Digital probe vs analog thermometer

[lewisc]

What’s a better indicator of temp? My crappy eBay thermometers (which are about 10degrees out) or my probe in the middle of the grill? The digital one is hovering between 275 and 290 while the eBay thermometers are probably just under 250.

I bought the eBay ones before I knew better. They need to be upgraded soon.

Edit - I took the probe out of the potato and it’s now sitting around 240.

 

[SmokerKing]

buy quality digital for pit and meat temps, analog thermos are for back up when digital fails, add or deduct 20 - 30 degrees

 

[BillN]

I use the analog Tel Tru on my smoker lid as a gauge as to when to add another log on the fire. I will use my Thermapen to check for final temps or use it to probe for tenderness otherwise I don't use any other thermometer.

 

[SonnyE]

Unless you calibrate them, they are all at best a guess.
Most try the Boiling water/Ice water test. But boiling water depends upon your elevation.
None of the commonly available thermometers are precision temperature measuring devices.

 

[m-fine]

Digital over cheap Bi-metal. K-type thermocouple over headphone jack style consumer probes. Calibrated thermocouple is the best option and very precise.

But you really don’t need precision. +/- 10 degrees is not going to change much as long as it is consistent.

 

[Nuco59]

I've got a couple of DOTs and 3 probes- it does fine for what I use it for. I would not get a cheap analog- or and expensive one either. The DOT's let me put my probe where I'm cooking. if I hit the lottery and got a new house where I'd would have to walk more than my current 17 steps front to back, I might get one of those wifi equipped Thermometers- or not.

 

[lewisc]

Maybe I’m asking the wrong question. I was finding the digital probe to be all over the place but the analog thermometers didn’t move much unless the fire needed a new split. The thermometers on the door were consistent throughout the cook and I was confused by the readings between them - being around 40degrees different.

 

[Nuco59]

If they were both quality (calibrated) thermometers AND they were reading temps at the same spots in the smoker but were reading more than a couple of degrees differently....that would be a head scratcher.

But if either (or both) of the conditions on each side of the "AND" above are not true then what you are seeing might be completely normal.

(I would make sure my digital lead was not pinched by a door, got wet,subjected to temps outside their normal range, or laid on the (very) heat conductive metal grate.)

 

[m-fine]

Maybe I’m asking the wrong question. I was finding the digital probe to be all over the place but the analog thermometers didn’t move much unless the fire needed a new split. The thermometers on the door were consistent throughout the cook and I was confused by the readings between them - being around 40degrees different.

Digital probes can react much faster than bi-metal types so you may have some variation from inconsistent burn or turbulent flow in the smoker showing up on one and not the other. A damaged wire or poor connection might also cause erratic readings on a digital.

40 degrees between door and grate is not too crazy depending on the smoker, and a cheap Bi-metal being 40 or 100 degrees off is not at all unusual either.