questions from a newbie

[NEGGS1]

first let me start by saying thank you to all the old pros out there that have shared their wisdom on this website.

i bought an original bradley 4 rack smoker from bass pro shop, list price was $299, they let me use a cabala's ad that listed a special at $279 (thanks pro bass shop)

this weekend after following all the seasoning instructions, how to make a good rub, cooking time etc... i smoked 9 lbs of pork, it was the tenderest meat the family has ever had. i owe it all to the wonderful people that contribute to this board.

i have 2 questions

1st, in all my haste to buy a remote thermostat i purchased one that only gives the meat temperature, not the smoker temperature. i have heard that the bradley thermometer is not highly accurate.  how much is the temperature usually off, and if it says 200 degrees, is it usually higher or lower i.e. 220 or 180.  as soon as i mess something up due to a bad temperature i will probably invest in a maverick 73.

2nd, i am planning to smoke for christmas, and living in the chicago area i am concerned that weather may be a factor (snow or wind), is there a small enclosure that i can buy for my smoker, if none is available and i need to build one how far should the wood walls be from the sides. i figure that i could build some kind of smoke stack for the vent.

thanks for all your assistance, and i hope to be able to start answering some of these posts in the near future

neggs

[La Quinta]

Hey NEGGS...welcome aboard! :) I wish I could answer your questions...but I can't (except the door temp can be 20 or so degrees off)...you'll learn a lot here...lotta guys can tell you how to "enclose" your baby!! Get a Maverick and you're temp problem is solved!!

[Consiglieri]

I have a digital and did some temp experiments to check out someone else's temp fluctuation readings (I think it was Mr. Walleye).  With the box empty of meat, the box temp readings on the digital are pretty accurate.  However, when you throw in meat, that's where you'll notice the difference, with the box temp reading much higher than the maverick probe (best guess is that the placement of the sensor closer to the element, below the meat level is the cause). 

If you're curious, next tiime you smoke, lay the temp probe on the rack with your meat for an hour or so and note the difference between box reading and probe reading.  You can compensate on the digital by setting the target temp higher.

With the original, I have no experience, but hear that the door thermometer is not accurate.  Try some empty box experiment with your temp probe.  Take a door reading at high heat (300 or so on the door), a reading at low heat (150 or so), and one at typical cooking heat (210-220) and compare with readings on the probe.  Try the same experiment during the early stages of a smoke and see what you learn.  Maybe that will help you "calibrate" the door reading to an actual temperature.  Or you can invest $40 on an ET73.

Good luck.  And Welcome.

[Gizmo]

You will also find that the temperature measure at the meat will get closer to the box reading temperature as the meat internal temperature gets higher.  This means that you cannot use a single offset of guage temperature as it will not be consistently off by the same amount over the entire smoke.

[manxman]

I have an OBS and the door temp gauge on mine matches my Maverick pretty well across a range of temperatures, however plenty of other people have reported significant discrepancies but the discrepancies vary from unit to unit. There is no hard and fast rule as to how (in)accurate they are.

Best way is to check against a known accurate thermometer as already mentioned.

The boiling/iced water test mentioned elsewhere on the forum and on the recipe site is the ideal method for checking thermometers but means taking the door mounted thermometer off your OBS and then you could use the boiling water method.

[Malc]

I too only use a meat thermometer and the one on the door.  I have never had any problems.  I did calibrate my door thermometer and found that it was almost dead on, so I think there just must be variances from smoker to smoker.  The only time I was ever worried was when I had a full smoker and there was no way to keep the meat from touching the thermometer.  Still, I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Just my opinion, but as long as the meat is cooked and it is slow and low you shouldn't have any problems.

[Tiny Tim]

Um, just thinking out loud here, but if the settings for the digital (or the door thermo on the original) are right on with an empty cabinet, but a big discrepancy shows up when loaded and the remote thermo's smoker probe is near the meat, isn't it possible that the meat is giving off "radiant" cooling, affecting the thermometer's reading, and not necessarily an indication that the temp control and "stock" guages are off?

[Mr Walleye]

Just thinking out load too....

I agree with you Tiny. I think that's why you see the temp more accurate once the meat has been in for a few hours and has had a chance to get closer to the cabinet temp.

With the DBS the temp sensor is at the back of the cabinet, between the 2nd and 3rd rack. The heat rising up the back of the cabinet will effect the sensor and therefore the temp directly below the meat may be lower. That's why you want to have a thermometer such as the Maverick ET73. Tipically you might set the temp on the DBS to 220 or even 230 to get the temp directly below, a butt for an example, to read 210 degrees. After a few hours you will see the temp begin to rise. This is the "radiant cooling" Tiny is talking about. So, to me The temp the meat is exposed to in the first number of hours during a smoke on the DBS will tipically be lower than the temp you see on the generator.

I don't have an OBS but the temp guage is in the door. With the heater at the back of the cabinet I would expect the themometer to read somewhat lower than the temp directly below the meat. Again I would expect this to begin to level out after the meat temp begins to rise in a few hours. So, I would expect the temp the meat is exposed to in the first number of hours during a smoke on the OBS to tipically be higher than the temp on the gauge on the door.

Certainly for me the point is, if I'm doing a butt for an example and I want it exposed to 210 degrees till done, I will use a thermometer such as the Maverick ET73 to make sure my temps are where I want them regardless of what the temp reading is on the DBS/OBS.

Mike

[Malc]

Yep, I agree, the only time I was really worrid was when the thermometer was actually touching the meat, not just near it.  Again, you are in it for the long haul, so once I get the empty cabinet where I want it, it is just a matter of time before the rest comes up to the same temp., so I don't worry too much about the door thermometer during the first part of a smoke.

[Habanero Smoker]

I have the OBS, and when I tested mine a while back when it was empty, there were a significant differences in temperature depending on where the probe(s) were placed in the cabinet. When you place the cabinet probe near the meat, moisture evaporating from the meat does cool the area near the surface of the meat. I have the Raptor/Guru and the instructions that came with it recommend that is the best location to place the probe, but I generally don't place the probe near the meat because I have other shelves in the smoker, and I want a truer measure of the cabinet temperature. Even doing this, there is still significant difference in temperature between the probe and the door.

I believe there are several factors, location of the thermometers, vent opening, size and placement of the load, and/or the type of meat.

[Consiglieri]

With the right amount of beer, you'll never notice the temp differences. 

[hillbillysmoker]

Welcome to the forum. My OBS door thermometer is close to the readings of my Maverick ET-73. I still prefer using the Maverick thermometer in the cabinet. As to cold weather, I find cold doesn't affect my smoker as much as wind. I would suggest storing the smoke generator indoors where the grease inside stays warm until ready for use. There are many here that have built sheds, shelters, etc. who can provide help and pictures. Even a plywood wind break will help with keeping the wind away from the smoker. Simply place it on the windward side.

[Stickbowcrafter]

Maverick is the way to go. Surprisingly, the door thermometer on my OBS is pretty darn accurate.

-Brian

[NEGGS1]

thanks for all the helpful replies

just ordered my maverick 73

neggs