Tried to save a 20lb pork shoulder with a bad thermometer

I was at my shop in Austin last Saturday and threw a shoulder in the smoker at 6am, but 4 hours in the internal temp was still at 110F. Turned out my probe was reading 30 degrees low so the meat was actually cooking way slower than I thought. Anyone else have a cheap thermometer screw up a whole cook and how do you test yours before using it?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_smith363d agoMost Upvoted

Tried to save a 20lb pork shoulder" - lol, I feel you man. But here's something nobody brought up: you ever think your smoker itself might be running hot or cold in certain spots? I had a cheap offset where the left side was like 40 degrees cooler than the right, so even a perfect probe would've given me bad readings depending where I stuck it. Next time try sticking your probe in boiling water first to check it, then also do a biscuit test in your smoker to see how even the heat is. That 30 degree low probe might've been the main problem, but your smoker's hot spots could've been messing with you too without you even knowing it lol.

the_elizabeth3d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy had the same problem with hot spots and ruined a brisket once.