That $70 infrared thermometer gun I thought was a gimmick actually saved my pork shoulder

I bought one of those no-contact temp guns off Amazon last summer for about $70. Thought it was just a fancy toy for checking if the grill grate is hot. But last weekend I used it to spot a cold zone in my offset smoker that was a good 40 degrees lower than the rest. Turns out my firebox door seal was letting in too much air on that side. Fixed it with some gasket tape and my shoulder cooked even all the way through for once. Has anyone else found a weird tool that actually fixed a problem you didn't know you had?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_diana1mo ago

... so my buddy Mike had this old smoker he could never get to hold steady temps no matter what he did. He bought one of those laser temp guns too, and it showed him a 50 degree difference between the top and bottom of his chamber. Turned out the lid was warped on one corner, letting all the heat out. He bent it back with a hammer and a block of wood, and now it's a totally different cooker. That thing really is more than just a toy.

spencer7821mo ago

The hammer and wood trick works way more often than people give it credit for. I had a similar problem with my offset a few years ago, same exact issue where the lid was letting heat escape on one side. My dad showed me how to tap it back into shape with a rubber mallet and a 2x4, took maybe 15 minutes and I never had a problem again. The laser gun is definitely not a toy either, I use mine to find cold spots before every long cook now. It's crazy how much a tiny gap can mess with your fire management, you'd be surprised what a little patience and some basic tools can fix. People throw away perfectly good smokers over stuff like that.

the_claire1mo ago

Had a buddy who fought his propane smoker for two years (constant temp swings that made him want to toss it in the lake). I loaned him my IR gun and he found a cold streak running right down the middle of his cook chamber. Turned out the drip tray was sitting crooked and blocking the heat deflector on one side. He shifted it over an inch and suddenly his smoker held 225 like a champ. Now he swears by checking every new smoker with a temp gun before he even seasons it.