Maverick meat temperature probe question


 
M

M Rose

TVWBB Member
Would the probe give an accurate reading of the meat temp if the pork butt is covered in a foil pan?

Last time i did a pork butt i didnt use the probe during the wrap phase and had to keep checking it every hour with my own thermometer. I'd like to simplify the process even more and if the probe will give me a good indicator of the temp while it is wrapped, without a false reading, then i am just going to leave it in. thoughts?
 
If you stick the probe into the meat, it is going to measure the temperature of the meat, yeah. It won't matter if it's in foil or not.
 
Carl H. said:
Why are you temping a wrapped pork butt? Is this during a resting phase at the end of the cook?
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No i wrap it in a foil pan at 165 degrees and wont pull it off the smoker until it hits 190. i did a pork butt last wknd and kept checking it every hour after putting it in the foil pan. if the temp probe works then i can stop checking on it until it approaches 190.
 
The probe will give you the temperature of the meat. What has been mentioned in posts prior, is that when foiled the temperature probe reads the wrong temperature due to the steam within the foil. I believe this line of thought can be easily explained. When in the foil, the steam or moisture laden air is not allow to go to the atmosphere. The moment the foil is opened, that steam/moisture laden air escapes to the atmosphere and has the effect of drawing out the heat from the meat through evaporative cooling. This is one and the same as what can be experienced during an unfoiled stall. The meat will actually drop a degree or two during certain phases within the stall. Bottom line, the thermometer will read the meat's temperature just fine.
 
Checking the temp of a foiled piece of meat always leads to misleading readings for me. If it works for you, then go for it!
 
Ok, so when foiling, do we foil when the temp is 190 degrees and then back on the smoker untill around 200???? Or should it be done at a lower temp????
 
Bob Bass said:
The probe will give you the temperature of the meat. What has been mentioned in posts prior, is that when foiled the temperature probe reads the wrong temperature due to the steam within the foil. I believe this line of thought can be easily explained. When in the foil, the steam or moisture laden air is not allow to go to the atmosphere. The moment the foil is opened, that steam/moisture laden air escapes to the atmosphere and has the effect of drawing out the heat from the meat through evaporative cooling. This is one and the same as what can be experienced during an unfoiled stall. The meat will actually drop a degree or two during certain phases within the stall. Bottom line, the thermometer will read the meat's temperature just fine.
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Thanks for the insight! Makes perfect sense now...lol!
 
I believe what Carl H. was asking is why are you using temperature to determine when to pull the meat off the pit or for foiling for that matter. Your temperature probe excels as a tool to indicate that some other cooking stage is about to begin or has begun. Those other stages might be checking for properly set bark or checking for tenderness. Each requires a tool other than temperature. At the end of your cook, the temperature probe is the tool used to determine when the meat has cooled below the cooking temperature.
 
Bob Bass said:
I believe what Carl H. was asking is why are you using temperature to determine when to pull the meat off the pit or for foiling for that matter. Your temperature probe excels as a tool to indicate that some other cooking stage is about to begin or has begun. Those other stages might be checking for properly set bark or checking for tenderness. Each requires a tool other than temperature. At the end of your cook, the temperature probe is the tool used to determine when the meat has cooled below the cooking temperature.
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Well in that case, everything i have read about the stall is that it occurs around 155-170 degree range and when it gets to that point wrap in foil to cook it faster. i chose 165 degrees because 1.) it already has been on long enough to set the bark and 2.) the famous harry soo said to wrap at 165.....and i cant argue with a professional!
 
You are correct about the stall. What's interesting is that a meat can still be in the stall into the 180 deg range. You are also correct about the foil. Besides cooking faster, it also gives the cook at chance to add an additional layer of flavor in the form of a braising liquid.

When ever I post information that may be of help to someone, that is not information I created. But rather information that was passed on to me from someone else. That someone else is Harry. He has been an immense help to me in my quest for BBQ knowledge. After taking his class the beginning of last year, the methods I had used for over 30 years went out the door, to be replaced with Harry's methods. And my BBQ went from so so to excellent. I hold Harry in very high regards. He is both a great pitmaster and a true gentlemen. I try to stop over at his tent during competitions and say Hi.
 
I don't normally foil my butts, but if I do I just put the probe back in and it works fine.
 
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