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Memphis Pro Temperature Seems Off?

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    Memphis Pro Temperature Seems Off?

    I recently received a Memphis Pro pellet smoker from a family member. They said they where having trouble with it lighting, so they bought a new smoker, and let me have the Memphis. I have been using it, and really enjoying it. I have not had any trouble with it lighting, but have been noticing some things with the temperature that have me wondering. I have smoked a number of years with a Weber Smokey Mountain, but this is my first experience with a pellet smoker, so it could just be newbie ignorance.

    The pellet smoker has a digital control system where you can set the temperature and read what the current temperature is. If I set it to a certain temperature the display on the smoker shows that it is keeping it at the temperature (either exactly at the temperature, or very close). However if I take my Themoworks thermometer and set up the ambient probe in the center of the cooking area, it often shows a very different temperature, sometimes more than 50 degrees hotter that what the smoker control panel is displaying.

    As I mentioned, I am new to pellet smokers, but I am guessing that measuring the inside temperature is not an exact science. There is air moving, and a number of other factors. However I did not expect this big of a difference. Should I be concerned about this? Is the smoker malfunctioning? If it is does anybody know if it can be fixed and/or corrected?

    Thanks

    #2
    I don't have a pellet rig, but how close is the Thermoworks probe to the rig's probe? Most cookers have hot spots, so you may have found one. Someone with more direct knowledge will be along in a bit.

    However, I wouldn't be surprised if the cooker's thermometer is off...
    Last edited by RonB; February 2, 2020, 10:23 PM.

    Comment


    • Elmien
      Elmien commented
      Editing a comment
      The smokers probe is in the far left back corner of the smoker (it sticks out from the wall of the smoker). The Thermoworks probe is on the grill grate (with a clip) in the center of the smoker. So there is a good amount of difference in the position. It is not surprising there is a difference, but I was not expecting a 50 degree difference.

    #3
    Believe the difference. If you don't, get right next to the other probe to find out for sure. My pellet typically runs hotter on the chimney end which is the OPPOSITE end of the smoker probe location. It was in the 30's the other night and the chimney side was considerably colder, as in 30-40 degrees. I thought my probe for the cooker was going dead since it typically runs hotter on the chimney end, so I put my Maverick probe next to the smoker probe and they read the same exact temp.

    I typically run my pellet from 195-210 to get the chimney side under 250, with the middle running 230-240.

    Comment


      #4
      I’ll add this: Make sure that your smoker’s probe (and your other probe(s), too) is CLEAN. If there’s any gunk at all on it, it can potentially be thrown way off.

      Comment


        #5
        As MBMorgan said make sure the probe is clean. My Memphis Pro was dead on all the time (Comparing to Fireboard) and very even temps. If you clean the probe and it’s still off, contact Memphis. Their support is top notch. Even if you need a part or two that’s a cheap investment for a free Memphis.

        Another couple pointers I can give you on a Memphis is to be very mindful of grease build up before cranking the heat and use the special tool after every few hours of cooking to clean the fire pot...a possible reason for starting problems.

        Comment


          #6
          I have the same issue with my pellet cooker. The grate temp is usually 25-35 degrees higher than the cooker probe temp so if I want to cook at 225 I set the controller for 190 and adjust from there.

          Comment


            #7
            I have a Memphis and my temps are dead on. Also, if you ever have trouble lighting it just make a small fire in the fire box. I use pellets that have some alcohol and it fires right up. I’d also try cleaning the thermometer. Lastly, the Memphis tries really hard to maintain the same temp so if leave lid open long it will make a roaring fire very quickly trying get to the set temperature. Try an oven thermometer on the top shelf and see what it says. I hope this helps. Those smokers are great. Set it and forget it.

            Comment


              #8
              A quick way to find the hotspots in your cooker is to lay out slices of white bread across the cooking area and then look for those slices getting toasted or blacken quicker than the others. Another factor to consider is that the probe attached to the PID is calculating an average temperature for the entire internal area. Some areas of the chamber will be hotter, while some cooler, than the calculated average temperature. Each grate level will also have different readings. And as MBMorgan and others have mentioned, keep the probe clean.

              Comment


                #9
                Thanks for all the great suggestions. Based on the comments here, I cleaned off the pit probe really well (it was pretty cruddy), and tried positioning my Thermoworks ambient probe in the same spot as the smokers pit probe. This took the difference down to about 30 degrees, and the temps seemed more stable. At this point it is really not an issue, I am now getting stable temps, and just need to adjust the temperature down some. However I still plan on calling Memphis and seeing if there are any parts they recommend that I replace. It sounds like this is still abnormal behavior for a Memphis smoker, and as somebody mentioned, it is a great smoker (I have really been enjoying it) and more than worth investing some money in.

                Comment

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