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Guest
Guest
Today, while smoking my 1st pork butt, I tried out my new Nu-temp 701. One probe was in the meat, the other through a wood block on the grill. The measured grill temp was quite a bit higher than the dial thermometer I had in the lid, and meat temperature also seemed high. I inserted my dual-sensor Polder in the meat, and it read 10 degrees lower than the Nu-temp probe in the meat, and about 20 degrees less then the grill-level Nu-temp probe.
So, I pulled the Nu-temp probes and put them in boiling water to test them - 20-25 degrees higher than boiling point. Switching probes between remotes didn't make any difference.
At this point, I should note that I had actually tried the Nu-temp a couple of weeks ago, but had left the probes out on a table on our deck before using them, and condensation got to 'em, I think - they were wacko. So, I tried the recommended method of putting them in the oven for an hour at 325 to dry them out. 'Fess up time - I actually put the ENTIRE PROBES in the oven - including the jacks! Needless to say, the jack end is NOT rated for 325 (mental head slap). So, I ordered two more probes - the ones I'm using today.
Meanwhile, back at the pit, my temerature is spiking, so I successively shut down all vents, including the top vent. Left the Polder in, brought my lid thermometer and a new fry thermometer in to test them. Wife comes in a few minutes later - "some alarm is going off outside." Damn - now the Polder is reading way high (200+ for meat after 2 hours of cooking, 300+ for grill-level temp). With all vents closed and full water pan - mucho humidity not good for probe.
Decided to put both Nu-temp probes and the Polder probe in the oven again (jacks OUTSIDE this time). After an hour, checked the Polder probe by plugging it into the base unit, and it seemed to be reading OK again. Tested all three again in boiling water - Polder OK, Nu-temps still reading 20-25 degrees higher than BP.
I'll do the oil treatment on the Polder probe tonight, so I think it will be OK for now. But what do I do about the Nu-temp probes and/or remotes? They were never anywhere near water (kept them inside until use, and the vents were open when using them on the WSM), so I don't think it's a water problem. Could it be that my remote units are bad? Any suggestions on how to rescue my investment?
So, I pulled the Nu-temp probes and put them in boiling water to test them - 20-25 degrees higher than boiling point. Switching probes between remotes didn't make any difference.
At this point, I should note that I had actually tried the Nu-temp a couple of weeks ago, but had left the probes out on a table on our deck before using them, and condensation got to 'em, I think - they were wacko. So, I tried the recommended method of putting them in the oven for an hour at 325 to dry them out. 'Fess up time - I actually put the ENTIRE PROBES in the oven - including the jacks! Needless to say, the jack end is NOT rated for 325 (mental head slap). So, I ordered two more probes - the ones I'm using today.
Meanwhile, back at the pit, my temerature is spiking, so I successively shut down all vents, including the top vent. Left the Polder in, brought my lid thermometer and a new fry thermometer in to test them. Wife comes in a few minutes later - "some alarm is going off outside." Damn - now the Polder is reading way high (200+ for meat after 2 hours of cooking, 300+ for grill-level temp). With all vents closed and full water pan - mucho humidity not good for probe.
Decided to put both Nu-temp probes and the Polder probe in the oven again (jacks OUTSIDE this time). After an hour, checked the Polder probe by plugging it into the base unit, and it seemed to be reading OK again. Tested all three again in boiling water - Polder OK, Nu-temps still reading 20-25 degrees higher than BP.
I'll do the oil treatment on the Polder probe tonight, so I think it will be OK for now. But what do I do about the Nu-temp probes and/or remotes? They were never anywhere near water (kept them inside until use, and the vents were open when using them on the WSM), so I don't think it's a water problem. Could it be that my remote units are bad? Any suggestions on how to rescue my investment?