First Smoke with new WSM!!!! Also some questions!

[nrok2118]

Got my new WSM assembled today and decided not to waste any time and start smoking!  I got some chicken quarters and rubbed them with "billbo's world famous" found on this site.  I also stole the sticky fattie threads idea and made my own fattie with provolone and spinach wrapped in bacon and rubbed also. 

I Minnion method'd the smoker and after using a thermometer to see the difference in grate temp vs the lid reading i put my meat on. 

HERES MY PROBLEM:

- I have two different probe thermos and have a problem with both of them that when placed in the chicken quarters i was reading temps around 120 right away (but these came out of the fridge).  I tried different pieces in different places but kept getting the same result.  So they have been on the smoker (cooking around 250) for about a half an hour now and the thermo is reading 144 internally.  Any suggestions?  Is there just too much bone in quarters or what?  At the moment if it goes off early im just gonna cook it at least 3 hours if not more to be safe.  Id rather dry it out than get sick.

Any help/suggestions are welcome...got excited making everything so i only got a picture of my chicken ready for smoke:

 

[pineywoods]

Looks like a good start

 

[nrok2118]

been about 2.5 hours, fatties internal temp was going off so i pulled it, also the problem with the chicken still persists and even though its reading well over 165 (i tried even more spots) i took one out cut it and its still kinda pink with a little blood.  gonna go by feel now and see what happens

pic of the fattie and the tested quarter:

 

[jirodriguez]

I posted on your other thread... sounds like a bad probe and/or probe got submerged in water. I did to my first probe, after that it read 140° just sitting on the kitchen table.

 

[nrok2118]

well i pulled the fattie at 2.5 and wrapped it in foil and ovened it at 170 till the chicken went 3.5 hours than went to broil on the oven unwrapped and worked well!!  Lots of smoke flavor (used hickory and some mesquite).  some pics of the aftermath:

 

[1974smokinsal]

that fattie looks good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what does it consist of.

 

[nrok2118]

provolone and spinach wrapped in bacon rubbed with billbo's, also had some of his BBQ sauce made the other day YUM!