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Digi q Brisket fail

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Pghegger
Pghegger Posts: 58
in EggHead Forum
I have been planning my first brisket cook for weeks and last night was the big night.  First run for my brand new digi q.  Got the lump set up and the fire going.  Installed the digi q clipped the grate probe and set to 250.  Let it stY there a good 30 minutes to make sure everything was working and put the briskets on.  Also decided to try out my new maverick dual probe and put one in each of my  6 pound briskets

right around two hours in I start getting temp readings in the 120s which seemed really high.  Long story short whie the digi q probe was reading 225 the true temp (tested by thermapen) was well over 325.  Scrambled to get the briskes off but by then temp shot up higher.  Luckily neighbor was cooking a brisket on his pellet and we put our briskets on his smoker.  I would have had to wait a while for the temp to come back down on my egg and get the whole process started again.

Any idea on why the bad reading in the digi q probe?  Frankly I feel like returning it.  I could ruin brisket without it lol!  Not sure how I trust it now!  
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  • EggHead_Bubba
    EggHead_Bubba Posts: 566
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    Probably not the case but the grate probe touching the brisket could have caused this to happen.

    Rocky Top, TN — Large BGE • Cast Iron Grate & Platesetter • Rockwood Lump

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  • danv23
    danv23 Posts: 953
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    You need to clip the pit probe to the dome thermo. I have never had an issue and been using 2 digi's for over 7 years.  I run the cable through my smokeware cap hole (can still shut it with the cable through). If using the bge cast cap, feed it through one of the petals.

    The Dude: This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder's head. Luckily I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, limber.

    Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! *uck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos. 

    Cumming, GA

    Eggs - XL, L, Small

    Gasser - Weber Summit 6 Burner

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  • Pghegger
    Pghegger Posts: 58
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    Thanks Bubba.  At first I thought the same thing but I tested it with the briskets off and still had the discrepancy.

    Danv23  - I will give that a try.  Any idea why you have to do that?  I assumed that the unit would work if clipped to the grate.  Thanks for the advice
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  • Dobie
    Dobie Posts: 3,364
    edited May 2015
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    I pull the dome thermometer and put a meat probe in. Got a brisket cruising at 240 since last night. Its out of the way and most recipes are using dome temp. 
    Jacksonville FL
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    I clip it to the grid. It can read low if it's too close to the brisket. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    The DigiQ is not a simple plug and play unit for some folks.  Well, at least it wasn't for me.  Several members contributed towards figuring out why I was having so many problems.  Here are a couple of the threads that document their input ... so they don't have to repeat it:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1174416/jeepster-digiq-up-in-flames/p1

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1174674/jeepster-digiq-round-ii/p1

    The takeaways should be making sure the adapter and fan unit are installed so that there is minimal leakage and proper probe placement.  You might also find that placing one leg of the plate setter under the dome thermometer will shield it from direct heat and even out the temp.  I like to know the temp at the food level, so I place the probe on the grill grate ... try taking the clip off and use some aluminum foil to hold it in position.  I think the clip dampens the temp readings.

    If you have to use the sliding clip to hold your adapter in place - and you're OCD - you might find this thread helpful:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1175747/digiq-adapter-mod/p1

    Don't return the DigiQ ... once you have its idiosyncrasies figured out you'll love it.



    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • loveTheEgg
    loveTheEgg Posts: 573
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    Not that it will solve your problem but get a probe tree from BBQ guru. Much better than that clip. 
    Brandon, MS
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  • danv23
    danv23 Posts: 953
    edited May 2015
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    Pghegger said:
    Thanks Bubba.  At first I thought the same thing but I tested it with the briskets off and still had the discrepancy.

    Danv23  - I will give that a try.  Any idea why you have to do that?  I assumed that the unit would work if clipped to the grate.  Thanks for the advice
    My neighbor, for example, clipped the probe to the grate on the edge which was perfectly placed over the fire that you could see through the hole in the platesetter.  Digi was reading 350 but the dome was reading 250. Kind of a reverse of what you got.  But picture that, your fire could have been at lets say 2 o'clock, your probe was at 8 o'clock where there was no fire.  I think the right mix of air to fire to get the best read is clipped on the end of the dome thermometer.  As an added bonus, you will know if both are properly calibrated!  I've caught some variances and have had to calibrate either the dome thermo or the Digi after seeing the difference and then performing the boil/slurry test.

    Again, just speaking from my experience and what has worked for me.  Hope it makes sense.

    The Dude: This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder's head. Luckily I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, limber.

    Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! *uck me. I mean, say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos. 

    Cumming, GA

    Eggs - XL, L, Small

    Gasser - Weber Summit 6 Burner

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