You probably know this already but if the thermometer is touching the bottom of the pan (or even really close to it) you'll get a higher-than-accurate reading of the temperature of the sap. So it could be that when you're finishing, if your thermometer is touching the bottom of your pot, you think you're finishing at a higher temp than you really are.
GO
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets
True about the thermometer touching bottom or sides, and it is indeed tricky when dangling a bbq thermometer TC probe over the side of a pot.
A candy thermometer would be better of course, but overall it seems I'd be in a similar place no matter the thermometer and it ends up serving mainly to warn me when and how often to start taking hydrometer readings.
ScottT, another thing I failed to mention (but the Murphy cup has probably already helped you figure out) is don't just use the red line... that assumes the sample is at 211F. This is probably achievable at a draw-off valve, but when I'm ladling the sample from stove-top pot into the cup, I lose enough temp that my target is 61 brix rather than 59. If you understand the relationship between sample temp and target density reading you're already all set on that, but I hear a lot of people just say top red line for hot and bottom red line for cold, but I've never squarely hit either one!
Agree about the red / blue line. My struggle was being worried I'd take the finishing too far above 219, when I should have been paying more attention to the relationship between temperature and the hydrometer. Its one of the reasons why it took me so long to finish boil. It would hit 220 and I'd shut it down, but Brix wasn't right.
It's all a learning experience.
Also invested in a better thermometer for the finishing pot to better watch it.
Should be a good run this week in Michigan's Thumb region. Looking forward to getting back at it.
2021 - First year: 4 taps; Tapped too late; 4.5 gallons of sap
2022 - 11 taps; 20 gallons of sap
2023 - 23 taps. 3 gallons of syrup; founded TruNorth Maple Co.
2024 - 26 (+10) taps; 4.5 gallons of syrup; added RO filter
I still find the sap tap app helpful. It does tell me when to start checking, which can be different on different days. Most people verify the Brix with a hydrometer, I choose to do it with a refractometer.
I find it nice to know the temperature is also backing up what the refractometer is telling me.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
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