Is it normal for the internal temp to drop, fluctuate up and down?

jdbic,

What are you referring to, the internal temp of the smoker, the meat or something else (not going there!!! )???

Give us more detail and then we can answer your questions.

sorry, the internal of the meat, in this case I have some turkey thighs in the smoket at this moment. They have been in since 10:30am est. It is now 1:41pm. and it just went down again.

Depending on your smoker temperature your turkey should be done in about three hours with an internal temp of 170 degrees. Have you checked the calibration of your temp. probe in ice and boiling water?

CT-Q,
I'm going to test the the probe. But why would the temp go back down? I would think it would continue to rise.
Well at 2:00pm we checked by opening the door. We said they look done. Took them out, tasted them, and they seemed fine -maybe a bit over done around the edges -but not dry or tough. Maybe when the temp began to drop again they were done?
I'm no sure if it ever hit 170 because the 'redi-chec' brand thermometer says turkey is done at 180, and it would have beeped then.
WE'll check the callibration tomorrow. Thanks.

If you had been cooking brisket or butt as connective tissue breaks down, the internals reach 160 plus you can see internal drop as large amount of cells break and give up moisture.
In turkey I would not expect to see much of that happening.
Jim

jdbic,

One possibility is that somehow moisture got into the tip of your temp probe. The Redi-chek does not have a seal between the wire and the solid metal probe where the wire enters. This is a problem that has been discussed on the forum in the past. If that is the case, the probe will never read correctly. If moisture is in there, that could lead to some fluctuation or totally erroneous readings. The solution is to replace the probe. Some on the forum have said that boiling the probe in peanut oil might work, but I have not tried this solution myself.

Also try CT-Q's suggestion to calibrate.

Another issue, do not use the pre-programed temp settings. Better to follow the temp suggestions for the various meats in the forum. Read Smokin Okie's BBQ guides listed above for references.