My uncle laughed at me for using a $20 wireless thermometer

I bought this cheap wireless thermometer off Amazon and my uncle, who's been smoking meat for 30 years, said I was wasting money on junk that would fail mid-cook. Sure enough, two hours into a brisket at my backyard in Austin, the probe reading jumped from 185 to 300 and back again, and I pulled the meat early only to find it still tough. Has anyone found a budget thermometer under $50 that actually lasts more than a few smokes?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_harris2521h ago

Have you tried calibrating it in boiling water first?

mila_jones3920h ago

Did you make sure the water was actually at a rolling boil when you tested it? I've seen a few people do this wrong and get bad results because they didn't wait long enough for the water to stabilize. It's a small detail but it makes a big difference in the calibration.