20 Lb Packer - Test Run - Advice Needed

gmac

No, the entire bottom of the flat. Stupid pictures won't load. Oh, it did load. 7th time's the charm. 

cazzy

Pull out your thermo...boil some water and tell us what the temp reads.  

Looks like you were cooking really hot.

Hotch

It looks as if you were cooking directly over the plate setter with out a drip pan. It's just a thought that the 12 plus hours with the direct IR energy coming from the plate setter may have been the culprit adding the additional temp just to the bottom of your protein. I have always had some kind of tray or pan raised just above the plate setter. Others here have much more experience the me but it does seem plausible.

EggHead_Bubba

One of my first packers was very similar to this cook. My problem was that I allowed the temp to spike a couple of times above 300 for too long with no water pan on the platesetter. Bottom of the flat looked just like what is pictured above. Every cook since then has turned out great keeping temp a steady 250 and a 2" full water pan underneath the packer for the entire cook.

gmac

I think you are right about the water. But take a look at this, does this seem right?  

gmac

And yes, I have to clean my stove. 

Legume

I don't use a water pan, I use a drip pan that's air-gapped from the platesetter.

I think Cazzy nailed it - if that thermometer is in boiling water, it should read 212 F on the outside scale, 100 C on the inside scale.  it looks like you're a good 60-70 F low, so add 60-70 to whatever you thought you were cooking at and that was your real temp.

gmac

Yeah, I will get a new thermometer but I was running probably 270 to 325 the whole time. I held that in there a while and that's as high as it got. 

Legume

That thermometer is adjustable, you can adjust with the nut on the back, do this while in boiling water to 212F.

I usually check and recalibrate mine before any low and slow as it tends to drift after a few hotter cooks.

minniemoh

Bummer that your cook wasn't what you hoped for (and that you didn't get the help that you needed). The good news is you can set the thermometer up for the next cook and trust it. 

Also, I always use a drip pan with an air gap when I cook indirect and brisket has turned out best for me with the fat cap down. I pull it when it probes tender as suggested above. Again, this is just what works for me. 

lousubcap

Well at least you found the smoking gun.  And as a practice, as mentioned above I check my dome thermo calibration before every low& slow cook.  Only had it drift around 10*F once in about 4 years with a tel-tru.  Trust and believe your indication.  It's all you've got.  FWIW-

SmyrnaGA

I was taught/told grid temp was more important than dome temp.  On my last long cook, I went "nuts" and had a grid thermometer on the left and right.

for the first few hours, the right side was 250 while the left was 230.  Dome was 260-275.  Then, the left was 240 while the right was 230.  Around 8 hrs in, the dome dropped to 190, left 170, right 199.  After some vent changes, the left and right were about 240 while the dome 270.

So, when someone says "locked in at 250", is that dome temp? Left grid temp? Or right grid temp? Am I crazy??

-Jas-

SmyrnaGA said:

I was taught/told grid temp was more important than dome temp.  On my last long cook, I went "nuts" and had a grid thermometer on the left and right.

for the first few hours, the right side was 250 while the left was 230.  Dome was 260-275.  Then, the left was 240 while the right was 230.  Around 8 hrs in, the dome dropped to 190, left 170, right 199.  After some vent changes, the left and right were about 240 while the dome 270.

So, when someone says "locked in at 250", is that dome temp? Left grid temp? Or right grid temp? Am I crazy??

I believe most here use dome temp from thermometer On the grill.  Your comment made me laugh considering all the left right talk.  I have heard grill temp was go to temp but most here speak of dome temp.