Temp. Probe for Units w/ Rotisserie

I have made several suggestions to temp probe manufactures, but I get an answer that the type that would work are very temp sensitive. Anything over 250* would fry them. But, I keep trying.

Thank you for your reply. I wonder if it would be possible to take one of the commonly used units like the Maverick remote model, and wrap the transmitter unit with foil to insulate it from the heat at smoking temperatures (<250 degrees), and just leave it inside the cooking chamber?

I guess an alternative to having to insert an instant meat thermometer repetitively throughout the cooking time would be to insert a probe that has the attached cable into the meat, and then periodically plug the cable jack into the thermometer display to read the temperature. This would at least keep you from having to make your boston butt look like a pin cushion.

Much better off with this.
I have had the original model for over five years with no problems.




Thermapen With Coiled Extension
I am going to add the coiled version to my collection. You don't get smoke in your eyes with this one.

I've had that thermapen for two years, but it got the coil that allows you to change the temp probe. I have a thin probe for checking chicken and a thick probe for briskets/butts.

The Thermapens are a wonderful little gadget--a bit pricey, but well worth the $$. I have 3 of them that I use all the time.

I've never seen the version with the coiled extension. Could you leave the probe w/ extension in the meat while it cooks and then plug it up to test the temperature, or do you still have to poke the meat every time you want to get a reading?

quote:

Originally posted by SoulHunter:
Could you leave the probe w/ extension in the meat while it cooks and then plug it up to test the temperature, or do you still have to poke the meat every time you want to get a reading?

I hadn't thought about it, but you could. But as they are electrical contacts, make sure they stay clean.

This is the one I have and I have a yellow coil to "extend" the reach that then plugs from the TP into the probe:



As you can see there are a variety of probes.

I just got this one not too long ago from thermoworks and I gotta say I think its the bee's knees! Water resistant! As always though....don't go throwing her in the pool!

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/handheld/mtc.html

I've been emailing back and forth with Dallen at Thermoworks all day--very responsive and great customer service. The plugs on the k-style probes (both those with cables and those without) are rated for extended exposure of 428 degrees F.--well within the range of a barbeque smoker. If a higher heat resistance is needed, he can use a ceramic style plug for an extra $10 per probe, but I don't think that it is necessary. He said that I should have no problem coiling up the cable and letting it lie on the shelf, and then plugging it up when I'm ready to take the temperature. I am going to order several of the Model #113-173 oven probes so that I can monitor multiple pieces of meat without removing the probes. I think it would be a good idea to cover the plug with foil to keep it clean during cooking, but other than that it should be pretty easy--the next best thing to remote monitoring.

If you were cooking a full load of butts on a FEC-2000, how many probes would you want in service at any given time? I was thinking maybe 10 probes? That would allow you to monitor at least 2 butts from each shelf. What do you think?

That's some great info! Thanks a lot for the heads up!

However, if you are going to have the door open anyway, wouldn't regular tel tru probe thermometers work in two butts per shelf? Or are you looking to bypass trying to read crudded up thermometers? If not it would seem that using regular stick-in probes would be quicker than having to plug into each of two butts per rack and would save quite a bit of heat loss from your pit.

I think after you use it, you'll find you won't have to monitor that many.

I'd arrange them by size and you'll probe the smallest one, then you can check the others.

Instead of coiling the cable, just leave the probe in and plug that into the cable. It comes in three parts, 1 part probe, 1 part cable on part Thermopen. Leave the probe in, but the cable attached to the TP and you won't spend so much money on cables.

Russ

Cronyism posted:
"...if you are going to have the door open anyway, wouldn't regular tel tru probe thermometers work in two butts per shelf? Or are you looking to bypass trying to read crudded up thermometers? If not it would seem that using regular stick-in probes would be quicker than having to plug into each of two butts per rack and would save quite a bit of heat loss from your pit."

I've never seen a digital readout thermometer that would withstand the constant heat, and I'm looking for something that is more accurate and quicker reacting than a bi-metal thermometer. That is a good point, however.

SmokinOkie posted:
"Instead of coiling the cable, just leave the probe in and plug that into the cable. It comes in three parts, 1 part probe, 1 part cable on part Thermopen. Leave the probe in, but the cable attached to the TP and you won't spend so much money on cables."

Thermoworks actually makes them two different ways--some of their probes are 3 parts (probe, separate cable, and thermapen) and some are two (probe & cable as a unit, and thermapen). The ones I am looking at are their 113-173 "Low-Cost Oven Cooking Probe" that has a 78" PTFE cable made onto the probe. For this particular application, I thought that it would be better than the 3 part probes that they offer--it would keep you from having to try to reach all the way into the cooker and plug in a cable on the top of the meat, and there is very little cost difference between the stand alone probes and the probe models w/ attached cables.

I was thinking about this last night--I think I will shorten the cable length--there won't be any need for a 78" cable, and that is just more to get in the way. I think I will shorten the cables to maybe a 18" - 24" "pigtail" that will be easier to manage--12" may even be adequate.

I also thought about seeing if they would make me up some cables with the probe style of the 113-177 "Smoke House Penetration Probe" (it has a 90 degree bend like many of the other grilling style probes) with a short 18" - 24" PTFE cable attached to it. Dallen suggested that the PTFE cable would not tend to absorb as much grease and gunk as the steel overbraided cable of the 113-177, and the temperature rating is still plenty hight (482 degrees). I think that the two steel shielded cables that they offer are to provide better protection of the cable if it will be run through a door or other opening--it gives it some crush resistance.

You can checkout all of their penetration probes at the following link:

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/probe/tc_penetration.html