Temp Difference

[CMTiger]

Your best oven routinely fluctuates 50 degrees. This fervor over insignificant ambient temperature swings is a complete waste of mental capacity. The IT of your protein is very critical however and for that i recommend high quality temperature monitoring equipment. Get both stick and stay unit for ballpark readings and the best instant read you can afford. I’m a thermaworks guy myself but there are other more than adequate choices. Enjoy your ride.

We aren’t talking swings. We are talking misreading by consistently by 30 degrees or more when there are no major swings. That can be pretty big with say a brisket when your target temp isn’t much less than your cook temp. It’s the culprit of lots of “whys it taking so long” posts. Ex: gonna take awhile getting your protein to 200-205 with a pit temp of 225 that’s potentially sub 200 degrees.

 

[JPSBBQ]

We aren’t talking swings. We are talking misreading by consistently by 30 degrees or more when there are no major swings. That can be pretty big with say a brisket when your target temp isn’t much less than your cook temp. It’s the culprit of lots of “whys it taking so long” posts. Ex: gonna take awhile getting your protein to 200-205 with a pit temp of 225 that’s potentially sub 200 degrees.

You are reinforcing my point. Adjust the temp to meet your timing. The cook temp is not that critical. If it’s taking too long then adjust. If it’s cooking faster than you’d like, lower the target. There are tons of variables at play such as grade of protein, placement in cooker(right to left or top or bottom grid), wrap or no wrap, wrap in foil vs paper, temp of protein when placed on cooker, thickness, probe placement, etc.
search around and you will find a plethora of cook temps for the same basic type of cook.
Recipes are at best a loose guideline. A true pit master is able to adjust constantly to the current conditions and information/feedback at their disposal. I cringe when someone asks how long at what temp. It’s a crap shoot that requires some guessing and assumptions. At best it might get you in the ballpark.
If there is an actual issue with a probe or RTD then by all means address it with the manufacturer. Please don’t let what are truly minor factors in the BBQ process ruin your day however. Enjoy the process.