. Not sure of the warranty but I would see if you can get a replacement or new part for the temperamental probe Totally agree about going back to charcoal. We have two Primo grills and ditched the gas. We owned a $5K gas grill in our last house and once we tried the ceramic girll - NO MORE gas grill for us in our new build. Pizza works great on the grill - enjoy!
Steve J
8 years ago
Thermoworks Smoke is the best I’ve used, and you can now get the wireless gateway to monitor your cooks if you need to leave the house. Very accurate, fast, and you can buy replacement probes if needed.

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