Amerique meat probe accuracy

If I have learned anything on this forum it's from folks that have used their Cookshacks way more than I have mine.

One of the key lessons when using a probe with either pork butt or a brisket is that those cuts have pockets of fat that make getting an accurate read pretty tough. You have to be very careful to place the probe into a section of the meat that has no fat, not an easy job whether it be with the stock probe from Cookshack or a probe for something like a Maverick 732 (pretty good unit).

But let's see what other users chime in with.
I think if your stock probe is getting close to your target temp it is time to put the adult beverage down and take a reading with a digital quick read thermometer such as a Thermapen or a CDN DTQ450X

Use the probe as a reference and dont get too hung up on temp. Remember what Okie says, "it's done when it's done". Use the probe to determine tenderness and coook longer or pull out of smoker accordingly.

In over a hundred cooks, I think I have used the integrated temp probe once on my Amerique and never on the FEC..... If I want to monitor/check the temp on the product I generally use my Maverick ET-732 or my Thermapen.

quote:

Originally posted by Q:
I haven't verified, but I think mine could be off by as much as 10 degrees.

Smokin' taught me many months ago, that a good cook will verify his probe and the temps at the spot he will be cooking. It does matter to a good cook.

Like the others pointed out, after a while, you'll know when most products are done by feel.

If your VERIFIED probe is off 10*, just call CS customer service and make them aware of your problems.

With a glass full of crushed ice and water you will know in 2 min how accurate your probe is

quote:

Originally posted by WayneB:
With a glass full of crushed ice and water you will know in 2 min how accurate your probe is

Hello Wayne B, how's it hanging?

Over Dunn

Doing good Over Done, how are you doing?
What you doing over here on the Cookshack forum?
Thinking about getting the Cadillac of pellet smokers

Good Luck at Myrtle Beach.

Wayne B

quote:

Originally posted by Quecrew:
Yo smokers, what up?

Has anyone checked to see how far off (in degrees), the stock meat probe that comes with the AQ is?

Here's what I found for my specific Amerique 066 probe:

Bath temp set. Certified probe. Amerique probe.
90.0. 89.9. 91
100.0 99.9. 101
110.0. 109.9. 111
120.0. 119.8. 120
130.0. 129.9. 131
140.0. 140.0. 142
150.0. 150.0. 152
160.0. 160.1. 162
170.0. 170.1. 172
180.0. 180.2. 182
190.0. 190.1. 191
200.0. 200.0. 201

I tested this by using an immersion circulator in an insulated bath containing 5 gallons of water. After resetting temp and the circulator had been stable for 5 minutes I took readings from the Amerique probe and a NIST certified reference probe both suspended side by side in the bath. I was very pleasantly surprised by how close te Amerique factory probe was.

I also checked a Thermapen, which was consistently within .1F of the reference probe. Just for fun I also did one of the cheap $5 probe thermometers they sell at Wal-Mart, it was off by as much as 6F high or low in more Han half the readings.

Hope that helps. (Yes, I geeked out so you don't have to!).