Smoking When Outside Temps are Cold

[Habanero Smoker]

Using the door thermometer is going to throw off your temperature readings. You should purchase a digital temperature probe, better yet a remote temperature probe. With a remote probe you will not have to go to the smoker to see what the temperatures are, you will be able to read them from a remote receiver.

Once you purchase a probe it should be place below the lowest rack, and you will get better readings. Also do not over crowd the fish on the racks. Allow a little space in between pieces for smoke and heat to circulate.

[JZ]

I get that the door thermometer is not accurate but lets say it is out by 20 deg that would mean that after 2 hours the temp in the OBS was at 170 instead of 150. This is still much lower than the 200 deg the recipe calls for. So even if I get a true temp reading it won't matter since I have to have the smoker on high the whole time.

However if the door thermometer is totally out of whack then an accurate reading may prove that the internal temps are much higher and that I am in fact reaching the higher temps required. I guess there is only one way to find out. I will have to get a temp probe and try it.

I do leave a little space between the fish pieces --- but maybe not enough.

[Habanero Smoker]

It can be off by much more then that, because of it's location the probe may be too close to the food. When meat cooks moisture evaporates from the surface of the meat; this evaporation cool the area surrounding the meat. At the beginning of the cook, this cooling effect can be a difference of 40°F.

[JZ]

I bought a DBS today and she is on the deck now getting seasoned. I now see the problem with OBS temp gauge. The temp probe for the DBS is right at the heating element not 3/4 of the way up the box and as such will give vastly different readings than my OBS.

Also got a temp gauge for the OBS and will try that later to see if I get similar results with the OBS and the temp gauge closer to the heating element to that of the DBS.

[Quarlow]

JZ don't be afraid to use that temp gauge even in your DBS. It is good to know if both are in the ball park.