Most people have thermometers on their grill but they are not designed to give you a temperature reading at grate level, if they work at all. Oh sure you can use them to gauge relative temperature based on experience with your grill, but sometimes you need more precision. No worries, you can approximate the grate level temperature by holding your hand about 1 or 2 inches over the grill grate and counting the seconds until you instinctively pull it away. Please do not burn yourself. This would not give an accurate estimation and would most likely hurt real bad.

Hold your palm 1 to 2 inches from grill grate and count:

• 1 second (or less) = Very High Heat or 600°F more 
• 2 seconds = High Heat or 500°F to 650°F
• 3 seconds = Medium High Heat or 450°F to 550°F
• 4 seconds = Medium Heat or 400°F to 500°F
• 5 seconds = Low Heat or 300°F to 400°F
• 6 seconds (or more) = Very Low Heat or 300°F or less