Need Help understanding cooking temps. Here's what I'm seeing...

[TheBoz]

I have a OBS with the Auber dual PID.  I moved my temp probe below the second rack from the top. (my last smoke it was under the first and it never got to 225 until 3 hours in when I wrapped them in foil, I had ribs in the top three racks) 

Everyone said the temp probe should be under the lowest rack of meat.  Believing it would have shown higher than 225 if I was below all the ribs.

This smoke, the auber temp probe under the second rack with two racks of salmon.  Auber temp set to 140, door thermometer says 110, meat probe says 103 and has been there for more than an 1.5 hours.  Last time the Auber and the door thermometer were dead on (and at same level), this time the door is 20-25 cooler, shouldn't be hotter higher in the cabinet?  This is very frustrating, I've spent three hours with the auber at 140 and my meat is only at 103, it's never going to cook at this rate.  I just bumped the temp to 175, door went to 150 and the meat temp is rising, finally, but I would not expect it to get much higher than 145. 

What should I do?  I looks like I'd need to have the auber set to 190 to get to 160.  This can't be right.

[classicrockgriller]

I really can't speak for Salmon, but on the heavier stuff (Beef/Pork) you will want

your probe below the lowest rack of food and then you go from there.

If you place it between two racks of product, you might and probably will get a false reading.

And IMO, as the heat and smoke rises, it will cool off. The hottest heat is next to the fire (element)

[Habanero Smoker]

Here is part of a reply I posted on another thread:

Temperature variations in the cabinet are cause by a few things. Such as location; the back of the smoker the temperature is higher then towards the front, and the top may be a few degrees cooler. That is why many of use rotate the racks, front to back and top to bottom. A circulation fan modification helps distribute the heat better.

With larger loads heat may be block causing some "cool" spots. Also moisture evaporating from the meat will have the greatest effect on where you place your probe. If your probe is too close to the meat or between the trays, evaporation will cool those areas up to 40°F at the beginning of the cook. As less moisture evaporates the temperature change will be less.

So the door cabinet is effected by it's location; being that it is in the front of the cabinet and towards the top. Also it's location often puts the probe into close proximity to the meat. When you check the door cabinet with an empty cabinet, it will be very close the temperature of your PID.

One would think that the Bradley being small and pretty much confined area the temperatures would be consistant throughout the cabinet, but that is not the case. As heat rises it cools, the highest temperatures, as with any heating appliance will be closest to the heating element.

When you are smoking/cooking at low temperatures it takes much longer for the internal meat temperature to rise.

Try using Kummok's method:
100°-120°F for 1-2 hours, then increase to
140° for 2-4 hours, then increase to
175° for 1-2 hours to finish