MES30 is it feasible to smoke during the Northern Virginia Winter?

[tempnexus]

I know that insulation matters and I know that charcoal and gas is the king in terms of smoking in the cold so I am wondering if it's possible to smoke with MES30 during NOVA winter?  Let say the temp drops to 25F  (-4C), could I still smoke things like chicken etc or do I require mods and if mods then which ones?

Thank you

 

[tropics]

 
I know that insulation matters and I know that charcoal and gas is the king in terms of smoking in the cold so I am wondering if it's possible to smoke with MES30 during NOVA winter?  Let say the temp drops to 25F  (-4C), could I still smoke things like chicken etc or do I require mods and if mods then which ones?

Thank you

I use my MES 40 in my shed in the winter up here

Richie

Keep the wind off of it Use a welding blanket if need be

 

[GaryHibbert]

Sure you can.  I smoke my MES 30 all winter long, whenever I get home from logging long enough that is.  If I can do it in Alberta, you can sure do it in North Virginia.  

About the only mod you'll need for your MES 30 is some insulation.  A welding blanket works just fine for me.  Also, it take a lot longer to preheat the MES in winter, but its really a necessity.  If you don't preheat, it will take forever to get to temp after you put the meat in.  You'll also want to open the door only when its ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.  My MES loses heat real fast when the door is opened and takes quite a bit of time to come back up to temp when its cold outside.

Gary

 

[tempnexus]

 
I use my MES 40 in my shed in the winter up here

Richie

Keep the wind off of it Use a welding blanket if need be

My shed smells of oil and gas so I guess I can't use that.

 

[tropics]

 

 
I use my MES 40 in my shed in the winter up here

Richie

Keep the wind off of it Use a welding blanket if need be

My shed smells of oil and gas so I guess I can't use that.

Now were will I move my gas can and generator to,dam this does make it complicated LOL

the meat is in the smoker not in the shed Take the gas can out for the smoke 

Richie

 

[tempnexus]

 
Now were will I move my gas can and generator to,dam this does make it complicated LOL

the meat is in the smoker not in the shed Take the gas can out for the smoke 

Richie

oh I understand but I presume that the air pulled into the smoker is from the surrounding shed air which smells of oil and gas (storage for my lawnmower, snowthrower, extra oil and gas).  So if I were to use my smoker in that shed it would be pulling in that air which is filled with those compounds I mean if I can smell it then I will eventually taste it and it's both not really good for the taste or the health I mean I am not mad max and I am not willing to go to Valhala Shiny and Chrome

 

[candurin]

I smoke all year round in Jersey. I have an outdoor propane heater nearby just in case.

 

[Bearcarver]

My MES 40 works fine all Winter in Southeast Pennsylvania, on my open front porch, with roof !! 

However I don't work near as good as I used to, especially below 20° !!! 

As for the MES, wind is much worse than cold.

Bear

 

[tempnexus]

Thanks this winter will be winter 1 in NOVA for the electric smoke...let me see what happens...coming from PHX AZ, ABQ NM and Houston TX it really makes a difference. :)

 

[daveomak]

I've smoked here, in N. Central Washington, at temps below 20 F...   sometimes it takes awhile to get the MES 30 to fire up...  Mine has a snap switch that won't allow the element to heat below 30 F or close...   I use a hair dryer to warm the sensors to fool them...   or place a small space heater inside the smoker for a few minutes....  I figure I'm smarter than a Made in China smoker...  HAHAHAHAHA...

 

[griz400]

We smoke all winter long ...

 

[ngiovas]

I have used my MES 30 in Michigan during the coldest part of the winter with no problems.  I have even shoveled two feet of snow on my deck to make space to set the smoker.  As others have mentioned, it takes much longer to heat up, but the cabinet is insulated to maintain temps if you don't open the door much.

One thing that wasn't mentioned is that you will need to put the smoker somewhere warm for at least a couple of hours before starting it up.  I had a couple of times that it was extremely cold out and the smoker gave me an error when trying to heat it up.  I store it in the shed, so the temp probe couldn't register the super cold temps.  I moved it into the house for 30 minutes and then it worked fine.  I also boil the water for the water pan in the microwave before putting it in the smoker to help get it up to temp quicker.