Bull Setting meat thermometer

[JFlay]

What’s up everyone, n00b here. So this is my second smoke and I think I may need some help adjusting my meat probe.
I like to smoke around 225. So, right now my grill is saying 225, but my meat probe is reading 186. I have my meat probe just out on the grates to compare and it’s off. How do I the meat probe to ready 225?

 

[Buckeye smoker]

RecTec has actual procedures and They've been posted in here if you search...if not I think they are also on YouTube.
Basically sync your meat probes first. In the settings menu. Most people here have used Icewater or boiling water because they are constants (unless high elevations)... So if your probes are off you adjust them to read 32° in the Icewater. Etc...
Then the procedure for syncing them to the internal probe tells you where to place the meat probes inside the grill. You adjust that probe to match the meat probes. However** The inside probe is calibrated by percentage% not degrees° like the meat probes.
Sounds difficult it's very easy...if I find the links I'll post them for you.
Also remember that the internal reading is a RecTec algorithm found by measuring multiple areas of the grill. It's not just the probe location.

 

[Brian Vallotton]

RecTec has actual procedures and They've been posted in here if you search...if not I think they are also on YouTube.
Basically sync your meat probes first. In the settings menu. Most people here have used Icewater or boiling water because they are constants (unless high elevations)... So if your probes are off you adjust them to read 32° in the Icewater. Etc...
Then the procedure for syncing them to the internal probe tells you where to place the meat probes inside the grill. You adjust that probe to match the meat probes. However** The inside probe is calibrated by percentage% not degrees° like the meat probes.
Sounds difficult it's very easy...if I find the links I'll post them for you.
Also remember that the internal reading is a RecTec algorithm found by measuring multiple areas of the grill. It's not just the probe location.

Now here is where my internal Okie engineering kicks in... I had a car that the speedometer always read about 8 miles faster than actual. So I always looked at the numbers as 70 is 62... problem solved.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

Okay, so my meat probe was reading 32 in the ice water, after I do that, I don’t have to worry about it not reading the same from the actual Bull thermometer then right?

Well if your meat probe reads say
225° in the designated open area of the grill (RecTec procedure).but the internal probe reads say 375° it would be off and affect your cook. They don't have to be perfect. But I would adjust them to be close. That way if you're cooking you know that it's atleast close to the right temp inside. Make sense?

 

[JFlay]

RecTec has actual procedures and They've been posted in here if you search...if not I think they are also on YouTube.
Basically sync your meat probes first. In the settings menu. Most people here have used Icewater or boiling water because they are constants (unless high elevations)... So if your probes are off you adjust them to read 32° in the Icewater. Etc...
Then the procedure for syncing them to the internal probe tells you where to place the meat probes inside the grill. You adjust that probe to match the meat probes. However** The inside probe is calibrated by percentage% not degrees° like the meat probes.
Sounds difficult it's very easy...if I find the links I'll post them for you.
Also remember that the internal reading is a RecTec algorithm found by measuring multiple areas of the grill. It's not just the probe location.

I calibrated a probe to read 32f in ice water. I just don’t see why it’s only reading 185 on the grate and the Bull probe is reading 225.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I calibrated a probe to read 32f in ice water. I just don’t see why it’s only reading 185 on the grate and the Bull probe is reading 225.

Because they're not quite synced. Your internal temp would be off by approx. 18%

 

[Brian Vallotton]

Because they're not quite synced. Your internal temp would be off by approx. 18%

Is it true though that even on the best pellet cookers there are acceptable variances of around 20 degrees or so that do not really effect the end result? I just don't want to drive myself crazy with trying to get completely synced, when close enough generally works especially after you know which runs hotter/cooler. (Okie engineer)

I just realized I am talking about two different things here. One is the variances in a pellet cooker, the other is the syncing of thermometer readings... but the principle still holds that the variances are part of the process.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I wouldn't get too wound up over it as the Bull is a great smoker..syncing the probes is just something some people have done to try and be accurate as they can.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

Is it true though that even on the best pellet cookers there are acceptable variances of around 20 degrees or so that do not really effect the end result? I just don't want to drive myself crazy with trying to get completely synced, when close enough generally works especially after you know which runs hotter/cooler. (Okie engineer)

Yeah I made a post before I seen this . I wouldn't worry too much because in general there's so much that can affect it... And there's that RecTec algorithm... ??...lol At first I tried getting it perfect until I realised it's just fine where I ended up...lol

 

[Brian Vallotton]

I wouldn't get too wound up over it as the Bull is a great smoker..syncing the probes is just something some people have done to try and be accurate as they can.

I work in custom upholstery. We deal with variances of around a quarter of an inch and still make nice work. Sometimes even a half an inch. I can imagine how someone that works with micrometers would feel when they look at my sloppy world!

 

[Buckeye smoker]

 

[Brian Vallotton]

Yeah I made a post before I seen this . I wouldn't worry too much because in general there's so much that can affect it... And there's that RecTec algorithm... ??...lol At first I tried getting it perfect until I realised it's just fine where I ended up...lol

I like their saying, "If you're lookin' you aint cookin'" I think it becomes an issue when you are trying to open the lid thinking you are "helping" when in reality that little computer is just making more compensations! I am anal about some things, but not all things! But I understand why it is important to be somewhere in the ball park. I have never done super long cooks like briskets yet. I think these things become more important on the longer cooks?

 

[Mike2233]

I calibrated a probe to read 32f in ice water. I just don’t see why it’s only reading 185 on the grate and the Bull probe is reading 225.

I literally just got off the phone with Ryan at Rec-Tec and he told me the steel grates will make a oven thermometer read closer to 10 to 15% cooler because of the steel grates. I thought my 700 smoker was cooking too low because the grill probe said 225 but my oven thermometer read 205 and he said thats about the difference you would see if it is sitting on the grate. He said if you can raise it about 2 inches up without it sitting on the grate he will bet it will read closer to the 225. Just my 2 cents worth