Reminder - Why We Don't Trust Dome Thermometers

[efincoop]

Not that any of us should really need reminder, but we have had some new members join, so I thought what the heck.

There tends to be a big variance from the grate to the dome. As Meathead says, you don't cook on the dome!

[Huskee]

When using a Slow 'N Sear in your kettle, with the dome dial directly above the coals (so the vent is on the indirect side), the dome thermometer is quite regularly 75* degrees higher than the grate temp. So in such an application you can use the dome thermometer, and keep it at 300 for a grate temp of 225. But yeah, hard to rely on them in most other applications.

[Huskee]

efincoop I believe it was 2015 when they renamed the One Touch Gold to Original Kettle Premium, and I believe the vent placement changed with that newer model. Don't quote me but I think that's the case.

[efincoop]

Mine is a Weber performer (no gas igniter) and I am fairly certain I purchased it on closeout at Home Depot in 2015.

[Steve R.]

Agree, Huskee. When precise temp isn't critical, and it usually isn't, I just do the conversion in my head and call it good.

[Mosca]

I get that on my Weber. The BGE is spot on after about an hour, though.

[jfmorris]

I see that on my SNS Kamado too, if cooking in kamado mode with the heat deflector. If I use it in "SNS Mode", the dome thermometer is meaningless due to all the bypass heat.

[bbqLuv]

It is all part of getting to know your pit.

[StrikeBBQ]

I’m not a kettle temperature person. I set it up for how I need it and let it cook. (I do temp check the food)

[Finster]

When I first got my kettle, I didn't have a temp probe, so used an old oven thermometer on the grate, and an instant read to check meat temps.
doing low and slow cooks, I noticed that dome temp pretty consistently ran 50-60 degrees higher than grate temps, so was able to use the dome temp to determine where I was at temp wise.
for hot and fast cooks, most of the time the lid isnt on, so it definitely isnt accurate then...lol

[Mosca]

The dome thermo on my reconditioned Broil King gasser is spot on through the cooking zone, about 250° to 500°. I don’t want to test above 500°, and I don’t care about under 250°!

But the Weber kettle, like I said. Actually I don’t think the Weber thermo is off as much as I think there’s a pretty big spot temp differential under the dome.