Found a used pro 780 for $400 on marketplace used less than a dozen times and less than a year old. Great condition and very clean. Lid didn’t close all the way, but Treager customer service is awesome and sent me a new one right away totally free.
Decided to swing for the fences and test it out with an overnight brisket smoke. Made a rub consisting of mostly 16 mesh pepper, with some diamond crystal salt, granulated garlic, and smoked paprika mixed in. Let it dry brine for about 12 hours and threw it on at like 9pm. Initially I set the temp to 200, but here’s where the issues set in with pretty large variability between temps. In case the Traeger temp was inaccurate and it didn’t get too low, I upped the temp a tad to 210.
I had this cheap WiFi “ThermoMaven” probe to monitor the temp, but also upgraded to the “gold standard” ThermoWorks Smoke. I put the pit temp thermometer on the top shelf. I put one probe in the flat and the other in the point. Here’s where I had issues: Traeger at 210, but ThermoMaven read ambient temp at 200 and the Smoke read it at 233. Which one should I go with??
Overall the brisket came out delicious – rode out the stall until the flat was at 170ish and bark was set. The point was cooking slower than the point, so I wrapped with some tallow and the temp evened out. let it go until around 203 IT (confirmed with the thermapen which read about 5 degrees higher than both probes, good thing I checked when I did). Opened up the wrap for a quick steam release and then let it sit for about 30 mins on the counter before putting it into a cooler that I warmed up with some boiling water, and insulated with some towels. 2-3 hours later I pulled it – absolutely delicious. Made some burnt ends with the point because they’re my wife’s favorite and made some chili a few days later with whatever was left.
Let me know what you guys think about the temperature discrepancies (and any other critiques are welcome).
by rusty_spoon_85
3 Comments
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If this is a photo of one of your cooks, maybe share the recipe and techniques
used, as it’s almost guaranteed one of the first questions you will be asked!
*What seasoning did you use?
*How long did you cook it, and at what temperature?
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I put the pit temp thermometer right next to whatever I’m smoking. I don’t care what temp it is anywhere else in the grill. My traeger also reads about 20 above actual. When I want 200 I set it to 225, etc. For chicken I set it at 375 and it hovers between 350 and 400, but I’m not running probes with chicken, I just use an instant read after an hour and pull them at 165 in the breast, or 175 for wings.
What matters is that your cook is consistent and repeatable and tastes good. Some temp swings are normal, and if anything I’d rather the grill ran a little cooler than the set temp to avoid big swings above target when more pellets are injected.
It sounds like your brisket cooked perfectly, and I’d be more inclined to believe the 233 than the 200 reading just based on that.
Different locations of temperature probe, different temperature.