Mixed readings with Thermapen Mk. 4

I have a new Thermapen Mk. 4 and have had some odd usage out of it, and today I decided to be very focused on the readings it produced. I have some beef ribs that were close to ready so I checked them with the ThermaPen.

I keep getting different results that vary by a significant amount. It doesn't make sense to me. Sometimes the temp is where I would expect, sometimes it is 20+ degrees off. I know these beef ribs are about done given they are probe tender but I am also getting readings of 170 and 180 and it just seems random.

I don't want to doubt the device as it is one of the highest quality tools I have in my smoking/grilling toolbox, maybe someone will just clue me in on what I am doing wrong? I feel the probe is going to almost same spots in the meat and should be fairly close but it isn't.

You may be getting close the the bone, and that's where the temp my be considerably different. They are super sensitive and read very quickly. I can slowly press it into a piece of meat and decrease until I get to the center and then start to increase as I get to the outside. Also beef ribs can vary wildly in thickness, especially once they've cooked.

I've never tried temping a rib, always go for pull back on the bones and probe tender ( which you have)
Like Dustin pointed out, it's a super sensitive therm and the more you probe the more different readings you'll get.
For something big like a turkey where internal temps are important, I'll Go into the thigh in a few locations and just ballpark it or average it and wait for carryover heat while resting.

Tim

All good points but I was intentionally trying to ensure the probe was in as almost the exact spot whether I was probing from the left or right.

If you doubt the thermometer, test it wit boiling water or an ice bath. Otherwise, trust the thermometer and believe that there is that much variation in the meat. Be it proximity to the bone or fat pockets, my guess is that the thermometer is accurate, but there’s always the chance it’s not. Test it.

What Jerry said.

When testing a thermometer in boiling water, as an example, be sure and move the thermometer in the water. If the probe is much colder than the water, it can cool the water immediately surrounding the probe and give a misleading reading. So, when checking water keep the probe moving (as in stirring a bit). Many years ago when working in my darkroom, color materials required very close checks on temperature. That's when I discovered that the therm stem itself can change the temperature of the thin column of water immediately surrounding the probe.

My thermapen has been an exceedingly accurate and useful bit of gear. I wouldn't want to be without it. However, it IS important to check them from time to time.

FWIW
Dale53