I just got my first OTG and I'm thinking of putting a thermometer into one of the vent holes on the lid.

I have the perfect thermometer and fiber gaskets. The probe on the thermometer is about 2 inches long.

It would work on a gas grill, and if it doesn't matter if I plug one vent hole it might work on the charcoal unit.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Marlene

Marlene, I use a thermometer from BBQ guru that sits in a silicone cork and I use it all the time on both the kettle and the WSM without any noticeable effect.

Are you saying that it sits inside the grill?

I'm trying to get one that I can read from the outside where I don't have to lift the lid.

I know that everyone says keep the lid vents all the way open and the way I was thinking would completely close off one of them.

Off to check gurus! Thanks!

The probe projects into the grill a couple inches. The dial is outside the grill. Holding the therm in place is a silicone 'cork' that fits snuggly into one vent hole.

It's easy to pop out and in--handy for cleaning/testing. I much prefer it over something permanently mounted. (I have the same one as David.)

AHA! That looks just like what I have but without the cork.

You find that blocking one hole has no effect on the cooking?

Going home from work now and I'll check back later.

Thanks so much!

Nope, no problems plugging one hole.

I use a similar one with no adverse affects.
Point to remember - from practical experience. make sure the thermometer is a snug fit I actually lock it in by twisting the vent to tighten it on the stopper. I have broken a couple by lifting the lid and having the thermometer fall out. Probably caused by an excess of red wine (LOL)

Regards

Thanks, guys.

I'll take a picture of mine when I'm finished or just beginning.

I haven't even assembled the kettle yet.

I'm excited and thinking too fast.

Here's a pic of the little button thermometer I'm going to us. The lock washer will hold it into place with no problem. I have a fiber washer that will go inbetween.

Forgot the pictures:

http://i25.tinypic.com/iwqe10.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/5y6al0.jpg

Thanks for all of your help.

Note from Moderator: Changed inline photos to links due to large filesizes. See "Posting Photos" link on BB homepage for guidelines. Thanks!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris Allingham,

You could also order a Genesis gasser replacent thermometer and drill a hole opposite the vent, it secures with a wingnut and will give the OTG a cleaner look. You may want to close the vent sometime.

not to second guess you but I agree with Brian... I grabbed one of the genesis replacements on ebay for ~$10 and its pretty slick....my one word of caution would be not torquing the wing nut too hard ... the threads look pretty fine on it ....

Brian, I have a question. If you put the thermometer on the opposite side of the vent, won't that give you a false reading because it's positioned directly over the hot coals when you stack all the coals on one side? Is it better to put it near the top vent or as close to the dome handle as possible?

Good thought. I'd be afraid to drill through the porcelain. How would you prevent the drill from slipping or stop the rust?

How about drilling out the rivit that holds the vent in place and putting the thermometer through that hole?

when ive done this, ive used masking tape on the porcelain surface to stop the slipping... it worked well for me and im pretty sure others have done similar...
Rust: I have not been too concerned with rust (its a small hole and will be covered relatively well with the therm) but if youre worried you can touch up the hole with high temp "engine block" paint prior to installing the therm...
the rivet drilling can be risky (of course all these mods are) from my personal experience...
just my $.02
hope it helps

Marlene, look under the WSM Modifications and keep scrolling down until you get to some headings that talk about the thermometer installations. Some of the guys have excellent instructions and pictures.

I realize there is more than one school of thought, but I tend to disagree about the use of a thermometer in the vent ever conflicting with cooking. The only time I ever close vents are when I am shutting down the cooker, and you obviously don't need to know how warm it is when you are doing that. Is there some other situation where you are shutting top vents and measuring cooker temp? I can't imagine what that would be.

Plus, I like that I can use my thermometer in any of my three cookers and I really don't care much about style points, so the cleaner look doesn't really make any difference to me.

The thing I like about the BBQ Guru with Stopper Therm is that it is readily removable and doesn't prevent you from using the vent should you want to. The BBQ Guru therm is also decent quality (tru-temp) if that matters.