![]() You won’t need to open the lid and check as often with a wireless thermometer, which will cut down the time significantly by preventing heat loss. If you’ve followed these instructions and everything has gone according to plan then you should have an easy time following your recipes. This is not recommended and will cause the smoker to produce way too much smoke, just go with the recommended amount and add more when needed. The most common misjudgment people have is thinking they should put more woodchips in at once since it’s going to take more fuel to keep it going in the cold. There’s Way Too Much SmokeĪ common problem while cooking in the winter is that it will just naturally steam from it being so cold outside, but you don’t have to worry much about that. This step is very important, if you don’t preheat you will lose a tremendous amount of moisture in your meat. When there’s smoke, it’s time to put the food on. Check your smoker’s manual to see what kind of wood you need to use and how much you need to put in. In the winter it will take longer to heat up then normally, but you should still always wait at least 10 minutes before you put in your woodchips, pellets or sawdust. Try and pick a day that you know will be a bit on the milder side, you don’t want to be caught inside with your food outside when ice pellets the size of golf balls are coming down. I wouldn’t recommend cooking outside in an ice or hail storm, or a torrential downpour, or a white-out snowstorm unless you have some shelter to keep you warm too. ![]() It’s a fact that even with all of your preparations the winter weather is still going to make it difficult to cook outdoors. That’s pretty much all the extra tools we need to be cooking in the winter so here are some tips on how you will need to do things differently. Make sure to check your extension cord for any cuts, nicks, or tears and make sure to repair or replace it if it’s damaged. A heavy duty insulated outdoors extension cord is recommended for the job, you don’t want to ruin a feast by a circuit blowing from the cord not being able to handle the environment. While on the topic of insulation, your going to want to be using the right electrical cord when your outside in the cold. You can find everything you need to insulate your electric smoker at the hardware store. Make sure when insulating the outside of your smoker not to cover any of the vents, as that will prevent the smoker from working properly. The outside air is going to cool down your smoker, that’s just common sense, so what do you do when you get cold? You put on some layers! I personally like to wrap the electric smoker with furnace insulation but you can always use water heater blankets and sometimes the smoker’s manufacturer even offers jackets for their smokers. Now that we have the lid issue covered, we will move on to the next issue, heat retention. There are several Bluetooth and Remote style wireless thermometers on the market that you can keep in the food the entire time it’s cooking without any worries. The best thing you can do to prevent from opening the lid or door so much is getting a wireless thermometer that can stay in the meat the whole-time cooking. I would advise to check your food only when you need to and consider getting a couple things to make this experience a bit easier. The biggest issue with heat loss is when you open the lid or door you release all of that built up hot air and replace it with bitterly cold air instead. The next thing we need to do is keep it hot. It is not advised to use your smoker in inside a home or in a garage as the smoke can still damage the house, and carbon monoxide is no joking matter. You can use some plywood and nails or screws to build a shelter for it fairly easily, covering it from the elements but you still should be able to access the controls when you need to, so don’t fully enclose it. You’re going to want to either build a shelter for it to get as much coverage from the rain or snow as possible. Here are some foolproof ways of achieving that. Your main priority is to prevent as much wind, rain, snow, and cold from cooling down the smoker. First and foremost, let’s get started with some tips for setting up in the cold! Great Smoker for Cold Weather: Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 22 Inch Smoker You’re about to learn about what extra equipment you’re going to need, some tips and pointers on what you should do with your smoker differently when it’s colder outside, and finally, I will leave you with what I think to be the best electric smoker on the market for cold weather. Worry not, with these tips you will be well on your way to smoking the finest foods in that nasty cold wind. So, it’s the middle of winter and you’ve been dying to fire up your electric smoker to cook up some nice hot and tasty smoked meats, but you aren’t sure if it’s the right time or place to do it.
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