Best Place for Temperature Gauge?

I already added a gauge to my Bigy Easy, and I just bought a 22.5 inch kettle grill (wish I'd bought the big one, but oh well)

I plan on adding a gauge to it, but wondered your thoughts on best location. Top of the dome near the handle? Or down a little so it's on kind of on the side? I realize that no gauge is totally accurate, but does anyone feel there is a location better than another?

Brian

I put mine 3/4 of the way to the top, but if I were to do it all over, I would put it as close to the grills as possible. If you put the gauge up near the handle you will get a reading as much as 50 degrees hotter than where the food is located (heat rises). Hope this helps.

Chris

Anonymous wrote:

I put mine 3/4 of the way to the top, but if I were to do it all over, I would put it as close to the grills as possible. If you put the gauge up near the handle you will get a reading as much as 50 degrees hotter than where the food is located (heat rises). Hope this helps.

Chris

Good point. On my gas grill it is about 1/2 way up. If I put it as close the the grill as possible won't I also get a higher reading because of how close to the coals it is?

I'm thinking maybe 1/3 or under 1/2 way up might give a decent average.

You will get the actual temperature of what the meat is being exposed to. The area near the bottom of the lid has a much bigger surface area (cooler) than the top near the handle where the heat is going (hotter). For accuracy in the temperature that the food is actually getting, I would still say about 2-4 inches above the grill surface.

I want to add a thermometer to my Grillmaster grill. I have read all the posts about where to put. My question is do I just drill a hole through the lid or firebox and insert the gauge there, and then cover the hole back up. Your help would be appreciated!

I inserted a gauge on my Charbroil big easy with a replacement gauge from Home Depot for $7.00. Drill a 3/8" hole (I think-it's on the package) Put the gauge thru the hole, put the the retainer bolt on back and u r done.

Stripe, what you would do is get a drill and make a hole big enough for the stem of your thermometer ( I use a dremmel multi tool for this). Next apply some high heat grill paint to the unfinished edge of the hole that you just made so as to prevent rust. After the paint has dried, insert the thermometer and tighten down the accompanying nut. That is all. I don't know exactly what you mean when you say cover the hole up again. After this procedure, the thermometer is permanantly mounted. For maintenence, make sure that you keep the stem of the gauge (the heat sensing part on the opposite end of the dial) clean. It will get a bit of carbon on there which after a while will cause innacuracies. Hope this helps.

Chris

Polder makes a digital thermometer w/dual read out (food/grill). Might make sense instead of drilling. Good luck!

So if you drilled a hole in the kettle lid about half the way down to mount a thermometer, would it be best to do it on the vent side?

Welshmark, I have a Weber with the vent on one side. I put the temp gauge right in the middle between the vent and the side without the vent. This way I believe that I get a good average temp.

can you use an oven thermometer? The kind that you can hang off a grate or sit on a grate?

Leisa M wrote:

can you use an oven thermometer? The kind that you can hang off a grate or sit on a grate?

Yes, you can set an oven thermometer on the grate. You'll actually get a more accurate cooking temperature reading at the grate than you do if the reading is taken higher up. (If your thermometer is accurate!) You're taking the reading at the same height as the food being cooked. That's your actual cooking temperature.

Longmill

Great!, I'll buy one for the grill.

Just remember to clean occasionally so you can read it!

I know, I need to replace the one in my oven for just that reason !