If you're careful and pick your day, you can smoke cheese in the summer. I did 5 lbs of Cooper on 15 JUL 14. The highest the box temp got was 95* F. Most of the time it was 80 - 85* F. I started early, early. Like 4 am. Ambient was not quite 70* F. I put the cheese on the top shelf and two very large ice packs just above the pucks. Ice cubes in the drip pan. When the temp would start to get too high, I'd open and close the door rapidly, pulling the heat out. The smoke recovers quickly. You end up "babysitting" the smoker for two hours, but if you're out of cheese, you do what you gotta do!!