Mavrick ET-732 probe issue?

txav8r

I am on only my second cook.  I bought an AR combo today so I could cook raised easier.  I have had a little trouble getting the dome temp to stabilize prior to putting the mavrick dual probe and the spatchcock chicken on the grate.  I am going for direct at 400F.  But I ended up seeing my grate temp soar to around 433F with the dome at 350 after having the dome open to put it all on.  I checked for a crimped cable or the probe touching something it shouldn't but I am using the probe clip and it is 1.5" off the grate.  I have the meat probe in the breast of one of the two chickens on the egg.  Probably no issue now, I pulled the probe and moved to another place on the grate, but same as before, 1.5" off the grate, 2" from the edge and 2" from the birds, so no interferance.  But this time it seems to be working better.  My temp is still low at 343 and climbing, but it should come back up to the 400 I had stable before I put them on.  Any ideas on this one?

Skiddymarker

Don't use the Mav for direct cooks. The probe and cable junction does not like the direct heat and IR from burning lump. Calibrate the dome thermo and use it, accuracy is just fine. 

For indirect cooks, always shield the probe an cable with foil and a setter leg.  

txav8r

Hmm, I guess I missed that completely in all my reading.  It went crazy, but when I moved it, it was pretty stable and climbed continuously barely reaching 400 again by the time the IT of the chicken breast reached 165.  The trouble is, when I probed the chicken with the thermapen, it was substantially higher than the 165 that the IT probe said.  The dome was not accurate apparently either and that too may have been my fault...because Tom at the ceramic grill store told me to move the probe outward due to the higher position of the meat on the AR and raised grill.  We shall see...chicken is resting, cauliflower is cooked and ready for reheat, and the squash is still going.  The grilled pineapple rings are sensational however! 

QDude

I've never needed to use foil on my probes to protect them between the egg halves.  Have used them regularly for over a year with no problems.  I think it is luck of the draw concerning the longevity of the Maverick probes.

txav8r

I posted this on my direct/indirect thread. It is appropriate here so I copied and pasted... I read what you said about the mavrick and it lead me to some pros and cons in other posts. I found a very negative post from someone having tried it only once. I have very good results on my brisket cook, and I just didn't get the direct cook issues. So I called Mavrick...they insisted on replacing both my probes immediately, free of charge, and since I was on the road, I didn't even have the purchase info with me. She said I would have them in 3 to 5 business days. I asked what could have happened, and after a pretty good discussion, I now understand that they recommend their probe cables be wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil. I had not done that. The also recommend drilling a hole in the grill and running the probe and cable through there...I WON'T be doing that. She cautioned that the lid closing could crimp and damage a cable. I think this speaks volumns for making sure both the top and bottom gasket are in good order, or you definitely would need to consider a different type of temperature probe unit. I am not overly pleased that I have to wrap the cables but it I don't know what the other manufacturers require either. Bottom line, I am going to give the unit plenty of time to make sure I did something wrong and it not being the unit, cables, or probes themselves. Since it worked once flawlessly, I am guessing sheilding the wire will get better results for me. I also think I am going to try an indirect cook on the birds next time and maybe only one at a time. I will also do just breasts, but I am after the tender, juicy, promise I read so much about on here. I know I can do it! I too understand that cooking chicken is not like a brisket...but what about my Thanksgiving turkey...that has to roast for hours, and I need a steady temperature. I have to assume that indirect is the way to go, to keep the temperature more constant throughtout the cooker, vs only the grid temp you guys mention. I am hoping some of you will reassure me on the T-bird cook...it has to be good, no exceptions!