How to Use a BBQ Meat Thermometer
Life is too short to eat overcooked food. That’s where a BBQ meat thermometer comes in. They are the only way to be one hundred percent accurate about the doneness of your food. Using colour, texture, and even firmness are great guidelines when it comes to judging if meat is ready, but these can be misinterpreted, especially because everything is variable. Density of muscle fibers can vary from animal to animal and even from the same animal but at different sections of the same cut. There is marbling, which can be more or less concentrated from piece to piece and even contain different densities of connective tissue. That is why it is so important to know how to properly use a BBQ meat thermometer to gauge the doneness of your meal instead of relying on time, touch, or texture.
Types of Meat Thermometers
BBQ meat thermometers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are two main types of use: oven-going and instant-read. As you may have guessed, oven-going thermometers are able to remain in the oven for the duration of the cook, while instant-read meat thermometers are used to check temperatures quickly on the fly.
Mechanical / Analogue Thermometers
These thermometers tend to be less expensive. They are battery-free, have a stick probe, and a dial face that can leave room for interpretation. These can take between 10 and 30 seconds to register the temperature of what you are probing. Some can be left in the oven or BBQ and others cannot. Do not submerge them when cleaning. Mechanical or analog meat thermometers are easy to calibrate with a small nut on the back of the display.
Instant Read Thermometers
These usually consist of a probe that swings out from a plastic body or case and features a digital display. Others are a probe end with a handle end that is all one unit. These cannot be left on the grill or in the oven. Fast to read – hence the name – these will be able to give you an accurate temperature in 10 seconds or less.
Probe-Style Thermometer
Probe-style thermometers have a probe end that goes into the meat while a braided cable of heat-resistant material extends out and is usually attached to a base with a readout. These go into the oven or onto the grill, are inserted before cooking begins, and remain for the entirety of the cook. The benefit to a unit like this is that you can generally program a preset to alert you as the cook is coming to an end. These are not ideal for rotisserie meals.
Wireless Probe Thermometers
Wireless meat thermometers go into the meat before cooking begins and stay there for the duration of the cooking process and even into the resting process. Wireless units are ideal for many forms of cooking including smoking, slow roasting, rotisserie, and even high heat searing. The probes tend to be thicker than the instant read ones. Wireless meat thermometers connect to a secondary device through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, usually a smartphone or tablet. They can be programmed with your preferences and alert you to when your meal is nearing the perfect temperature, while you prep and work on other things away from the grill. The best ones even give you numbers that predict perfect resting times as well.
How to Use a BBQ Meat Thermometer
It seems simple enough. Stick the probe into the meat and it will tell you if the meal is done. There’s a little more to it than that, however. You need to stick the probe into the thickest section of the meat while avoiding large pockets of fat and touching bone or cooking surface, like the rotisserie rod.
When using an instant-read meat thermometer the easiest way to judge a thinner piece of meat like a steak, chicken breast, or even a burger, is to insert the probe through the side into the thickest part at the center. For chicken breasts that would be the thicker, round end. Push the probe end into the meat a little further than halfway – by your estimate – then slowly back it out. You will see the numbers on the readout go down, then begin to climb again. When they start climbing, you know you have passed the center, or coolest point of the meat.
For oven-going meat thermometers, you want to aim for the center of the thickest part of the meat. Most wireless probes will have an indicator line that shows how far the unit should be into the meat. While many of these are incredibly accurate, if you are doing a roast or something larger, it is a great idea to double-check several areas throughout the thickest parts using an instant-read too. This is especially important in roasting poultry where different parts require different finished temperatures and can cook at different times.
The larger the cut the greater the carryover cooking and the higher the temp will remain after cooking.
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Get the recipe for these delicious, smoky, glazed salmon bites. Ensure perfection by using an instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Pro Tip:
Pulling out an inserted probe is easier than pushing it in and will render more accurate results. As you pull back you will see the temperature will change. Use the lowest temperature to judge whether you need to continue cooking or whether carryover cooking will finish the meal for you while the meat rests.
Where Do You Put the Meat Thermometer Probe?
Temperature will vary throughout the cut of meat and is dependent on the makeup of the meat which could feature more dense muscle groupings from animal to animal or even throughout that particular cut itself. There could be different marbling and amounts of collagen and connective tissues as well. These factors can make temperature differ throughout. This is why it is important to check a few different places within the thickest part of the meat. Even one inch from complete center could provide a different reading.
Avoid large fat pockets. Fat can act as an insulator or it can act as a vehicle for increased heat transfer, depending on where it is located and how it is exposed to heat. Bones are another thing to avoid as they too can act as an insulator and skew your results depending on the type of bone and placement. Meat can be quite a bit cooler next to bone. A T-bone is a good example. The bone, in this case, acts as an insulator keeping the meat cool next to it. However, the bone in a pork shoulder is larger and mostly uncut, providing thermal conductivity that will warm the meat, though not to an extent that is concerning to the overall cook.
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BBQ Meat Thermometer Safety
Remember to sanitize your probe between checks if the food is not near safely cooked temperature, this will reduce the risk of salmonella and food borne illness. Simply use a damp and soapy cloth between uses and especially when temping different cuts of meat.
When to Use a BBQ Meat Thermometer
You could wait until the end of your cook to check the temperature of the meat, however, you do run the risk of overcooking your meal. This is because every single thing is variable, from the differences between your cooker to the unique makeup of each cut of meat.
While “lookin’ ain’t cookin’,” is a great philosophy and rather true for the most part, it does pay off to check on your meat’s temperature around the halfway point of the estimated cook. This will provide you with vital information about how your cook is going, whether that is on the grill or indoors. Doing this allows you to gauge whether the heat is enough or too much, and if the meal will take more or less time than estimated. This is when wireless and oven-going probes are ideal. They allow you to monitor the cook in real-time without having to open things up and cool the grill or oven.
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Pro Tip:
When deep frying, always remove the food from the fry oil before temping for safety and to prevent thermal transfer from the oil. When temping anything, remember to avoid touching the cooking surfaces as this will provide false readings.
How to Know if Your Thermometer is Calibrated
Before you use your BBQ meat thermometer for the first time, you should check to see that it is properly calibrated. To do this, fill a glass with ice and water. Stir so that everything is the same temperature, then insert the probe. Your probe should read within 1 to 2 degrees of 32°F or 0°C.
Then, bring a pot of water to the boil. Insert the probe end without touching the bottom or the sides of the pot. Your thermometer should read 212°F or 100°C – however, that number goes down at higher elevations – a quick Google search should provide the answer if you suspect you are at a higher elevation.
If the readings you took with the ice water and boiling water are accurate, you are good to go. If they are not, you will need to recalibrate the BBQ meat thermometer. As this changes from unit to unit, you will need to follow directions provided for your particular thermometer to recalibrate.
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People Also Asked:
How Do You Use a BBQ Meat Thermometer?
Insert the probe end of your thermometer into the meat you need to temp. You want to aim for the center of the meat in the thickest part. If the cut is thinner like a chop or chicken breast, you should go through the side into the center.
Push the probe in a little past what you think is the middle and slowly pull it back. You should see (on a good thermometer) the temperature dip, then start to go up. That lowest temperature is the one you are looking for and indicates the lowest internal temp of the meat you are cooking. Use that number to gauge how much longer you need to cook or if the food can come off and finish using carryover cooking.
What is the Proper Way to Use a Meat Thermometer?
Make sure that your meat thermometer is positioned correctly by inserting it carefully into the thickest part of the meat you are cooking while avoiding touching fat, bones, and cooking surfaces such as the pan, cooking grids or a rotisserie spit rod.
Do You Leave Meat Thermometer in Meat While Cooking?
There are probes that can be left in the meat while cooking. They can give you a good idea of how the cook is going. Some are analog – with a dial, others are probes with a heat-resistant wire that hooks up to an electronic unit, and others are wireless and connect to smart devices. These ones are known as oven-going and can be left in for the duration of the cook.
Instant read and some analog units should not be left in the cooker while monitoring meat. They can melt or have parts that do melt.
Can you Leave a Meat Thermometer in the BBQ?
Yes, you can leave some meat thermometers in the BBQ for the duration of the cook. These ones are specifically built for this and will indicate that on the packaging.
Never Overcook a Meal Again With a Napoleon Thermometer
Life's too short to settle for overcooked meals, especially when grilling. A BBQ meat thermometer is your best ally in ensuring perfectly cooked meat, every time. By understanding how to use a BBQ Meat Thermometer correctly, you can eliminate guesswork and enjoy delicious, juicy results with every bite. So, why leave it to chance? Master your BBQ skills with these essential tips from Napoleon. How do you gain success using a BBQ meat thermometer? Share your stories, tips, and photos with us on social like our Facebook and TikTok pages using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.
