Watch Out for this Thermometer Issue on a Small BGE

tjp1060

I'm cooking two beer butt chickens this morning. I inverted the plate setter and put the chickens directy on top so that there would be room in the lid for the chickens.

As they were cooking, I noticed that the thermometer was staying around 180 degrees. It barely moved, no matter how far I opened the vents. The chicken temp, in the meantime was rising quickly and steadily.

Then I had a revelation...The temp probe was touching the chicken. I removed the top cap and shined a flashlight into the egg to see the probe pressed into one of the chickens. I opened the lid and turned the grill slightly and closed it back up. Sure enough, the therrmometer shot up to 400 degrees. 

I closed the vents down and all is well once again.

ShedFarm

Thanks for the helpful note. I had that happen, the first time I cooked a chicken on my small.

I pulled the clips off of all of my BGE dome thermometers, for two reasons. The first, is that it helps to ensure it doesn't get accidentally adjusted out of calibration, because it's now able to spin freely in the hole. The second, is it makes it easier to notice that I'm bumping the probe up against the contents when I close the lid, because I can see the thermometer move up, as I lower it.

Some people like to rotate the dial, so their target dome temperature points up to the 12 o'clock position, making it easier to see from a distance. Removing the clip, helps ensure they don't accidentally adjust the calibration with each twist.

Cowdogs

And this is an issue with all egg sizes.

tjv

I put the clips on the outside.  t

tjp1060

That's a great idea. Thanks for the tip.