Thermoworks Smoke Review

[dgaddis]

Some of y'all might be interested in one of these. I just got one and used it for the first time this weekend. It's a more expensive (but not the most expensive) option in the remote thermometer world, but it's made by Thermoworks and I feel like it should last a long long time. I had a ~$40 Maverick and it only lasted a year and a half or so.

So, after the first use w/the Smoke, here's some thoughts:

Pros:

• Extremely well made. Very solid.
• Super easy to operate, you won't need to look at the user manual. I like that you can adjust the hi/low alarm temps both up & down - many other options only go one direction, so if you overshoot you have to go 'all the way around' again.
• You can turn on/off each probe alarm separately, which is handy.
• The base displays all the info you need at once, no swapping between screens. It's easy to read and understand too. Shows current temp, hi/low alarm settings, whether the alarm is on or off, and the high/low temps actually measured during the cook.
• Uses radio waves, not bluetooth, so range is good. I had my smoker on the back pork never lost signal, even when the monitor was upstairs in the front room of the house.
• The monitor lights up for easy viewing in the dark.

Cons:

• The remote monitor could use a stand. It comes with a lanyard, but you can't stand it up on a table, it'll only lay down. If it stood up it would be a bit easier to take a peek at. For example, if you're watching TV and the monitor is laying on the coffee table, you can't see it without picking it up. First world problem, I know...but I live in the first world, so...
• All settings are done on the base unit, the monitor is just a monitor. Setting hi/low alarm temps, turning the alarms on/off for each probe - all done on the base unit. I'd rather be able to do that on the monitor, so you could make adjustments without having to go out to the base unit.
• Two probe only, more would be nice.
• I wish the ambient temp probe was longer. On my smoker (a Weber WSM) I stick it through a grommet on the side, I wish it reached further into the cooker instead of just ~2" in. I generally use a heat deflector, so the temps are higher around the sides of the cooker than in the middle above the deflector. Of course I could just put the probe IN the cooker, but it's nice sticking it through the grommet because then only the probe body is inside the cooker getting dirty - the cable and everything else stays outside nice and clean.

So, the cons are pretty minor gripes really. I like it mainly because, unlike the cheaper Maverick units, it's well made and should last a long long time. They made a separate piece called the Gateway that'll allow you to monitor temps via the internet. So if you could set up your smoker, throw a butt on, and then go to the movies or grocery store and check in on the cook via an app on your phone or through a web browser.

https://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke

[bking]

Their Thermapen is a great tool. I'm not familier with their other products though.
The BBQ controllers can be nice. I use BBQ Guru's CyberQ unit (Automatic BBQ Temperature Control Smokers Ceramic Grills BBQ Accessories). It also monitors heat, and is connected a fan to increase/decrease airflow to the firebox to try and keep the heat at preset temps. I've never used the bluetooth that it provides to hook it up to my phone as when I'm cooking I seldom leave the house or for no more than 30 mins. Even with the fan and the computers ability to reduce or increase air to maintain temperature, cooking with fire is never a science, so I stay pretty close.
That said, the only time I do use the Guru is for brisket as typically it goes in at 10:30 or 11pm and I'll let it control the temp while I catch 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Though it has let me down a time or two, still worth it.

[dgaddis]

Yeah, I should add, the Smoke doesn't have any control features, and can't be integrated with any temperature controllers. It's just a thermometer.

I've never used any of the controllers, but I've done all my smoking a Big Green Egg and a the Weber Smokey Mountain cooker, both of which are very set and forget. The Weber won't hold *exactly* 225*F (or whatever temp you're after), but it will hold within a certain window. The cook this weekend it yo-yo'd back and forth between 240-265 for 15hrs without me ever touching it.

[bking]

I started with the Smokey Mountain, really is a well designed, simple smoker and can do a great job. I have never used the Egg, or any of it's emulators. One of these days I've got to try it.

And, 15 hours holding at those temperatures is outstanding--that pork looks perfect.

[dgaddis]

I started with the Smokey Mountain, really is a well designed, simple smoker and can do a great job. I have never used the Egg, or any of it's emulators. One of these days I've got to try it.

And, 15 hours holding at those temperatures is outstanding--that pork looks perfect.

The Egg and WSM work remarkably similarly, but the Egg can go a lot hotter, so it's more versatile. It's also way more expensive, has less space, and is more fragile. Hottest I ever got mine was somewhere over 900*F with blue flames shooting out the top - temp was still going up, but I shut it down because I just didn't see that ending well haha.

I started with an Egg, so when I got the WSM I kept doing mostly the same stuff. I use lump, not briquettes, and I don't use the water bowl, I just have a pizza pan in as a deflector. Since there's no water bowl there's a lot of extra room in the bottom of the cooker, so I made a larger charcoal ring and I can hold twice as much fuel as the factory set up. Top vent about 1/2 open, two bottom vents closed, one about 1/4 open - it'll puff along way longer than I'll ever need it to.

It took me nearly two years of BBQing to learn to let the cooker ride - it won't hold an *exact* temp with no swings at all, but I sure chased after that for a while and was constantly fiddling with the vents. Finally I figured out to just leave it alone and let it do it's thing, the temp won't sit in one exact spot, but it will stay within a reasonable window, and it's a whole lot less work and worry.!

My charcoal ring vs the factory ring. The expanded metal works better w/lump too.

[gt6267a]

concerning the egg and temperature consistency, if you want to set it and forget it ... https://www.flameboss.com/ ... is the way to go. there is a temp probe for the pit clipped to the grid, one for the meat, a power supply, and fan connected to a computer controller. computer controls the temp via fan and air flow. not only does it keep the temperature extremely well, the controller sync's with an internet based service. an app on the itoy sync's with the internet based service and its possible to control the egg from anywhere. out on a bike ride and wondering what temp you meat is at, no problem. concerned the meat is cooking too quickly, turn the pit temp down. want to know when your turkey is at 155F, have it txt you. for low and slow its a game changer. that 14 hr brisket driving you crazy keeping the temperature? forget that, just jam enough fuel in there and let the controller do its thing.