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Which to trust? Stoker sensor or dome therm

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bcrawfo2
bcrawfo2 Posts: 85
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I calibrated my dome therm (best I could without burning the crap out of myself) a few weeks ago and have my stoker sensor clipped to the dome therm.
There is about a 15-20 degree difference.
Who do I trust?

I guess there is a pot of water and a stoker sensor in my near future.
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Comments

  • Nature Boy
    Nature Boy Posts: 8,687
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    Your grate temps will usually be cooler than your dome temp when you are cooking indirect with a barrier. Especially at the beginning with cold meat on there. I always use a polder probe at my grate level, and I go by that instead of dome temps.

    Cheers!
    CHris
    DizzyPigBBQ.com
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  • bcrawfo2
    bcrawfo2 Posts: 85
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    Thanks for replying Chris.
    I have my stoker sensor clipped up to the back of the dome therm and get 20 degrees less on the stoker.
    My last cook I had the stoker sensor at grate level and therefore had ~40 degree difference and ended up with dry butt. :(
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  • bryansj
    bryansj Posts: 79
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    bcrawfo2 wrote:
    I guess there is a pot of water and a stoker sensor in my near future.

    Yep, looks like you need to put both the dome thermometer and the stoker sensor in a boiling pot and see what's up.
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    Have you tried checking the Stoker probe in boiling water? -RP
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  • bcrawfo2
    bcrawfo2 Posts: 85
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    ~211 on the stoker probe. I guess I need to recheck my eyes over a pot of boiling water.

    Thanks everyone.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    I very seldom get the same reading out of the dome thermometer and the DigiQ2/Stoker/Mavrick ET-73 pit probe when clipped to the dome thermometer. All probes are reading at the tip of the probes. I have wondered it the difference is due to the heat being radiated off of the dome or more heat closer to the ceramics. I am not sure if there could be that much difference in temperature when two probes are inches or less apart.

    In order to prevent burning your hands when testing the thermometer use something to hold the thermometer over the boiling water. Tongs, between the tines of a fork.

    Having 4 eggs I took a paint stirring stick and drilled a hole. Keep in mind the thermometer still get hot so some gloves help when adjusting.

    GG
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  • Eublet
    Eublet Posts: 54
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    If they both read the same at 212, yet have a discrepancy at higher temps, I would trust the stoker. The BGE dome temps gauges aren't reliable for exact temperatures. You could spend a lot more money on a dome temp gauge if you want though.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    One can go crazy trying to get exact cook temperatures.

    10 to 20 degrees one way or another with the pit isn't going to make a difference in a cook.

    GG
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