MK4 issue?

EggHeadinFlorida

I have MK4 Thermapen. For the life of me, I can’t get it to read accurately. Boil water test, dead on balls accurate at 211.5 deg. When I go to poke food, temps are all over the place. I know the very tip of the thermo is what registers the temperature, so I make sure I’m not poking through the meat and getting direct  temperature readings. 

Example.... other night I was cooking some NY strips. MK4 showed temp at 119. Pulled out and re poked within 1/8” from first poke and temp was 142.

Not wanting to take a chance and over cook the steak I pulled it and cut it. It was a nice medium doneness, but no where near what a 142 deg steak would look like. 

What am I doing wrong if anything or is this MK4 defective?

GregW

The MK4 is very sensitive and can really read a wide variation on temps in a piece of meat.
I have found that I get fairly wide ranges of temps in the steaks I cook with the MK4, all I can suggest make a number of readings and go with the one that you feel most closely represents the meat temp. 

FATC1TY

Agreed.. its sentitive enough i think its wild on a live fire.

I've seen that. I will pull my cook and test on a rack and find its wayyyyy more consistent..

I will say, you do have to be aware where the probe tip is, especially if a thinner cut, because the temp gradient is so small.

SmokingPiney

The Thermapens are quite accurate, and they are accurately reading temp differences in the steak. 

I take my reading from the thickest part of the steak and go from there. 

Don't get too wrapped up in temping the steak in many places........and use your feel for when it should be done. 

nolaegghead

The temp in a steak is a gradient of temperatures.  There is nothing wrong with the thermapen.

Ozzie_Isaac

nolaegghead said:

The temp in a steak is a gradient of temperatures.  There is nothing wrong with the thermapen.

I prefer gradient free steak.

Legume

Ozzie_Isaac said:

nolaegghead said:

The temp in a steak is a gradient of temperatures.  There is nothing wrong with the thermapen.

I prefer gradient free steak.

You boil ribs.

CanDid

This will answer your question.

https://youtu.be/H64St-27Bhw

Ozzie_Isaac

Legume said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

nolaegghead said:

The temp in a steak is a gradient of temperatures.  There is nothing wrong with the thermapen.

I prefer gradient free steak.

You boil ribs.

I suspect I might not live down my experiment.