Switched from paper logs to a thermocouple 6 months ago. Huge difference.

I used to just guess at pit temps by how the paper felt and how much smoke was rolling. Kept getting uneven cooks, especially on pork butts. Then a buddy let me borrow his Thermoworks Signals and I saw my fire swinging 50 degrees every time I added wood. Now I run a comp setup with a fan controller and I haven't had a bad brisket since. Anyone else ditch the old school methods after seeing the data?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia928d ago

Thirty bucks on a shitty probe thermometer from Amazon was the best money I ever wasted because I kept ignoring it and going by "feel." My first pork shoulder was like eating a leather shoe because I pulled it at 190 instead of 203. Yeah I see those old school guys with their paper logs and they act like looking at a graph is cheating. Dude your brisket was dry last Sunday I saw the pictures. If watching the data makes me a cheater then I'm the biggest cheater in my zip code with a perfect smoke ring every time.

barbarahill8d agoTop Commenter

...and now those same guys will tell you their brisket is perfect while they're sawing through it with a steak knife. I love watching someone who can't hold a steady temp preach about how thermometers are cheating. Meanwhile I've got a $15 probe that's been through hell and back and it still tells me more about what's going on inside than any hand-feel ever will. If tracking numbers makes me a fraud, I guess I'll keep being a fraud with moist meat every time. How's that leather shoe tasting this week?