Maverick Food Probe for Measuring Air Temp?

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Imp81318

Knows what a fatty is.
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I am going to make a 2nd rack out of a charcoal grate for my kettle grill and I'd like to be able to monitor the temperature on both racks, but I only have a single thermometer (Maverick Redi-Check ET-732) which has a pointed food probe and a round probe for measuring air temperature. I know that companies sell 'universal' probes, but is there really anything special about them compared to the food probe that came with the unit? Is there a reason I cannot stick the food probe through a potato to measure the air temperature?
 
My Maverick has one style of probe that is used for air temp and food temp. Point style. I use them to measure air temp of the smoker (stuck through a potato) up until the last couple hours and then I stick them in the meat to see where they are at.

I have also used point style probes from other manufacturers with the Maverick base. Worked without issue. Just compare the part that plugs in to the Maverick. If it looks the same it will work. I have 3 thermometers in addition to the Maverick and all but one probe works. The one that doesn't has a much shorter plug.
 
My air probe died a while ago, and I've been using the meat probe to monitor pit temp. No issues.
 
I've propped up the pointed probe to monitor air temperature with a piece of tin foil a number of times. It works fine and I usually have foil and not a potato on hand.
 
I bought 6' replacement probes a year ago and they are both the same. I don't even know from cook to cook, which is which. I would say that you don't have a problem, at all.
 
It'll work just fine. Think there won't be much of a difference between the 2 grates.
 
Thanks for the replies, all! I couldn't think of a reason that it wouldn't work but figured I'd ask...

rickv14623 said:
It'll work just fine. Think there won't be much of a difference between the 2 grates.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't expect more than 5 or 10 degrees different between the 2 racks. And for my temperature control that is within the range that it'll fluctuate throughout the cook anyway so I'm not really worried about it, I'd just like to know what the difference actually is, or at least an idea of what the difference is.
 
As long as you eat the potato, no problems at all. Nothing like a nicely smoked potato.

I broke my pit thermometer recently and had to use the food probe as a pit therm, worked great. I ordered a new one, so I am good to go now.
 
It'll work just fine. I bought some of those alligator clips from the hardware store. The probe will stick right into the open end, then clip it to the grate. Easier than a potato or tin foil. I stole the idea from the pit temp probe setup for a Guru.
 
Imp81318 said:
Thanks for the replies, all! I couldn't think of a reason that it wouldn't work but figured I'd ask...



Yeah, I don't expect more than 5 or 10 degrees different between the 2 racks. And for my temperature control that is within the range that it'll fluctuate throughout the cook anyway so I'm not really worried about it, I'd just like to know what the difference actually is, or at least an idea of what the difference is.
Click to expand...
I'm curious about what you discover. I have never noticed any difference in cooking time, even when cooking chicken breasts. These CSR's temped out the same.
2nd%20grate_zpsq4eumaak.jpg
 
dadsr4 said:
I'm curious about what you discover. I have never noticed any difference in cooking time, even when cooking chicken breasts. These CSR's temped out the same.
2nd%20grate_zpsq4eumaak.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that a 2nd grate off a 22.5" kettle? Also, what is the gap between your two racks?

My first cook with the 2nd rack is going to be a brisket on the top with a pan of baked beans under it so I'll need to have enough room to slide the beans in, which I am assuming will be too tall for a 22" grate to fit under the lid.
 
Imp81318 said:
Is that a 2nd grate off a 22.5" kettle? Also, what is the gap between your two racks?

My first cook with the 2nd rack is going to be a brisket on the top with a pan of baked beans under it so I'll need to have enough room to slide the beans in, which I am assuming will be too tall for a 22" grate to fit under the lid.
Click to expand...
22.5", 2" high. I use it for ribs, chicken, anything of about that thickness.
rack_zps0c27acde.jpg
 
It you use fire bricks, the beans can go where a drip pan goes, on the other side.
Brickcoals.jpg
 
My Maverick has two pointed probes. The one that is black close to the wire and shiny near the tip goes in meat. The one that is all black tells the pit temp. Well, until I scrub them, and then it's either or.

As to adding the second grate. On my WSM, I found I hated using the lower grate. It had more to reaching down inside the hot barrel of the pit. I put my to grate on, set 3 or 4 empty and clean cans (small can of mushroom size) on the top grate, then set the bottom grate on top of the cans. Much easier to me...

IMG_3623_zpsw5odlgdb.jpg
 
dadsr4 said:
It you use fire bricks, the beans can go where a drip pan goes, on the other side.
Brickcoals.jpg
Click to expand...

I use the snake method with the coals around the perimeter and the meat centered over the grate with drip pan directly underneath. I never even considered lifting the grate to swap the bean pan with the drip pan. It would mean having to lift the whole grate on and off, but that's not a huge deal... hmmm... I also have a cast iron grate divided into 4 sections so my factory grate just sits in the shed unused. If the lid will close, I won't even have to buy a new grate... You guys may have just saved me $10.99 :clap2:
 
Imp81318 said:
I use the snake method with the coals around the perimeter and the meat centered over the grate with drip pan directly underneath. I never even considered lifting the grate to swap the bean pan with the drip pan. It would mean having to lift the whole grate on and off, but that's not a huge deal... hmmm... I also have a cast iron grate divided into 4 sections so my factory grate just sits in the shed unused. If the lid will close, I won't even have to buy a new grate... You guys may have just saved me $10.99 :clap2:
Click to expand...
I just used rusty carriage bolts that I had laying around. The grate is either from 1979 or 1993. The bricks were free and pre-broken.
 
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