Yes! This is extremely important. You want the probe to measure the temperature of the meat right in the middle of the cut of meat or as close as you can get. If working with a roundish cut of meat, it doesn't matter which edge you insert into, but if the depth is 1", you will insert it at 0.5" depth along the side of the meat towards the center. If your meat is longer than it is wide, insert the probe on the shorter side of the meat ½ way of the depth. This is easier to view than explain, so here are some pictures.