We produce fully cooked chicken products - whole muscle, not breaded or battered. Occasionally we will have a low temperature at our CCP monitoring station that just doesn't make sense. The temperatures before and after the piece that temped low (below 165) were all between 180 and 195 degrees. Temperatures are taken continuously - internal temperature in the center of the piece. No issues with the ovens. Could someone help me understand why there would be fluctuation like this? I'm leaning towards an air pocket, marinade pocket, cartilage or something inside of the piece that was temped that could cause this drop and decline in temperature. We take one temp and it must be instantaneous. I personally have taken temperatures and if the probe is re-inserted the temp jumps back up and holds in the 180 to 195 range - which is why I don't think it is a true undercooked piece. How can we justify taking more than one temp if it stops dropping like that? Is there another type of thermometer that we could use to monitor the temperatures? We currently use a hand held with probe attached.
Thank you!