Would you bake off a pan of Lasagna, turn off the oven and leave it there while you went shopping a couple of hours? You are asking the Smoker to do this very thing. Safety wise it is important to keep Hot food Hot (140°F+) and Cold foods Cold (<40°F). Anywhere in between and Bacteria can get on the food, from the air, insects, whatever and start multiplying. Now you may say, " I plan to re-heat, when I get to it and that will kill the bacteria..." True, but that is not all that you need to worry about. Many Bacteria make Toxins as they multiply and some are not affected by heat. It is these Toxins that can make you sick and some are deadly. Many Restaurants cook the long cook foods for the dinner rush early in the day. When done, 3-4 pm, the food is moved to holding ovens, set at 140-150°F and it is kept at that safe temp, bacteria in the air can't start growing, and the food is ready to go when folks start coming to dinner. The Auber does the same thing and can be added to the smoker you have.. The meat is smoked to your desired IT and if you are not going to be home, can be programmed to reduce the smoker temp to 140°F, out of the danger zone where bacteria grows, and that meat, Pork Butts, can stay there for many hours without drying out or overcooking. If the Auber held at 190°F the Pork would be mushy and dried out. Holding at 140, when you get to it, the Pork is hot and ready to eat. Most importantly, it is safe because it didn't sit in a Cold smoker for a couple of hours.
There are many Ovens and some Smokers that sound an alarm when the food reaches a set IT and there are those that reduce the temp and hold the food hot...But I can't think of any that just simply turn off...That could be Dangerous...Hope this helps...JJ
