Thermometers

It might help us if you tell us what you plan to use the therms for.

Sorry, I want to use it to check the cooker temp and to use for the meat.

Do a seacrh on thermometers or Poulder. I think you will find that Taylor or Maverick are the most liked. Poulders have a reputation of crapping out within 3-6 months. Personally, I prefer Taylor.

Wheelz, I'm glad you mentioned that about the Poulders. The reason that I asked the question in the first place was because that I had noticed numerous mention of them on this forum but when I went to Amazon.com there were a number of surveys talking about them not working too well.

Have a great smoke.

Kelly

Hi Kelly
I've had good luck with a Maverick Redi-Chek remote (model ET-72). I've had it for around three years, it has functioned well. The remote function is very convenient, I keep the reciever in the kitchen, the probe/transmitter and my 009 are on a side porch. It has a bunch of preset temps for the "Hey! it's done" alarm, or you can adjust the desired temp.
With a cookshack, I you probably don't really need a two probe unit (monitoring both smoker temperature and meat temperature), you'll spend too much time concerned with the temperature swings inside the cooker, and really the primary concern is the internal temp of what you're cooking.

Good luck!

I've had a Polder for about 10 years. I've had 2 Pyrex for about 5 years over that period I've replaced 2 probes. Other that that they've all worked just fine. I also have a Maverick ET-72 and although it's very convenient when it works, the unit is very unreliable. The remote unit keeps losing it's signal and I have to go outside to reset it. That inconvenience makes it no more convenient than the standard Polder, Pyrex or Taylor. I've talked to Maverick about the problem and they tell me that it's being knocked off line by other devices operating on the same frequency. That's good to know but of little help. Bottom line, the thing is still unreliable.

One other thermo you might want to check out is the Thermapan. Very fast read and real accurate. Great for when you want to make that final temp check in several different locations and not keep the door open for too long. The only drawback is that they are kind of expensive. Here's a link to the Thermapen web page.

I have a maverick as well and like it, however it does sometimes loose it's signal.I think in my case it is because of the aluminum siding on my house.

THIS ONE gets my vote. I've had 2 of them for 6 months for grilling and oven use. I have had no problems and I've found them to be pretty accurate.

EDIT: IMO, I havn't really seen the need to track the smoker temp on the CS smokers. You'll see it swing +/- 30* and you'll panic. Just as long as you hear the "click" when you initially turn it on, you're good to go. Use that 2nd probe for the meat on other racks. $.02

I have an older Acu-Rite but it is not the remote type, just magnetic back to stick to the smoker. I have had it for 4 years and it is still going strong. I take the AAA battery out when not in use. I checked it the other day in ice and then boiling water and it is within a degree on both after 4 years. I think I paid $15 for it back then.

Thank you everyone. I think I will give the Maverick a try. My CS should be here on Friday so I will be seasoning it over the weekend.

Kelly