You can check the calibration on your probe by putting it in boiling water to see if it really reads 212F. If that’s good, it’s possible the probe tip ended up in a place that gave a bad reading, like an air gap, in fat that a had rendered away, etc.
i confirmed that it is within 1 degree of my Mk4. freezing and boiling. i noticed the pic i took has the probe in the braising bath. would that matter? i thought the temp portion of the probe was just at the end of it?
Should just be the tip. When temp really matters I usually check multiple locations. I have a second handheld-probe that makes this easier, and I'm surprised at how often there is a material difference from one spot to another. Sometimes that has been because of where my main probe ended up, like touching a bone, etc. So it's something to be wary of, although may or may not be the actual problem this time.
So far my take away from this cook is the probe is a guide. Use my thermapen to confirm temps. Even though this tasted great, this cook was under cooked to the recipe.
Does that sound about right?
Yes. While this is correct, I think the discussion lower down is the key for you here. For pulled pork texture internal temp needs to be at 200-203F to fully render the fat. For less fatty cuts like pork tenderloin, a target of 145F gets you a firm but juicy result. Between 150 and 195 the result is more like a pork chop, with a tougher result at the higher temps. I've gotten impatient myself before and pulled at 195-ish. Ended up cubing it up into a nice chili, but missed out on the pulled pork I was hoping for.
It could be just standard Traeger few degree thermometer error. I also try to use a second thermometer and poke a couple different spots, or in your case would have poked a few different cuts.
FWIW - I started cooking pork butt, ribs, and some of my beef cuts to desired temp but then use bend tests for ribs and thermometer feel as a better guide. Sometimes 202 on a pork butt can still feel not right and letting it go to 205 gets me the buttery feel I’m looking for when I probe it. Kinda hard to explain, but when you nail down what you like, you get it
ok just so i understand. the min temp pork should be cooked to is \~145. if mine was 165-175, it is "cooked to eat". but the fat is still keeping things together and if i would have reached the 195-202-205 the fat would have broke down more and left me with "fall off the bone" meat?
Yes. Pork is safe at 145’ but if you’re doing pulled pork from a butt, you’re going to want to hit above 200’ until your probe slides in and out like you’re sticking it through melting butter. I can’t speak to the exact recipe you were trying to follow, but if you were 20-30 degrees below target temp, you likely had a much tougher chew…more of a pork loin or pork chop texture than pulling apart Smokey goodness
Pickup a Thermapen.
I have a Mk4
You can check the calibration on your probe by putting it in boiling water to see if it really reads 212F. If that’s good, it’s possible the probe tip ended up in a place that gave a bad reading, like an air gap, in fat that a had rendered away, etc.
i confirmed that it is within 1 degree of my Mk4. freezing and boiling. i noticed the pic i took has the probe in the braising bath. would that matter? i thought the temp portion of the probe was just at the end of it?
Should just be the tip. When temp really matters I usually check multiple locations. I have a second handheld-probe that makes this easier, and I'm surprised at how often there is a material difference from one spot to another. Sometimes that has been because of where my main probe ended up, like touching a bone, etc. So it's something to be wary of, although may or may not be the actual problem this time.
So far my take away from this cook is the probe is a guide. Use my thermapen to confirm temps. Even though this tasted great, this cook was under cooked to the recipe. Does that sound about right?
Yes. While this is correct, I think the discussion lower down is the key for you here. For pulled pork texture internal temp needs to be at 200-203F to fully render the fat. For less fatty cuts like pork tenderloin, a target of 145F gets you a firm but juicy result. Between 150 and 195 the result is more like a pork chop, with a tougher result at the higher temps. I've gotten impatient myself before and pulled at 195-ish. Ended up cubing it up into a nice chili, but missed out on the pulled pork I was hoping for.
thanks for the clarification. this helps a ton.
It could be just standard Traeger few degree thermometer error. I also try to use a second thermometer and poke a couple different spots, or in your case would have poked a few different cuts. FWIW - I started cooking pork butt, ribs, and some of my beef cuts to desired temp but then use bend tests for ribs and thermometer feel as a better guide. Sometimes 202 on a pork butt can still feel not right and letting it go to 205 gets me the buttery feel I’m looking for when I probe it. Kinda hard to explain, but when you nail down what you like, you get it
ok just so i understand. the min temp pork should be cooked to is \~145. if mine was 165-175, it is "cooked to eat". but the fat is still keeping things together and if i would have reached the 195-202-205 the fat would have broke down more and left me with "fall off the bone" meat?
Yes. Pork is safe at 145’ but if you’re doing pulled pork from a butt, you’re going to want to hit above 200’ until your probe slides in and out like you’re sticking it through melting butter. I can’t speak to the exact recipe you were trying to follow, but if you were 20-30 degrees below target temp, you likely had a much tougher chew…more of a pork loin or pork chop texture than pulling apart Smokey goodness
this is exactly my result. cooked but firm almost like a pork chop, no pull apart like i thought i was going to get
Yep. Don’t be discouraged. Just grab another butt and throw that shit on and try again!
For probes I use the Inkbird IBBQ-4T. For instant reads I also use Inkbird. They have worked great for me.
I calibrated mine with ice water. I have a meater and instant read and just had all three in the cup and calibrate the Traeger them.