Dome or grate temp and why

Chef Boy RC

I've always used the dome temp when I cook, don't know why. That's just the way I started and have kept doing it. What temp do you all use and why. Is one way better than the other or is it just whatever you get used to. Thanks.

onedbguru

I only use the dome therm and a probe in the meat. 

DMW

Dome will be one temp, grid will be another. What really matters is the temp or tenderness of the meat.

johnnyp

It doesn't matter, just stay consistant.  You'll be able to perfect your technique from either, but don't undermine your own learning by changing uneccesary variables  

yljkt

Always cook by temp of the protein....the rest don't really matter. The meat doesn't know what its cooked on. My first early piece of knowledge from this great forum. When its close, pull it. Don't kill it with extra time. Believe in the force......

bgebrent

As above, cook to proper IT.  BGE recipes are written for dome temp.  In long cooks (L&S) dome and grate nearly equalize.   In shorter hot cooks not so much.  Trust your experience and a thermapen,  valuable tools.

Darby_Crenshaw

Pick one and srick with it 

Toxarch

Either one works. Just pick one and use that if you want to repeat your cooks later. I go by grate myself since that's where my food is.

Chef Boy RC

Thanks for the info. I do use a thermapen  for the meat temp. I just didn't know if one way or the other was any better for the cooking temp. Thanks. 

chadpsualum

I agree with the thought that you should pick one and stick with it.

The dome and grate will be different, but if you stick with one and use the meat temp to be your guide to completion then you should be able to have repeatable results.

I personally use the grate temp as @Toxarch says...that's where my food is at.  The tricky thing for me (on indirect cooks) is getting that probe in a place that is above the heat deflector but not in the way of the food.

cheeaa

Dome and grate aren't really that different. Once the pit stabilizes I find they're within maybe 10 degrees of each other. 

westernbbq

I use the dome temp as a general guide and sometimes clip guru probe to it and calibrate dome thermo by keeping a wrench out at grilling station.   But grid temp with guru is what i use most often for lomg term cooks.   Utthe dome thermo temp is useful when searimg amd grilling over shorter times fwiw

lousubcap

As above, pick one and learn how your BGE responds.  There are thermal gradients inside the BGE (like your clock box). You can have too much temperature info.  Just make sure that whatever you use is calibrated.  FWIW-

KiterTodd

(I actually use grate temp, because I want to know the temp where the food is cooking, but this meme always cracks me up.)