Too cold ?

[smokin trek]

Doing 3 boston butts on the smoker tomorrow for wifes b-day party. Looks like the temp oudside is going to be around zero , if I can not get temp up in smoker how long should I leave them on the pit to get some smokey flavor before I wrap them and finnish in oven ? To dang cold in Wi , think I need to move south soon.

Thanks for any input.

Wayne.

 

[capndonkey]

My buddy and I did 2 pork butts and 16 chicken thighs last weekend on the smokers when it was 18 degrees or less here in MD.  As long as you control airflow and your pit is tight, you should be able to acheive 225-275 range temps and hold them with good air control.  Now, we have Pitmaster IQ110's on both our WSM 22.5"s, so we've got the airflow part down, and we found some great aftermarket gasket tape that we sealed both smokers with to keep the pits tight, and we were able to hold 250 degrees all night long, even in below freezing weather.  Pork turned out great.  If you find that you just can't hold temp, try to put at least 2 or 3 hours of good smoke onto the butts before finishing them in the oven.  Just my humble opinon.

And of course, Happy Birthday to the missus.

 

[hambone1950]

  If you find that you just can't hold temp, try to put at least 2 or 3 hours of good smoke onto the butts before finishing them in the oven. 

X2 on the time....and x2 on the happy birthday!

 

[smokin trek]

Thanks guys , alarm goes off at 0400 to get this cook on. I will post tomorrow or Sunday and let you know how it ends up .

Thanks Wayne .
 

 

[chef jimmyj]

Doing 3 boston butts on the smoker tomorrow for wifes b-day party. Looks like the temp oudside is going to be around zero , if I can not get temp up in smoker how long should I leave them on the pit to get some smokey flavor before I wrap them and finnish in oven ? To dang cold in Wi , think I need to move south soon.

Thanks for any input.

Wayne.

Depends on what you mean by, " can not get temp up. " For instance if you can generate smoke and have the smoker temp between 30 and 40*F you can smoke as long as you wish. If you mean 40 to 140*F you can smoke for up to 2 hours before it goes in the oven. If you can get to 180*F or more and " You Did Not Inject Anything " you can go until the meat reaches an IT of 160*F which will take 6-8 hours. If you do Inject we are back to 2 hours at any temp below 225*F...JJ

 

[smokin trek]

Well it is 5 outside but the temp is up right wear I need it , the pit seams happy to be working in the snow ! And you know there is something , the smell of hickory smoke I think that is great at 5am in the snow !!

 

[grinder]

Wind is usually more of an issue for smokers than the cold. Cold and windy can be a real issue, for some smokers. You can set up plywood barriers, if wind is an issue. You can also cover your smoker with a blanky or a water heater jacket, to farther help. You didn't mention what kind of smoker you have.
 

 

[smokin trek]

The smoker is a brinkman offset unit that need to be sealed better as I have read some great ideas here. That said all is going right on time ! I have used blankets in the past on a cold damp rainy night before brisket fest and I think it got a bit too hot . So far biggest problem was melting the frozen hinges on the firebox this morning , other than that so far so good !!

thanks agian for all the great info and this site.

Wayne

 

[tito]

perfect timing....I was wondering about this too.....going to try smoking a pork butt for the superbowl party.  temp is supposed to be a high of 24.   blankets are a good idea.  

 

[chef jimmyj]

Guys pay close attention...The type of Blanket most recommend is a Welding Blanket. A 100% Wool Blanket is an option. But throw a Poly Blend blanket on that smoker and you are risking a Fire!...JJ

 

[grinder]

Guys pay close attention...The type of Blanket most recommend is a Welding Blanket. A 100% Wool Blanket is an option. But throw a Poly Blend blanket on that smoker and you are risking a Fire!...JJ

Thanks Jimmy.I should have thought of mentioning that.