Recently picked up some new digital thermometers using some B-day funds to replace my aging equipment when we ran into an issue with a brand new ThermoWorks Dot. Cooking in a PBC on two separate cooks my buddy ( sos2979 ) and I were experiencing some very wide variations in its reading temperature.
#1 The first cook was a set of beef ribs and the Dot read roughly 20-25 degrees F higher than our instant reads (Thermoworks MKII and a Pop). no kinks in wire and we double checked the probe on the Dot to make sure it wasn't near bone. After we pulled the ribs off the PBC to finish in a convection oven we removed the Dot's batteries for a hard reset and then performed a boiling water test on all 3 thermometers. All three read within 1 degree of each other on the boiling water test. We re-inserted the Dot in the ribs and it seemed to read within 2-4 degrees of the instants after that. At that point we figured it was a strange glitch and just shrugged it off.
#2 The next day we smoked a full brisket on the PBC and were able to take advantage of my new Maverick XR-50 that was delivered too late to be used on cook #1. Two maverick probes were used in the meat on either side of the Dot's probe (about 2-3 inches of separation between each). While on the PBC, the Dot read 8-10 degrees LOWER than the Maverick while the instant read Pop and Thermapen were always within 1 degree of the maverick probes. When we moved the brisket inside to finish in the convection oven the Dot almost immediately jumped up to reading 9 degrees F HIGHER than the other thermometers...
At this point I am at a loss. My best professional guess is that the radiant heat of the fire from the PBC is affecting the Dot's braided cable since it can pass the boiling water test but that doesn't explain everything. Have done some digging on the forums but didn't find similar issues with other people's Dots. Anyone else have thoughts or similar experience before I contact ThermoWorks and ask them to fix/replace a defective piece of gear?
Thanks,
#1 The first cook was a set of beef ribs and the Dot read roughly 20-25 degrees F higher than our instant reads (Thermoworks MKII and a Pop). no kinks in wire and we double checked the probe on the Dot to make sure it wasn't near bone. After we pulled the ribs off the PBC to finish in a convection oven we removed the Dot's batteries for a hard reset and then performed a boiling water test on all 3 thermometers. All three read within 1 degree of each other on the boiling water test. We re-inserted the Dot in the ribs and it seemed to read within 2-4 degrees of the instants after that. At that point we figured it was a strange glitch and just shrugged it off.
#2 The next day we smoked a full brisket on the PBC and were able to take advantage of my new Maverick XR-50 that was delivered too late to be used on cook #1. Two maverick probes were used in the meat on either side of the Dot's probe (about 2-3 inches of separation between each). While on the PBC, the Dot read 8-10 degrees LOWER than the Maverick while the instant read Pop and Thermapen were always within 1 degree of the maverick probes. When we moved the brisket inside to finish in the convection oven the Dot almost immediately jumped up to reading 9 degrees F HIGHER than the other thermometers...
At this point I am at a loss. My best professional guess is that the radiant heat of the fire from the PBC is affecting the Dot's braided cable since it can pass the boiling water test but that doesn't explain everything. Have done some digging on the forums but didn't find similar issues with other people's Dots. Anyone else have thoughts or similar experience before I contact ThermoWorks and ask them to fix/replace a defective piece of gear?
Thanks,
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