Lid temp vs maverick temp

[brettbrown]

I'm cooking a turkey today for a friend's tday. My lid temp is 425 my maverick on the cooking grate is 290. How good are these Weber therms on the kids? Are they garbage like other bbq's?  I understand that I'm taking the temp from two very different locations, but should I be seeing a 150 degree difference? Any info would help.

[brettbrown]

Once again my fat fingers get in the way. LIDS not kids.

[AcrossFromHoss]

maybe test your maverick in boiling water to check accuracy that's quite the difference

[AcrossFromHoss]

And what cooker are you using is that a 22?

[brettbrown]

It's a 22. I tested my maverick in boiling water a few years ago. It was only about 2 degrees off.I rotated the lid so it was directly above the maverick and it dropped 25 degrees. Still way off. 

[Troy]

yeah that is WAY off. The only weber thermo that I've ever seen be THAT far off is the old ones that slide in under the handle.

I'd check them both out in boiling water. test the maverick in ice water as well.

[MINIgrillin]

Also be mindful that if you have the therm probe too close to food - in the cold bubble (that's what I call it) you will not be getting a true reading of temp.

My kettle gauges are about 50degrees off grate temp depending on if I'm direct or indirect. Can be as much as 100 if direct above fire.

[LightningBoldtz]

SO the maverick probe is right below this and the fire is on the opposite side of the kettle? 

[CharliefromLI]

SO the maverick probe is right below this and the fire is on the opposite side of the kettle?

I'm no expert but I know the heat hits the underside of lid and rolls back to center. Maybe the rolling heat is reaching the lid therm but not the maverick because it's on the far side?

I would ice or boiling water test both for accuracy.

I know changing placement of my mav probe can show major swings. If probe is too close to meat you'll be in the bubble as mentioned above, and if probe is "behind"meat further away from heat that can give a lower reading too.

[brettbrown]

Thanks for all the replies. When I rotated the lid so that the therm was over the location of the maverick, I did notice that it evened out a bit. It was still 50 degrees off. I'll try a boil test tomorrow. Regardless of the readings, the turkey turned out great.

[MINIgrillin]

Regardless of the readings, the turkey turned out great.

That's all that matters in the end.. And not poisoning everyone.

There is a video on the thermo works website on how to do a proper and accurate ice bath. 

[brettbrown]

SO the maverick probe is right below this and the fire is on the opposite side of the kettle?

When I took the pictures, no. I rotated the lid about a quarter turn to better line them up. After I did that the lid temp dropped 25 degrees. It was still about 100 off. I'm starting to think I may have been in the bubble. I didn't know that existed.

[Johnpv]

The thermos they put in the Weber lids aren't that accurate.  They're bi-metal thermometers and even the best of them can be accurate one day and 50 + degrees in either direction off the next, and then accurate again the next.  (Ok maybe not the super super super expensive crazy ones, but the ones they're sticking in grill lids anyway)

You have 2 things going on, 1 the fact that lid temps will always read a bit hotter than at the cooking grate temps, and 2 that the bi-metal thermometer in the kettle lid can easily be way off.  Ignore the lid temp, and make sure you have your maverick placed in a good spot and you won't have to worry about anything.