Spend a day or two on any Australian BBQ group, and you will undoubtedly encounter the debate of Fahrenheit or Celsius as it relates to cooking BBQ, and why we tend to use imperial measurement here when everything else is metric.

And while it’s largely got to the point of trolling for fun, it’s a legitimate question about why we tend to measure BBQ in one over the other.

Origins in USA

The reality is that most low and slow barbecue as we know it here has its origins in America, where the imperial system is king. When we typically find recipes in books, on the internet or watching TV, pit temps are running either side of 250F and internal temps are measured in numbers north of 200F. Because a great deal of our equipment is also imported, gauges run in both F and C.

So which is better?

I guess the answer as to which is better lies in how you are at maths and personal preference.

For me, I find it easier to do it Fahrenheit

The formula for converting F to C is (xF – 32) x 5/9 = yC, which makes 32F = 0C.

Now if you did as well in high school as I did (that is to say, not well), then this kind of algebra just to work out what to cook at is hard. Many of us have learned to cook to 225, 250, 275 etc. These are much easier numbers to dial in on that 107.22, 121.11 or 135 (ok, maybe not 135, but you get the idea).

So whilst celsius may be a more accurate measure, it’s difficult to dial in.

BBQ Fahrenheit to Celsius Conversion Calculator

Because we want to make it as practical as possible for everyone to work in whichever they want to work in, we developed the below calculator (also found here) to help you make quick conversions.