grate temp??

ddegger

trying to learn as much as I can while waiting for delivery.  I see people talk about dome temp and grate temp. Dome temp obviously comes from the built-in thermometer, but how do you determine grate temp?  Probe directly on the grate?  I have a remote thermometer with a single probe but I assumed that that would be used directly on the meat?

Thanks!

ChokeOnSmoke

Many use temp monitors (e.g. Maverick) or pit controllers (e.g. DigiQ DX) which have a probe for the meat AND a probe that secures to the grid with a clip or something similar.

ddegger

Thanks - also,  how important is it to know the grate temp?  Do most people just use some temp or is grate temp pretty critical? 

ddegger

Sorry,  meant DOME temp,  not "some" temp. Damn auto-correct! 

lousubcap

Any temperature is a reference and as you note the dome thermo is the one thermo that comes with all BGE's so most people reference it (unless otherwise specified) in cooking recipes.  Now "what good is it"?  It's a reference (as long as it's calibrated) and given you cook to final temperature it lets you know the range you are cooking in and thus an approximation of time for the cook.  Basically you can acquire a whole lot of info about what is happening inside the BGE (or your oven for that matter) but unless you interpret it for value it is nothing more than data.  Many like the grate temp but if you are comforable with how your cooks work with the dome then go with it.  It's all a matter of preference-FWIW-and enjoy the journey!

Eggcelsior

It's not necessary, but it is nice to know. The grate temp is usually around 40-50 degrees cooler on indirect cooks and will equalize on the backend of the cook. The rule of thumb is that temps posted in recipes are dome temps unless otherwise specified.