Probe reads 15-30 degrees higher than actual.

Thorasta

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Seattle, WA
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Silverlight 810
I've used my Traeger twice in the two days I've owned it.
Chicken Challenge -- Probe read about 15 degrees higher than chicken temperature when I checked with an analog probe. Luckily my wife knows how to test a chicken for 'done-ness' without any probe so we ended up with flawless chicken.
Last night I cooked four pork roasts that I'd had in my freezer for about 18 months. The probe was reading anywhere from 175 to 188 when I pulled the pork, and except on the edges which were *amazing* I ended up throwing it out because it was undercooked in the center and by that point it was already sliced and there was no saving it with further heating.

So either: I am incompetent with a probe and I need to learn how it works, or I have a faulty probe.

Maybe some of both. The roasts were big enough I was able to bury most of the probe in to a roast. Is there a particular portion of the probe that has the heat sensing? If I were to guess it would be about an inch behind the point, but I really don't know.

Is it possible to use a third party probe plugged in to a Traeger?

Please advise -- Thank you.
 
I solved most of my problems when I bought the Fireboard 2 probe set. Found out my old probes were way out and the traeger pit temp is also not accurate across the grill. I also have a Thermapen which I will use to double check, although since I have had the F/board I don't do that so often.
I recently had 3 chickens on lined up 3 across the grate, the one on the left came out 5 mins before the middle and 15 before the one on the right.
I had the F/boad probe on the far right near the Traeger pit probe
My next job is to use the F/board pit probe at different locations to pinpoint a more accurate pit temp
Bottom line is: don't trust the Traeger probes (meat and pit)
 
When I purchased my Fireboard I asked for a competition probe pack with 4 meat and 2 pit probes ( they will do the substitution at the factory so you do not have to buy an extra set of probes). I mounted the Ambient right next to the Traeger Pit Probe and found it to be accurate for the right side at the top shelf. Then I put the second ambient at the same location on the left, and found a 20 + degree shift ( left side hotter). but knowing this and having the Fireboard to give me 4 temps for the meat, like "davwhite" indicated you move the meat around the grill and believe the Fireboard.
The Traeger Meat probe is good for a general "pay attention to me number", but not for when to pull the meal off the smoker...
 
When I first got the Traeger and got it set up, I checked the Traeger meat probe in a glass of ice water. It read 26 degrees F. I checked using a Thermapen Mk4 and the temp was 32.3 degree F. I used the offset in the Traeger menu to raise with a +7 degree offset. Now Traeger shows 32 degrees F when put into ice water. However most meat is warmer than ice so I wonder if a boiling water test would be more appropriate?
 
When I first got the Traeger and got it set up, I checked the Traeger meat probe in a glass of ice water. It read 26 degrees F. I checked using a Thermapen Mk4 and the temp was 32.3 degree F. I used the offset in the Traeger menu to raise with a +7 degree offset. Now Traeger shows 32 degrees F when put into ice water. However most meat is warmer than ice so I wonder if a boiling water test would be more appropriate?
Yes, since it's only a single point calibration, I'd boil water, put Thermapen and Traeger probes in that and adjust the Trager to match the Thermapen.
 
When I first got the Traeger and got it set up, I checked the Traeger meat probe in a glass of ice water. It read 26 degrees F. I checked using a Thermapen Mk4 and the temp was 32.3 degree F. I used the offset in the Traeger menu to raise with a +7 degree offset. Now Traeger shows 32 degrees F when put into ice water. However most meat is warmer than ice so I wonder if a boiling water test would be more appropriate?
Save the heartache and just get a fireboard. My Traeger's temps are farther off the higher the temps.
 
Neither the fireboard nor Thermapen multiport devices can control the Traeger. Thus the need to compare. If the Traeger pit temperature is off, there is no off setting calbration like for the Traeger meat temperature probe.

i found a coffee cup imersion heater at Bed Bath and Beyond for around $8 that is easy to setup for checking about 212 degrees F depending on altitude.
 
Neither the fireboard nor Thermapen multiport devices can control the Traeger.
Use the Traeger APP to do that, use fireboard APP to keep track... it's actually very EZ to have 2 apps open at once and just switch between them
 
Took an electric tea kettle out to boil water by the Traeger.

The off set for the Traeger probe to agree with my Thermapen Mk4 was +7 degrres F in ice water last week. Food is cooked to a warmer temperature.

With two Thermapen pen devices, new Signals four port and prior Mk4, reading 208 degrees F in the boiling water, the Traeger probe indicated 228 degrees F. I changed the offset to -11 degrees F so the Traeger app displayed 208 degrees F which is cliser to the suggested finishing temperatures in the recipes.

In theory the Traeger could now control the cook more accurately towards the end of the cook.

Tomorrow is first cook attempt with a 4 pound brisket. I will have one meat probe and three air probes in operation from the Signals and also the Traeger meat probe.

i can monitor progress of the cook by using both the Thermowerks and Traeger apps on my iPhone.
 
Neither the fireboard nor Thermapen multiport devices can control the Traeger. Thus the need to compare.
The Traeger meat probe doesn’t control the Traeger either, unless you use the programmed cook mode. In which case, you are setting yourself up for failure.
That’s why so many users here have recommended you use the Thermoworks or FireBoard for all temp settings/readings.
No matter how many times you “calibrate” that Traeger probe, it’s still not gonna be reliable.
 
Well, isn't the auger feeding pellets to the fire pot controlled by the Traeger air temperature probe on the inside wall of the unit? The only remote control would have to be adjusting the displayed Traeger temperature and comparing it ti the ThermoWorks Signals air temp displays for cooking temps. I would think if the D2 controller sees a temperature drop either by cooling or the user raising the temperature goal, the auger is commanded to send more pellets. Very much like adjusting a gas jet on a stove top to alter the cooking speed of the pot on the stove.

I guess tomorrow will show whether the Traeger air temp probe is even relevant, but one has to know the necessary offset to know what a proper number would be to adjust to the temperature displayed on the Signals unit.
 
The ambient probe controls the Traeger, but as you already know, you can’t calibrate that. The meat probe doesn’t control anything...And I haven’t seen or heard of one yet that is accurate enough to be reliable
 
Perhaps the Traeger meat temperature probe should spend it's life off grill and just use the ThermoWorks Signals for actual meat and air temp control.
 

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