Smoking pork in cold weather

[kuan]

Silly me... I thought since it was going to be 40F I would smoke some $0.99lb pork butt.

But even at 40F the smoking chamber loses at lot of heat and no, my smoker isn't insulated and it's not thick gauge steel. it's gonna be oven time pretty soon.

 

[phatch]

At least it had the smoke flavor and color. You can often buy insulated blankets from the maker of your smoker that will help out with smoking in the cold. I've debated the purchase but haven't pulled that trigger yet. I'm hankering for ribs and today was the warmest day for the next week or so. Have to see how that plays out for me.

This is a good time of year to smoke cheese, bacon, eggs...

 

[butzy]

It's not a problem I usually have
If its a charcoal smoker, then maybe use lump charcoal, or start with a bigger amount of lit coals.
And put the smoker near a wall, out of the wind.
Good luck.

 

[kuan]

It's not a problem I usually have
If its a charcoal smoker, then maybe use lump charcoal, or start with a bigger amount of lit coals.
And put the smoker near a wall, out of the wind.
Good luck.

I'm afraid to ask what kind of smoker you have. It might incite envy.

 

[butzy]

I'm afraid to ask what kind of smoker you have. It might incite envy.

Not really.
Just the smallest Weber Smokey Mountain.
But my start temperature is generally 35-40 oC (not Fahrenheit)
I struggle to keep the temperature down!

 

[kuan]

Not really.
Just the smallest Weber Smokey Mountain.
But my start temperature is generally 35-40 oC (not Fahrenheit)
I struggle to keep the temperature down!

Ah OK. I have a drum smoker with offset smoking box. I did three pork butts.

 

[sgsvirgil]

Silly me... I thought since it was going to be 40F I would smoke some $0.99lb pork butt.

But even at 40F the smoking chamber loses at lot of heat and no, my smoker isn't insulated and it's not thick gauge steel. it's gonna be oven time pretty soon.

Tips for cold weather smoking.

You can use the cold weather to your advantage and "cold smoke" you're meats. All you're doing is imparting the smoke flavor to the meat without actually cooking it. I do this all the time in the winter. After a few hours exposed to the smoke, just transfer to your oven or expose to indirect heat in your grill and keep going until its done.

Or

Hot smoke with indirect heat. A barrel smoker works best for this. Simply build the coals with smoke wood in one end, wait until the coals are ready, place the meat at the other end and close the lid. Refresh the coals as needed.

The biggest problem I've encountered with cold weather smoking is how to keep my wine from getting too cold and freezing. ;-)

Cheers!

 

[Transglutaminase]

I wrap welding blanket(s) around the smoker(s) to keep the heat in.
Cheap, esp. on sale at Harbor freight (US) or Princess auto (Canada)
if you've got a monster sewing machine, you can custom cut & make them with Nomex thread (haven't gotten off my ass to do that yet).
G' Luck!

 

[millionsknives]

Buy a reflective insulation roll. Use some over the smoking chamber (not the fire box..) and the rest of it around the house the savings will pay for itself.

 

[koukouvagia]

Apology accepted.