Maverick ET-733 question

SunDeviledEgg

My two probes both show approximately the same correct temperatures when indoors (around 70F).  However, when I clip one probe to the grate, it seems to read around 100 degrees higher than it should.  The dome thermometer right now is reading 250F  but the maverick is reading 340F.  The vents are set to where they normally would be for 250ish.  Any thoughts on this?

grege345

Is the dome thermo calibrated? Just a thought. 

pgprescott

is the plate setter installed? Checked the dome thermo?

SunDeviledEgg

plate setter is in today, but i noticed the same problem yesterday with no plate setter while doing some salmon.  dome thermometer has not been calibrated but i know where my vents should be to reach various temps and the maverick seems way off.  i just got this maverick a week or two ago when they were running the special on amazon.

stlcharcoal

Is it in direct heat or over a plate setter leg?

Is your dome thermo calibrated?  Do you have a drip pan or a big piece of meat right next to the dome thermo?

Try this......dangle one of the probes down through the daisy wheel so it's next to the dome thermo and compare.

A big temp difference between grate and dome is not uncommon, depending on your setup.  Since it is not convection, you're going to have to find the sweet spots for the thermo probes, especially if you have it filled up.  If it's an XL, then you really can have issues because of the way the fire migrates around the firebox (Med & Large are pretty good about staying centered.)

Ozzie_Isaac

When cooking indirect my grate usually reads different than dome for about 1hr.  After that things seem to stabalize.  If the probe is near the edge of my stone it will read high.

Jeepster47

Here's how I align the DigiQ and a Maverick pit probe on a low-n-slow cook ... both probes are right over one of the plate setter legs and right next to each other. 


For the last five or six low-n-slows, the temps have been within +/- 10 degrees for the entire cook.  The Maverick tends to wander up and down a little, while the DigiQ internal programing "snaps" the temp to 250 and doesn't allow it to change until the actual temp is more than a couple of degrees off ... and now, after a bumpy learning curve, the DigiQ stays right on 250.

Same set up yesterday, but for some reason the Maverick read about 20 degrees higher than the DigiQ for the entire 6.5 hour cook.  My point is to reinforce what @stlcharcoal said above ... there are sweet spots in the egg that you have to find over time.  The air inside the egg is very turbulent and not static.  How the lump burns, how the plate setter is installed, where the drip pan is placed, if you've put fluid in the drip pan, the size and shape of the meat being smoked, etc. all affect airflow in the egg.

Calibrate all of your equipment.  Place a plate setter leg directly under the dome thermometer and the Maverick probe directly over a leg and you'll reduce, but not eliminate, differences in the temp readouts. 

Or, do like some do, clip the Maverick probe to the dome probe.

bigalsworth

@Jeepster47 where did you get this clips?  The alligator clips suck

Jeepster47

I've got both a 732 and a 733, so have two clips from those units.  And, I bought a third one from Thermoworks.  The pit probe on the DigiQ is a smaller diameter than most probes, so I stick the end of the protective aluminum foil through part of the clip and bend it over to hold it in place.

Although the DigiQ alligator clip looks like a great solution, I think it adds metal around the end of the probe and reduces the sensitivity to temperature swings.

You might also look at the clip that comes with the Stoker.  The tab that the probe goes through is silicone. Maybe @NPHuskerFL or someone else can tell us if the clip itself is stainless steel or galvanized.

NPHuskerFL

@Jeepster47 I'm not in front of it right now. However, I believe it's SS. 

pgprescott

They make what is called a probe tree. I think we get them from DigiQ.

Jeepster47

Yep, BBQ Guru does sell the probe tree. That's another alternative I passed on before, but might have to rethink.  @pgprescott ... do you or anyone else have experience with it?

pgprescott

Jeepster47 said:

Yep, BBQ Guru does sell the probe tree. That's another alternative I passed on before, but might have to rethink.  @pgprescott ... do you or anyone else have experience with it?

Yeah, we have a half dozen in stock. I have one at home along with the metal type you pictured earlier. Not at home now, but the tree holds multiple probes which is nice. Works as advertised.

bigalsworth

that looks very interesting

nolaegghead

Calibrate all your thermometers, check your probes.  Then what the temperatures say they are, well, that's what they are.   The temperature isn't homogenous inside an oven.  A car seat in the sun (direct exposure to heat) will burn your ass whereas the shadowed seat is much cooler.

Skiddymarker

nolaegghead said:

Calibrate all your thermometers, check your probes.  Then what the temperatures say they are, well, that's what they are.   The temperature isn't homogenous inside an oven.  A car seat in the sun (direct exposure to heat) will burn your ass whereas the shadowed seat is much cooler.

You cook on your car seat? Where does the spooge run?