thermometer placement

smokyMcSmokster said:

 
i cooked a butt last weekend took it off at 195 let it rest in foil for an hour and it did pull, it wasn't tough, but it was dry so I'm thinking my thermometer placement isn't good how deep do you stick the thermometer?

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First, make sure your thermometer is accurate with a "boil" test. I, like many others, use a Maverick probe to monitor both chamber and meat temps.  Because you don't know exactly where the butt will reach temp first, my method is to best guess the probe placement, once it hits 180 or so I start checking different places with a Thermapen.  That gives me good info in order to finish up the cook and pull it off at the right time.  I've been very surprised how much of a temperature difference an inch or so inside a pork butt can make.

Middle of the thickest Meat mass...without touching bone