I’ve had a Thermopop for a couple of years and I just can’t say I’m very impressed. I don’t know if it has been problematic from the start because it has always been better than the garbage units from the box stores, but it seems to me the thing always reads between 5 and 10 degrees cold. If I take a piece of meat off when the Thermopop reads the ideal medium rare temp, it is over cooked. If I pull it off around 7 or 8 degrees ahead of ideal temp, it is perfect.
Has anyone else had issues like this with the Thermopop?
Are you accounting for carry-over heat? All meat will carry over and keep cooking after removed from the grill. Always account for that and pull it a bit below your desired final temp. Sounds like the Thermopop is working well.
Oh, and welcome to the pit brother from Texas!
Last edited by lonnie mac; March 28, 2018, 06:58 PM.
I've always been very happy with my 'Pops; is it possible that ya mighta got a weird one?
That bein asked, what are ya usin fer yer temp comparisons, that is tellin ya yer off by 5°-7°-8°-10°?
What cooker/fuel/method/equipment are ya usin? What meat cuts? What ambient temps/conditions?
Lotta unanswered variables that would greatly assist all th smart folks (not me) to answer a lot, if not alla yer questions.
Have ya calibrated/verified yer thermopop fer accuracy?
We all wanna get ya up n cookin in style, so's if ya could please give us some more info, it will likely expedite th process..
I am always available, within reasonable hours, Central...
Others are here, virtually 24/7, globally, as I'm certain yer aware of...
Last edited by Mr. Bones; March 28, 2018, 08:00 PM.
Welcome to The Pit. I'd do the boiling water test. Just check the reading in boiling water. It should be very close to the temp of boiling water at your elevation.
If it's off, call Thermoworks - they have great customer service.
Have ya calibrated/verified yer thermopop fer accuracy?
No I haven’t calibrated it. To be honest I have been too dense to even think of doing the ice bath as Jon Solberg suggests or the boiling water test as RonB suggests. I’ll do that now and report back.
lonnie mac I am familiar with carry over cooking but sometimes I bring the meat right in and cut it open and it is over cooked.
Mr. Bones I have had trouble with different cuts of meat but chicken and burgers probably give me the most trouble. I’m sure I could occasionally be hitting an air or juice pocket but recently, I checked a burger (sliding probe in horizontally) a number of times and it hovered around 100 degrees for way too long. Took the burger off and it was way over cooked.
Ok, in the boiling water test, it flipped back and forth between 209-210 degrees.
In an ice bath, it sat solidly at 33 degrees.
So I guess it’s not as bad as I thought. Must be my technique, so any tips in that respect would be appreciated!
Looks like your 'pop is within a degree of accuracy... 210 degF should be spot on for boiling water in Ft Wayne @ 800' above sea level. My guess is you're seeing some pretty quick carryover.
And welcome from the Lowcountry of South Carolina!
Your technique sounds pretty solid already. Just try pulling a bit before you think it is done. The carryover can happen pretty quickly. Welcome from Winnipeg.
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ok brother. Here's the thing. (It's my guess anyway)
1. What kind/type of chicken?
2. Sounds like the Pop is ok. I love mine too.
When you check a burger. Pull it up with tongs or a Spat and stick in from the side and center to the middle of the burger then pull back a smidge and hold it.
For chicken like a thigh thigh and drum and breast.... the same. From the side parallel to the bone and in the center between the edge of the cut and the bone. Then pull back a smidge.
It sounds like you are taking the temp by sticking th eprotien from the top down whil still on the heat.
i hope this helps you. Please let use know. We all learn here all of the time. No pride of authorship. Only knowledge passed from one member to another to teach and learn from each other. Ok, a few bad jokes, fun ribbing, good booze and great food too. But that's it, unless we're talking about Ernest and pan sauces and gorgeous eggs.
it's good to be sure you have it in the appropriate depth. a lot of times i find i push past the center and i am reading the far side that is on the grill and it's too hot or too shallow and too cold. i like to go in at an angle (like 45 degrees) to hopefully get it in the middle of the meat.
and just to cover all bases - when you say you are overcooked based on temps, are you sure you have the right temps matched up to the right done-ness? maybe you have different expectations for what temp you're trying to get it to?
I usually don't temp probe burgers. I have a pretty good idea when they are done to my liking and I sometimes take a knife or the corner of a spatula and open it up slightly so I can see the meat color inside. Chicken I can usually tell when the juices run clear but once in awhile I will temp probe a thick breast. I've been tempted to buy a Thermapop but I have 2 Thermapens and don't know that I would use it.
Actually if you can invest in a Thermapen you may get better results.
I LOVE using the degree symbol and fractions, I've got a number of those memorized! I can't do it on my laptop, though, like now, because it doesn't have a 10-key keypad.
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