Please educate me about thermometers

RandyC

New egger here. One cook under my belt- a Boston butt which came out great. I cooked at 275 degrees and used the formula someone suggested - cooked for 2 hrs per pound. 

Do I need to get a thermometer? I read that the way some of you guys cook is to cook to an internal temp of xxx degrees. So if your meat reaches a certain temp you know it is done? Do you have to let it stay at this temp for a certain amount of time or is it done once it hits this temp?Are there any guidelines for different meats that you need to get the internal temp to? 

I see see that for  some thermometers you stick a pin in the meat and some you leave the probe in the meat and run a wire to a receiver that gives you the temp. Is one type better than the other? Any suggestions on what to buy? How do I find out what temps the particular meat I am cooking needs to get to?

thanks for your help.

GATraveller

First off - welcome.  Hope you are enjoying your egg so far.

Yes you need to get a good instant read thermometer like a Thermapen.  There are many on the market at all range of price.  I cook everything to temp instead of time.  I think you'd find a hand held unit to be more versatile than wired.  
There are many doneness charts online.  Thermapen actually sends one with their unit.  

Here is one example:
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/meat_temperature_guide.html

Nature Boy

Welcome to the fray. First thing, hours-per-pound formulas are usually not a good way to think about it. Internal temp is important, and while a remote thermometer is handy, and instant read thermometer is truly your friend. With barbecued meats like pork butt, brisket, ribs the internal temperature is just a guide, and they are done when they are tender. The internal temp is usually 185-205 when the tenderness stage is reached, all depending on how much time the meat has been cooking. The longer it cooks, the lower the finished temperature will be when it is tender. But tenderness should be your guide for when to pull it off.

For lean grilled meats (steaks, chicken breast, pork chops, fish) the internal temp is super important. 

Hope it helps!
Happy cooking
Chris

fishlessman

i like this chart and a thermopen for grilling, its just a guide but you can work with it
https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/meat-doneness-chart/

for low and slows, cook to feel. a wireless can come in handy to know when to start checking it but i havent used one in years. wouldnt see it anyways as im usually sleeping at night then fishing til noon in the boat, no one to watch it

Robusto

Hi.  Pork butts are very forgiving and I used to just smoke them till the bone pulled out, but smoking to an internal temp is much better because each butt is different in terms of moisture or fat content, bone size, butt shape, etc which all affect cooking.  I now go to 195 internal, but everyone has their own preferred temp.

For other foods, you will definitely want to "fly by your instruments", especially large hunks of beef where "carry over cooking" comes into play.

For steaks, learn to cook by feel, or pressing on them with your finger.  I just don't like poking a hole in a nice steak...

This is the one I have.  It's pretty reasonable in price and is accurate enough. The remote is a nice feature too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01GE77QT0/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

WeberWho

I always cook to finish temp. I use time more less as a guideline or reference for future cooks. 

I use a Thermapen instant read thermometer for every cook. It's one of the best if not the best tool in my kitchen. It gets used all the time without any issues. Some might bark at the initial cost but it's worth every penny to me. I've had mine for the last 7 years. So its cost me about a $1/month to own. For a tool that gets used everyday its hard to beat. 

bgebrent

I agree with all the instant read thermometer thoughts above.  I have a Thermapen and a Thermopop.  The thermopop is a good bit cheaper and really works just as well.  I however prefer the thermapen.  Remote thermometer is nice for L&S cooks but not required.

Woodchunk

I bought a maverick 732 for long cooks to monitor the grill/meat temps.
all the other cooks I just use the same temp probes I have had for over 20 years using on wood burners. They are not instant but work great. I have a maverick bar-b-chek, and 2 cooper probes. So if you want to spend $'s get the therm. One of my coopers has a nut for adjustment. Cheap models will work fine, but just take a few seconds more to read the temp.
this is just like my small cooper but a newer model
https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Atkins-1246-01-1-Thermometer-Adjustment-Temperature/dp/B003DKSHY0/ref=sr_1_14/143-1187281-5677838?ie=UTF8&qid=1506538944&sr=8-14&keywords=cooper+thermometers

my son has a thermapen and loves it. 

Carolina Q

Another instant read thermo that gets good reviews is from Lavatools. A fraction of the price of the Thermapen, but supposedly as good. I don't have a Lavatools device, so I can't say from experience.

I do have a Thermapen and love it! And customer service from Thermoworks is second to none. BTW, if you decide to buy a Thermoworks product, by it from Thermoworks direct. Same price or lower. Also, no warranty if purchased elsewhere.

As for a remote thermometer like the Maverick, the Smoke, etc, I have a Mav and almost never use it. Works fine, just not needed, IMO. Would not buy again. 

Temp wise, I cook everything to temp. Except pork butts. For those, I don't even pay attention until it gets to 195°. Then I stick a probe in the butt every so often until it meets no resistance. Then it's done. I haven't paid any attention to the actual done temp of a butt in years. All I know is that it's above 195°.

gdenby

Cooking to temp is much more reliable than cooking to time. You may not need a super fast and accurate thermometer, but if some $s is not an issue, go for whatever is the current best.

Note! A good therm is not just useful for Egging, but for all your cooking. My wife never uses the Eggs but will test micro-waved stuff all the time. When doing big family meals, I have an instant read in my back pocket all the time.

DoubleEgger

For the safety of you and your family and guests, use a thermometer every time. Buy a Thermopop thermometer. They are at a great price point, illuminated and very fast to read. A leave in thermometer is more of a luxury item and not a necessity like a standard probe. It just allows you to monitor the temp rather than checking on the food. They are generally only used on longer lower temp cooks with big hunks of protein. 

jeffwit

All good advice above. Learning to cook to temp not time is a critical jump, and sometimes hard to do. I remember my dad checking his watch every 5 seconds or so while he was grilling, so cooking to time was ingrained in me from the very beginning.

As to some of your other questions, on a hot and fast cook, take the meat off when it reaches your desired internal temp. Leaving it on longer only makes it cook more. Depending on the thickness of your protein and how hot your fire is, you will get some carryover cooking, so pull your steaks off a few degrees lower than you want. There's not really a science to that, just experience.

An instant read thermometer is one of the best investments you can make for your cooking. I've got a Thermopen in orange, the best color.

northGAcock

Somehow I expected @SGH to have posted about rectal thermometers. It want be long now.

BikerBob

I like to push the thermometer in my low and slow butts. If it slides in easily the meat is done. I forget to check the temp last cook. It was over 190 I'm certain.
Bob

Bch78

Tappeque works great!
4 probes and wifi to an app 
http://www.tappecue.com/

lousubcap

Temperature not time is the best advice here but for many cooks the finish-line is the feel and temp is only a guide as to when you may want to starting checking for the 'feels like buttah" outcome.  For me  the large protein low& slow cooks and all rib cooks are in the feel category .  I'm sure there are others but the evening is getting a bit clouded now. 

Dlahood

Hi,  I am in the same boat as RandyC, need to get educated on thermometers.  Thanks to the wisdom shared above.  So it sounds like Thermopen is a solid quick read one to get, what is the top 1 or 2 that you all recommend for low and slow, leave in probes?  Thanks!

MeTed

@Dlahood I highly recomend the chef alarm from thermoworks for a leave in probe with a readout to get close to temp then use a thermapen to finish.