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or history of what you cooked, the outdoor temperature, and the cooking time. This will help later down the road to
help you determine what to cook and how long it will take.
• In very cold weather, increase your preheating time by at least 20 minutes.
• Avoid opening the smoke cabinet door any more than necessary. Cold gusts of wind can completely cool your internal
temperature. Be flexible with your serving time; add extra cooking time each time you open the door.
• Have a heated platter or a dish cover ready to keep your food warm while making the trip back inside.
• Ideal foods for winter cooking are those that require little attention, such as roasts, whole chickens, ribs, and turkey.
Make your meal preparation even easier by adding simple items such as vegetables and potatoes.
3.
HOT WEATHER COOKING
As it becomes warmer outdoors, the cooking time will decrease. Proper dress is important when it gets really hot: shorts,
shirt, shoes, hat, apron and a generous slab of suntan lotion is recommended. Follow these few suggestions on how to enjoy
your smoker throughout the hot months:
• Adjust your cooking temperatures downward. This helps to avoid unwanted flare-ups.
• Use a meat thermometer to determine the internal temperature of your foods. This helps in preventing your meat
from over cooking and drying out.
• Even in hot weather, keep the smoke cabinet door closed at all times.
• You can keep foods hot by wrapping them in foil, and placing them in an insulated cooler. Stuff crumpled up
newspaper around the foil and this will keep food hot for 3 to 4 hours.
SMOKER TEMPERATURE RANGES
Temperature readouts on the control board may not exactly match a meat thermometer. All temperatures listed below
are approximate and are affected by the following factors: outside ambient temperature, the amount and direction
of wind, the quality of wood chips being used, the cabinet door being opened, and the quantity of food being cooked.
•
HIGH TEMPERATURE (177-204°C / 350-400°F)
This range is used to grill at high heat, without any contact with flame. High temperature is also used as the burn-off
temperature to clean off the cooking grids after use. Additionally, high heat can be used in extreme cold weather conditions
to compensate for the contrast of temperatures between outside and inside the unit.
•
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE (135-177°C / 275-350°F)
This range is best for baking, roasting, and finishing off that slow smoked creation. Cooking at these temperatures will
greatly reduce the chances of a grease flare-up. Great range for cooking anything wrapped in bacon, or where you want
versatility with control.
•
LOW TEMPERATURE (38-122°C / 100-250°F)
This range is used to slow roast, increase smoky flavor, and to keep foods warm. Infuse more smoke flavor and keep your
meats juicy by cooking longer at a lower temperature (also known as
low and slow
). Highly recommended for the big turkey
at Thanksgiving, juicy ham at Easter, or the huge holiday feast.
Smoking is a variation on true barbecuing and is truly the main advantage of a smoker. There are two types of smoking: hot
smoking and cold smoking.
•
Hot smoking
, another name for
low and slow
cooking, is generally done at 82-122oC / 180-250oF. Hot smoking
works best when longer cooking time is required, such as large cuts of meats, fish, or poultry.
•
Cold smoking
is when the food is located so far away from the heat source that it smokes without cooking, and at
temperatures of 15-32oC / 60-90oF.
TIP: To intensify that savory flavor, smoke your foods before turning up the heat to fully-cook your meats. This
allows the smoke to penetrate the meats, before the pores of the meat close at 49°C / 120°F.
The key is to experiment with the length of time you allow for smoking, before the meal is finished cooking. Some outdoor
chefs prefer to smoke at the end of a cook, allowing the food to keep warm until ready to serve. Practice makes perfect!
