| Not sure what the temperature is where you are at | | | | often as you want. You can pick one of these up for |
| right now, but I did some cooking last weekend in | | | | about $25. For a few bucks more you can get a |
| pretty frosty temperatures. Right now it's in the 20's | | | | remote one that can be monitored inside your nice |
| and I have another cook coming up this week. | | | | warm house! |
| Smoking in cold temperatures and nasty weather can | | | | 3. If you are dealing with heavy wind or snow or rain, |
| create a whole new set of challenges, and if you are | | | | look for a place to put your smoker that provides |
| planning to do it, you might want to consider a few | | | | you with a bit of cover, especially from the wind. |
| tips: | | | | Nothing will screw up you temperature like a strong |
| 1. Smokers are made of metal and depending on the | | | | wind rushing through the smoker's vents and fire box! |
| thickness of your smoker's metal chamber; it can | | | | Also, you will want to position the smoker so that a |
| really be affected by cold temperatures. This means | | | | strong wind is not rushing directly in. |
| that not only will it take your smoker longer to heat | | | | 4. You might want to consider investing in a blanket |
| up, but you will use more fuel, it will be more difficult | | | | made of fire resistant material to cover your smoker |
| to keep your temperature consistent and most likely | | | | with. This will help hold a more consistent |
| longer to cook your food. You can still get excellent | | | | temperature in the smoker, as well as shield it from |
| results; you just need to be aware. | | | | some of the more extreme elements you might be |
| 2. It's always important to resist the temptation to | | | | dealing with. |
| open your smoker too often when you are cooking. | | | | The bottom line is you can still produce excellent |
| This is especially true in frigid weather. Each time you | | | | results in your smoker regardless of the temperature |
| open that smoker you could easily be adding | | | | outside. It will be more challenging though, and it helps |
| anywhere from 15-30 minutes to your cooking time | | | | to be prepared. And there really is something extra |
| so please keep this to a minimum! A great tool that I | | | | special about a juicy smoked turkey or a |
| recommend is a digital programmable thermometer | | | | mouth-watering slab of ribs on a cold winter's night! |
| that allows you to keep the lid on the smoker closed | | | | Believe me, it's worth it. |
| and check the internal temperature of the meat as | | | | |