Smoking Gods not with me!

[doughboysigep]

This all started with me forgetting to add instacure to the 50# of pepperoni, salami, & summer sausage (uncased and mixed in cure yesterday). Today it's -10 and blowing (planned on smoking yesterday (mid-upper 20s) but the whole cure thing ended that. One smoker on this morning, other didn't turn on. Got a buddies and thought I was good to go.......but no, checked on units to find them off (popped gfi)!!!!! Trying ing again with them plugged into separate circuits. Meat may end up in oven - just salami, etc. not smoked salami etc. Not a good day so far what was going to be a long cold day is turning out to be a longer cold day

 

[doughboysigep]

With my recent posts of no cure, smoker won't turn on, and above, it would appear that I have no clue what I'm doing. But I have been doing this for over 20 years!

 

[chilerelleno]

$h*t happens and sometimes it splatters.
Make the best you can of it
Smoked or not, I bet the salami is good.

 

[PAS]

Do you have a non GFI circuit to try? I have also read some electric smokers need to be preheated somehow before they will come on. Pan of hot water, hair dryer etc.

 

[fivetricks]

Head units not powering can sometimes be fixed with heating the thermostat.

But if it's popping breakers that it didn't used to pop, there's most likely a short somewhere. Start with connections at the rear of the element , also testing the element for continuity.

Somewhere there's an issue

 

[HalfSmoked]

With you somedays are just that way and they suck.

Warren

 

[Tex1911]

Can you keep the meat in fridge and maybe fix the problems and smoke em tomorrow maybe? I know how ya feel, we all have "those days".

 

[indaswamp]

If you added the cure, no problem holding off a couple days to smoke the until you can get your smoker up and running...

 

[doughboysigep]

the unit I borrowed was actually mine. it started popping GFIs and I didn't have the time/patients too mess with it. gave it too a friend who tinkered with it and it worked great just 2 days prior. I think it had something to do with the cold and having to "power" up more. I ended up putting one unit on another circuit (no GFI, just beaker) and that worked fine. Then moved the older unit to different plug (same GFI) and it work all day until later in the evening then is started popping GFI again. Then plugged into same plug as other unit (on breaker) and no more problems. Might be a somewhat faulty GFI?????? As you can tell, I am no electrician.

 

[Tex1911]

If you feel comfortable doing it, you can take the cover off the outlet and inspect for critters, spider webs, etc. But only do it if you are comfortable with it. I have had to clean several outlets before and then they worked fine.

 

[indaswamp]

shut the breaker off first before you remove the cover....

 

[Tex1911]

Good one Indaswamp. Ditto. I should have added that. Thanks for mentioning it.

 

[73saint]

In had the same problem last week with the temps and winds. When it rains it pours.