You asked about the round glass stick thermometers that you install on the lid or through the smoke chamber. If you research this forum you will conclude that they are heat indicators and not thermometers. I installed one on mine in case we have an EMP and my digital probes do not work. To say that they are inaccurate and slow to respond would be an understatement. I consider them genuine made in China junk. I spent around $18.00 just to have one on the pit so you can say it looks complete. Does not even come close to accurate and since pit temps fluctuate constantly it never reads within 10 or 20 degrees due to slow response times. I have bought what I consider "test" thermometers from various manufactures. Cheap was the main intent so I could test this equipment before spending $200 or $300.00 dollars for my final wish list. I was at the grocery store and found a $13.00 Taylor digital thermometer with 3 foot probe for the oven. I also bought a $29.00 Maverick HD32 probe that has 1 3 foot probe. Cooked 5 or six cooks on them. Found them very accurate but problematic.
Taylor probe got sprayed with water and began to mess up bad after 2 uses. Probe wire is so short I fight trying to keep the digital indicator away from the pit heat. I let the probe go through 2 or 3 more longs cooks and it now functions good. You must keep the indicators these in a plastic baggie if it rains. Also, it the digital part fell into my grease bucket while I was eating. Had to take apart and wipe. Still works though!
The Maverick has a transmitter that transmits temperatures to a receiver you bring in to the house, easy setup, problem is it does not transmit through walls and windows very well at all. Constantly holding this unit up in the air high to get a read on the pit. For under $30.00 it was a steal.
Finally, after using the to cheapo probes through all my cooks I decided that "biting the bullet" was in order and I bought a Flame Boss 400 Temperature fan regulator with 2 probes, one for the grate temp and one for meat. I will be posting the results of my first cook with it soon. It was $219.00 and I find it worth the time saving and fuel savings that it produced on my first cook. Will want to try another cook before school's out on it.
Good luck with your Lang! I would like to know how she performs on 12 hour cooks.
Taylor probe got sprayed with water and began to mess up bad after 2 uses. Probe wire is so short I fight trying to keep the digital indicator away from the pit heat. I let the probe go through 2 or 3 more longs cooks and it now functions good. You must keep the indicators these in a plastic baggie if it rains. Also, it the digital part fell into my grease bucket while I was eating. Had to take apart and wipe. Still works though!
The Maverick has a transmitter that transmits temperatures to a receiver you bring in to the house, easy setup, problem is it does not transmit through walls and windows very well at all. Constantly holding this unit up in the air high to get a read on the pit. For under $30.00 it was a steal.
Finally, after using the to cheapo probes through all my cooks I decided that "biting the bullet" was in order and I bought a Flame Boss 400 Temperature fan regulator with 2 probes, one for the grate temp and one for meat. I will be posting the results of my first cook with it soon. It was $219.00 and I find it worth the time saving and fuel savings that it produced on my first cook. Will want to try another cook before school's out on it.
Good luck with your Lang! I would like to know how she performs on 12 hour cooks.
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