Meater+ temp probe vs digital wired temp probes?

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Chasdev

Master of the Pit
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Jan 18, 2020
1,254
1,030
I tried out my Meater+ temp probe for the first time (whole bird on a Weber 22 w/rotissere).
Charcoal baskets on either side of the cooker with a drip pan in between.
In adition to the Meater I also placed two wired temp probes above the cook grate but not over the coals.
My wired probes both reported 375/400 as did the lid's analog gauge but the Meater reported 50 degrees lower at the surface of the bird.
Long story short, I pulled the bird when the breast internal hit 165, which resulted in fantastic breast meat but slightly under cooked dark meat.
My judgement is that the Meater was correct but the wired probes were reporting more on the heat flow dynamics inside the cooker as the heat rose and reflected off the inside of the lid perhaps.
If the wired probes had been correct the bird would have cooked faster and showed more browning on the skin.
In fact since it took almost two hours to reach the internal temp I saw before pulling , that bird should have been well done through and through.
So what's up with Meater sampling temps 1/4 inch or so off the skin that makes it more accurate?
I'm thinking wired digtal probes may no longer be in my best interests and in view of the issues I've had with temp measurements in my offset stickburner, I think I have been doing it wrong for years....
 
I tried out my Meater+ temp probe for the first time (whole bird on a Weber 22 w/rotissere).
Charcoal baskets on either side of the cooker with a drip pan in between.
In adition to the Meater I also placed two wired temp probes above the cook grate but not over the coals.
My wired probes both reported 375/400 as did the lid's analog gauge but the Meater reported 50 degrees lower at the surface of the bird.
Long story short, I pulled the bird when the breast internal hit 165, which resulted in fantastic breast meat but slightly under cooked dark meat.
My judgement is that the Meater was correct but the wired probes were reporting more on the heat flow dynamics inside the cooker as the heat rose and reflected off the inside of the lid perhaps.
If the wired probes had been correct the bird would have cooked faster and showed more browning on the skin.
In fact since it took almost two hours to reach the internal temp I saw before pulling , that bird should have been well done through and through.
So what's up with Meater sampling temps 1/4 inch or so off the skin that makes it more accurate?
I'm thinking wired digtal probes may no longer be in my best interests and in view of the issues I've had with temp measurements in my offset stickburner, I think I have been doing it wrong for years....
ThermoWorks (in their RFX) abandoned the concept of an integrated ambient due to a variety of inaccuracies and 50F seems like a big inaccuracy.
 
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