Hot take: that infrared thermometer gun I bought is totally useless for grill temps

I got one of those cheap laser temp guns from Amazon last month, thought I was being smart. Used it on my OKJ offset smoker last Saturday during a brisket cook. Thing was reading 225 on the grate but my pit temp probe said 185. Turns out those guns just measure surface temp of metal or whatever they hit first, not the actual air temp. If you point it at a cold plate of food sitting next to the firebox it'll lie to you. I switched back to my old probe thermometer and got the brisket right. Anyone else get tricked by one of these things?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade321mo ago

Wow, I actually read a breakdown on a BBQ forum that explained this exact problem! Those infrared guns are bouncing off reflective surfaces and shiny metal, so they give you a fake reading every time. Stick with a good probe shoved into the meat or clipped to the grate, that laser stuff is just for checking surface heat on stuff like pans or griddle tops.

umaprice1mo ago

Honestly, did your BBQ forum mention how people go crazy with those laser thermometers on pizza stones too? Yeah @jade32, I saw a guy at a tailgate once checking his cast iron skillet with one and he kept getting readings that said 800 degrees but his burgers were still raw. Turns out he was pointing it at the shiny hood of the truck next to him half the time. Probes are boring but at least they don't lie to your face like a laser pointing at a chrome spatula.