Concealed damage, it happens. I have been in the freight business for 30 some odd years and consignees scream because a freight company wont usually honor a claim for damage if no visible damage to container or packaging.
I am doing chuck roast and beef back ribs as I post, copious amounts of smoke compared to what I expected. I notice that temperatures across the grate are anywhere between 15 and 30 degrees difference from front left (usually very close to reading on controller) to rear right. Like any other pit I suppose in that regard as far as hot and cold spots.
Yes, my 570 showed discrepancies across the grates when I first got it. I played around with the temp calibration until I got things to where I wanted.
If you use a 3rd party temp probe and place it at the center rack using a wood block or a cork, that will help you to get a feel of how your grill's temp probe correlates with the center of the grill.
Better yet, if you have a temp measuring device with 3 probes on it, you can compare left, right and center grate positions and go from there if you need to.
But yes, you are indeed correct in that every pitt will have hot and cold spots to some degree.
Yes the interaction between some parties is almost like a really good sitcom.
It is, and always has been, entertaining to me to expose "know it alls" who really aren't.....and in fact who are in reality,.... "know nothings" .....as opposed to real, dyed in the wool, true blue, "know it alls" who tend to at least know something or at the very worst, ..... a little something.
In other words, I have some measure of respect for "know it alls" who at least "know something." ......... But not so much respect at all though, for "know it alls" who at the end of the day "know nothing",.... but who want everyone else to "think" that they do.
But to get any respect, well he at least has to know more than
I know....has to know more than
you know.....and has to know more than
anyone else who has the unfortunate happenstance to come upon his tripe knows...and to this point, it is clear that he doesn't.
So now it falls to the reader to explain why they would put any stock into anything he says.
And so believe me when I tell you, when it comes to the interaction between one party in here, and no need to mention names..... I get immense entertainment.