Hot spot testing/Oven Thermometer Accuracy

[Headgear]

I am having a Shirley cabinet patio built and will want to test where and to what degree hot spots are at different cook temps and with different intake and exhaust damper positions. I saw a YouTube video about that and the guy used nine oven thermometers. He placed three on each rack, in three different locations (front, center, and rear), and recorded the temps. He did this test several times with different damper positions. My unit is going to be different than the one he tested on, so I want to do it myself.

Even though this would be a bit of an investment for thermometers that I would probably only use once, I like this approach better than buying a pile of biscuits because I want to know how much hotter/cooler the differences would be.

But how accurate are these thermometers? I've read reviews and these things can cost between 3 and 15 or more dollars each. I know that after the investment in what could arguably be the best smoker for its type and size, oven thermometers would not be that terrible. I always hedge on the side of the cry once principal, and I figure it would be dumb to do all of the testing and walk away wondering if it was all worth it from an accuracy standpoint. Plus, I have a hard time trusting those online reviews. So, do any of you have any experience, likes, dislikes, or recommendations about oven thermometers?

Any other testing procedures would be welcome too.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Those thermometers get real dirty, real quick when being used in a smoker. I did about a 4 hour cook once and even with a clean fire they got a bit gunked up and were hard to read. Not to mention I had a couple right next to each other and they would show massive differences in temps ; something like 50° difference when only an inch or two apart. On a reverse flow smoker that makes no sense. I didn't trust those probes, and my hunch was vindicated when I used a Thermoworks Smoke instead. My 250 gallon Johnson Smoker's RF offset keeps about a 5° temp differential from left to right across the entire cooking grate. Top grates are usually 15-20° hotter than the bottom grates, but still even across the entire grate.

If you're a "buy once, cry once" kind of person why not just grab a Thermworks Signals or Smoke x4? This way you'll get continuous feedback without having to open your cook chamber door. Also this gives you 4 probes which provide a good amount of data, and can be easily moved during your experiment.

 

[txsmkmstr]

Those thermometers get real dirty, real quick when being used in a smoker.

Yes they do but the ones I've owned had a glass lens/face-plate. I keep 1/4 sheets of Magic Eraser (Mr. Clean) in my cooking kit and freshen up the glass part only. Forget about shining up the metal. Be sure to wet the sheet first and in about 10 seconds it's almost as good as new.

I use two of those thermos at all times in my LSG pit - one at each end, just for peace of mind.

 

[Fishwater2002]

I’m a Fireboard guy & agree that it’s a more accurate test with probes vs oven thermometers. I’ve seen the same video & you can see how black the thermometers get in the video so I’m not sure that it’s an accurate long term solution. Purchase a digital thermometer like a Fireboard or Smoke so you can do the test plus have a means to monitor your meat as it cooks, two birds with one stone & I think you’ll be happier long term. Can’t wait to see your new Shirley when it arrives, good luck!

 

[bschoen]

A few cans of biscuits is way cheaper.

 

[SkaterSmoker]

I like the other suggestions of buying a Smoke or Fireboard. I have a Smoke and use it all the time. I think you’re right about wanting to see the actual temperature differences, but I would follow that up with a biscuit test too. Fill it up with a ton of biscuits to see not only the hot spots, but where you get more top-down or bottom-up cooking. Knowing those cooking zones is so useful if your food is cooking uneven, or you need to cook the underside or topside more aggressively at any point in the cook.

 

[4ever3]

A few cans of biscuits is way cheaper.

THIS is the way…

 

[Big George's BBQ]

A lot of people place biscuits in various areas of their cooker to see where the hot spots are

 

[Headgear]

Purchase a digital thermometer like a Fireboard or Smoke so you can do the test plus have a means to monitor your meat as it cooks, two birds with one stone & I think you’ll be happier long term. Can’t wait to see your new Shirley when it arrives, good luck!

That makes good sense. I would have to move them around a bit more than nine of the oven thermometers but walk away with something I can use indefinitely.

I can't wait to see it too!!!

 

[Headgear]

A few cans of biscuits is way cheaper.

THIS is the way…

Well-spoken Mandalorian. :grin:

 

[Headgear]

I like the biscuits for knowing where the hot spots are but would like to know the temp differences between them vs the adjacent areas. Heck, maybe I could use biscuits and a few probes.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Go for it. Let us know how it turns out for you

 

[Nuco59]

I know it's not scientific and you won't know down to the degree, but I'm in the cheap canned biscuit camp.