Remote Internal Meat Temp Alarm

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 05:20

I'm dong a batch of smoked chickens right that might require me to stay up all dammed night too ensure they don't get ruined. I usually just rely on a double pair of internal units and call it good.

I believe I've read somewhere that internal meat temp units with a remote alarm are available. I'm wondering if anybody here has experience with them, what the range might be, will they wake a man up from a dead sleep. These probably won't be done till about 4 am, a time I usually am fast asleep.

If there is such a thing that can be recommended, I'll gladly pay for it. RAY

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 05:23

Ooops, here's what's goin' on now!

markjass · Post by **markjass** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:46

Was reading up about them. I like the concept. Like many other things I would have to buy one from overseas. The reviews online are a real mixed bag. If things go wrong it is a real pain getting things sorted when things come from overseas.

Mark

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 15:32

After some online research it looks like things boil down to a choice of the Maverick 732 or the LEM 601. Both units seem to have quite a few negative reviews, also a fair share of positive reviews. I always wonder if positive reviews are submitted by employees or stock-holders, maybe I should be more trusting. Now it's 7:30 am and I got up at 3 and 5 to check the temp, right now it's at 155° and things look to be fairly cloudy. I can't go back to bed because I not only have to keep a eye on the temperature, the first drop of rain means this project comes to a screeching halt and gets finished in the oven. I just jacked the smoker from 185° up to 190°, hate doing that but I'm dead tired. RAY

Dave Zac · Post by **Dave Zac** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 15:32

Apparently new from ThermoWorks. Just got this email yesterday.

BLUETHERM™ DUO WITH BLUETHERM PRO FOR iOS
MODEL #292-601

markjass · Post by **markjass** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 15:45

It is 2.42 am and I am having my break. Thank goodness I only do a few nights a month. It was very cold when I came into work. We are going to have a rip snorter of a frost in the morning.

What are the bags that you have got your chickens in?

Mark

IdaKraut · Post by **IdaKraut** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 16:02

Ray,
I have and still use on occasion, the Maverick 732 dual probe thermometer. When it works, it works well, but I've had too many instances where it loses synch with the receiver even though my smoker is only 50 feet from my bedroom nightstand. So, for expensive meats, I would not trust this setup.

The new iPhone Bluetooth enabled ThermoWorks seems interesting, but again, I bet the range is very limited since Bluetooth is not rated for more than about 30 feet.

What I have since gone to and use with 100% satisfaction is the Auber WSD-1503CPH which is a dual probe temperature controller. I can set it to either shut the heater off or throttle it to a lower temperature once the internal meat temperature is reached. It is extremely versatile and accurate, but more so, super reliable. It will handle 1800 watts which is more than I am using for my homemade smoker with dual hot plates for the heat source. Plus I use it with my sous vide setup that I use to finish large diameter sausages in hot water to control the electric tabletop steamer pan. I can set it to keep the water temp at exactly 160°F and turn off when the IMT reaches 152°F. Again, it works 100% reliably. Here's a link so you can read up on it: Auber dual probe controller Right now it is not on sale, but they frequently will put it on sale for about 30 dollars less. Just email them if interested and ask when it will be on sale again, they are nice people to work with.

Anyway, I hope I provided some insight. Good luck with whatever you decide.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 17:14

Mark, the chickens are placed in what is called a "stockinette". They allow for the full penetration of the smoke during the process while enhancing the appearance of the finished product. Also compacts the meat as much as possible while in the smoker, I place everything I smoke except sausage in a stockinette or netting.

Rudy, thank you much for your input. I had a feeling the remotes on these thermometers weren't going to be all they were cracked up to be. This whole adventure was brought on by a very unseasonable weather forecast that caused me to fire up my smoker at a inopportune time. The more I think about I'll most likely just get nothing more than what I already have. Had I been brining Canadian bacon or a ham for 5-6 days I'd have really been out of luck. It will start raining here this afternoon and is forecast to continue thru Tuesday. The Pro 100 isn't made for use in the rain, water and electricity don't make for a comfortable combo. I'm up to 160° on one thermometer and 158° on the other, looks like I'm gonna skate on by. RAY

Post by **Butterbean** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 19:10

I recently bought a Camp Chef wireless thermometer and it has an antenae on the hand set. I use this with my smoke house and I'm normally about 80 - 100 feet from the house and it gives good readings. I've had other brands that totally sucked but for $20 or so I had to try it and so far I'm really pleased with it and would buy another. Thing even has a flashlight built in it.

http://www.casa.com/p/camp-chef-wireles ... agpspn=pla

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Sun Jun 23, 2013 22:16

Thanks for posting that BB, I just ordered one! If it doesn't work for long I won't be out much, unlike the other models I investigated online that all seemed pretty much like junk.

Things finally worked out after 25.5 hours in the Pro 100, seemed to take longer than ever before. As I stated earlier the chickens were huge, about a six pound average, and I had a lot more black fat dripped out onto the bottom of the drip pan than usual. I chopped one up immediately after I took the picture and my wife and I gobbled it down right at the sink, laughing at what hogs we were acting like. It was as delicious and juicy as ever, just seemed to take a bit longer to reach IT.

Mark, the use of stockinettes will give your finished product a more professional appeal. It just seems to me that food that appears to be prepared with pride and attention to detail is food that folks really WANT to eat. Maybe I'm a goober, I'm pretty much a stickler for having all my sausages look the same also. Like the commercial said, "image is everything". Well, I guess the stuff has to taste pretty good too. RAY

Post by **Butterbean** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 00:08

Beautiful chickens.

I hope you like the thermometer when you get it. Mine has really been good. Just saw the same one at Gander Mountain store for $29.

markjass · Post by **markjass** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 02:42

They look lovely. I do like the effect of the stockinettes. I made a whole smoked chicken a
last summer for a picnic lunch. I did it in a different way. Poached and then cold smoked it for a couple or 3 hours. It tasted great, but by the time I had finished making it it did not look so good. Next time I make it I will use a stockinette. Thank you.

25.5 hours wow. Now that is what I call dedication. I got up an hour ago 12.30, no nights for a couple of weeks. When I left work it was -3 and the frost was heavy. It is now about 10 degrees. There is not a cloud in the sky and not a puff of wind. This is a typical mid winter day. Must get out and make the most of it.

Thank you

Mark

Blackriver · Post by **Blackriver** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 03:36

Ray those chickens look fantastic! I have the Maverick ET-732 and love it. I have had no issues with it what so ever. For $60 on Amazon you cannot go wrong. Now I have the older version also which I hated lots of problems with range. The new and improved one has external antennas and when it loses communication from the reciever it alarms. I have never had it alarm for that reason and I have it in my bedroom when smoking food. The signal travels through 3 walls and a distance of 60ft.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IM ... d_i=507846

IdaKraut · Post by **IdaKraut** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 15:20

Ray:

Those are the most beautiful BBQ'd chickens I've ever seen. Wow!

Blackriver:

Glad to hear Maverick finally got their act together and are producing thermometers that are reliable. Mine is a couple years old and not very reliable. I do have lots of wireless gadgets (Lacrosse thermometers, cameras, wifi devices, etc) that may be interfering with the Maverick's transmission, not sure.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 21:19

Thank you all very much for the compliments, means a lot.

Before this session of smoking I never really had the need for a remote alarm thermometer. I was rushed into this by a weather forecast that so far has not materialized. Once I got to where I half-assed knew what I was doing I'd usually start my smoker up about 9 pm, put the meat into dry for a hour or two, then apply the chips for smoke right around midnight. Get up the next morning and change the chip pan, close the dampers and raise the temp 4-5 hours later, everything is most often done early that evening. I'm confident the little Camp Chef will work the ten feet thru the window from where I've got the smoker going in the backyard to where my butt is usually parked on the couch in front of the big screen TV. Oh, that reminds me, I have to make some brine right now! Picked up two 8lb. pork loins at Safeway this morning for $32 that I'll be needing to smoke on Saturday, got plans for Sunday afternoon. RAY