I had forgotten to post this info when it happened, but the recent post about the WSM dome temps reminded me. 
The other day I was cookin' chicken breasts hot and fast. One breast was noticeably smaller that the other so I put a probe in each because I knew the smaller one would be done first. When it was done I took it off the grill and left the probe inside the kettle. It fell down to the charcoal grate. When I noticed that the temp of the bare probe was lower than the temp of the cooker probe I knew something was wrong. When I checked and realized what had happened, I checked the temp difference and the lower probe was 45* F lower than the probe on the upper grate. And yes, it was about an inch off the grate.
So, for a hot 'n fast cook, the difference will be around 45*. I hope this helps someone - sometime...
The other day I was cookin' chicken breasts hot and fast. One breast was noticeably smaller that the other so I put a probe in each because I knew the smaller one would be done first. When it was done I took it off the grill and left the probe inside the kettle. It fell down to the charcoal grate. When I noticed that the temp of the bare probe was lower than the temp of the cooker probe I knew something was wrong. When I checked and realized what had happened, I checked the temp difference and the lower probe was 45* F lower than the probe on the upper grate. And yes, it was about an inch off the grate.
So, for a hot 'n fast cook, the difference will be around 45*. I hope this helps someone - sometime...
