Polder says 170, dial instant read says 140??

Uh...the turkey should be done after 10 hours, either way.

What do they each read in ice water?

Just a whim, but I would tend to favor the Polder, from the time the turkey has been in.

I cooked a 14 lbs turkey last week that took 16 hours at 200 degrees to reach 165 in the breast. It seems most of my stuff has taken longer than suggested, which is why I figured at least 12 hours for this 12 lbs turkey. I'll perform the ice-water test and report the results.

Dial type thermos are mechanical devices which can be very inaccurate. It will be interesting to see how they both read in ice water.

Results:

The dial thermometer only goes down to 140 degrees, but the dial did go way below that when inserted in the ice water.

The Polder (and yes, I noticed how it's spelled when looking at it ) read 89 degrees while sitting in the ice water.

Is it haywire? Or are they resetable?

I have a couple of Polder Brand, I don't use them because they aren't reliable. Just my opinion.

If you have a Target store or want to go to Amazon, look for a Taylor unit, the last ones I bought from them had silicone covered cables, no more getting stuck with the braided ones

Yep, I think your Polder probe or unit is gone bad, indeed. I also believe you could have a bad thermostat or heating element in your Smokette.

BTW, why are you cooking turkey on 200*? Not being a smartbutt or telling you how to cook poultry or use your Smokette, but if you thought you had problems with your Smokette having low temps, why not turn it up all the way? Also, why not see about testing it to know for sure and if so, you can get it fixed. Do you know what the average box temp is when turned up full blast?

Merry Christmas.

check it in both Ice water and boiling water..
32ºF and 212ºF.

BTW, I cook all my poultry at the highest setting in my 008.. 250º. My last 12#er took 3 1/2 hours in the smoker and 20 minutes on the Weber to crisp up the skin.. and was succulent..

I don't know why one would cook it at 200º.. When cooked in an oven or a BGE it is cooked at a much higher temp. Maybe you all can enlighten me.. Thanks.. and a Blessed Christmas to all.

I sometimes cook the turkey at 200 for scheduling purposes. Are there reasons why I shouldn't do that? I do use cure in the brine. I also thought smoke-cooking is more of a low temp method rather than higher temp oven style cooking. But, I'm always learning and look forward to feedback and suggestions.

Being that you are using cure in the brine, that should help guard against bacteria growth. Cooking poultry at the lower temps places the bird in the danger zone for quite a while. Plus, most people cook their poultry, read "chicken", hot at contests in order to get crispy skins. I think that kind of flows over to cooking turkeys and such at home.

And you are correct in that smoke-cooking is more of a low and slow process.

The skin has been coming out nice, but most of us actually don't eat the skin anyhow even though its really yummy.

I have 2 of the Taylor thermos and they seem to work fine. One drawback with the silicon cable is that it is only rated for 392 degrees F. I know that temp is fine for smokers, but you can't use them when high temp roasting in your oven. I also have two Pyrex thermos with the braided cables which work fine and can be used in hot ovens.

The other thought about low and slow cooking is it renders the large amount of fats,and breaks down the collagen in old,tough,sinewy,gristly meats.

The turkey can be cooked that way,but certainly doesn't require it.

Lose the dial thermometers and get a Thermopen! I know the price is a shocker, but believe me they are worth it! Various boards have access to group buys and can bring the price down lower. I haven't tried the Taylors, but the ones I've seen are less expensive than the Polders. I remove the batteries on my Polders, it would be nice if they had a power switch.
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/thermapen_faq.html

I have 2 Polders and they work great. Once after several years of use I had to change out the probe. I also use a Thermopen to instant check the temps.