I finally messed up a $120 prime rib because of a bad thermometer

Last Christmas I bought a nice 7 pound prime rib from the local butcher, cost me $120. I used this cheap probe thermometer I got from a drugstore, kept it in while roasting, and it read 130°F after 3 hours so I pulled it. But when I sliced into it, the meat was way overdone, maybe 150°F inside. That thermometer was off by 20 degrees the whole time. Anybody else have a similar problem with those cheap thermometers?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.cole1mo ago

That reminds me of the time I was grilling burgers for a block party and my instant read said 160F so I pulled them off. Turns out it was reading the temp of the heat coming off the grill grates through the meat, not the actual burger temp. Everyone got pink burgers when they wanted well done. Had to microwave them for 30 seconds each while people waited. Never trust a thermometer that was sitting in a drawer for two years covered in old grease.

the_dylan1mo ago

Oh MAN that is brutal. I feel your pain SO much because I had almost the exact same thing happen with a pork shoulder last summer. Everyone was waiting and I was so proud thinking I nailed the temp, then the middle was basically raw and I had to slice it up and pan fry the pieces. It is SO embarrassing when you think you've got everything dialed in and then you're the one holding up the whole party with a microwave fix. That grease buildup on the probe is a real killer too, it insulates the sensor like crazy. I keep my thermometers in a Ziploc bag now just to avoid that drawer grime situation. You handled it well with the microwave though, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to get food on people's plates.