With a properly functioning pellet smoker, even one very well built like the
RecTec, the temperature varies
widely at various locations and heights above the grill. On my
RecTec, this can be as much as
100 degrees difference at various points and heights around the grill. This is the nature of how these grills circulate heat.
All that the
RecTec "actual" temperature digital readout tells you is the temp in one location well removed from most other spots on the grill.
There are two approaches. One is to just set your temp where you want it and relax. See what you get in terms of the results, and adjust your cook temps and times on the next cooks until you are satisfied. The other is to get more anal and measure temps at various locations and heights, and use that information to help dial in more precisely.
So, I have just recently taken to keeping a
RecTec temp log on Excel. I have a separate worksheet page for various cook temps. I use a sweet potato, cut in half, as a stand to hold the temp probes at heights of 1, 3, and 6 inches above grill level. Then at various times during the cook, I position the grill probe(s) left, center, and right while at the same time front, middle, and back. Thus, for example, the label I use for the temp at the left side of the grill, in the front, at the 3" level is LF3. This gives me a total of 27 locations inside my RecTec. With each cook, I try to fill in a half dozen or more data points. I include the difference between the measured temp and the temp registered by the RecTec probe and label with the delta symbol.
Is this worth it? Well, it tells me where on the grill the actual temp comes the closest to the RecTec probe temp. So on the worksheet for 250 degrees shown below, the data so far shows that the center of the grill most closely reflects the temp on my digital readout, especially 3 inches above grill level. Additionally, this data, along with data I gathered at a 275 degree cook, shows clearly that the upper right rear of my RecTec is much hotter than the lower front left of the cooker. So, I take advantage of this when cooking a brisket on the RecTec, by placing the thicker, fattier point end of the brisket towards the right rear, and the thinner leaner flat end towards the left front.
This is probably not worth the trouble unless you have the time and like tinkering, as I do.
Tim