# smoking when its super hot out



## brgbassmaster (Apr 19, 2015)

Ok so I been smoking about 5 yrs now. But have always lived in warm areas 75-85yr around. Now we recently got moved to phoenix. I know in summer it gets to 115 so e days and maybe hotter. Just curios if being hot outside like that affects the smoking process llikewhen its really cold. Thanks.


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## noboundaries (Apr 19, 2015)

Since you are coming from a 75-85 year round temp you won't notice anything at all compared to smoking in a cold environment, below freezing for example.  Heat flows from hot to cold, so when it is extremely cold outside heat will flow out of the smoker walls into the environment.  You have to use more fuel in a cold environment to keep the temps up in your smoker to maintain your target temp.  Insulating a smoker in a cold environment helps a lot.

When it is hot outside the heat flow out of your smoker into the environment is minimal, so smoke away!


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## cliffcarter (Apr 19, 2015)

You'll be using less fuel when the air temp is very hot.


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## noboundaries (Apr 19, 2015)

Input from my wife: "His smoker won't notice any difference, but his body sure will!"


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## brgbassmaster (Apr 19, 2015)

Haha good to know ill be using less fuel that's for sure and I love the wife's comment no boundaries. No more chilling outside while meat smokes. Watch it from the house lol. We need a pool.


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## sota d (Apr 19, 2015)

I find that I need more beer during summer smokes.


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## kihler (Apr 20, 2015)

I also live between Phoenix and Tucson. Summers here are hot, 115. The entire smoking and cooking process goes faster. I would say about 25 to 30 percent less time is needed. Just keep an eye on the meat internal temp.


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## wade (Apr 20, 2015)

Hot or cold smoking?


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## bmaddox (Apr 20, 2015)

It doesn't get that hot in Florida but it does get close to 100. As mentioned above, it will only help your smoker (unless you are cold smoking then you are out of luck).


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## atomicsmoke (Apr 20, 2015)

Wade said:


> Hot or cold smoking?


Lol


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## wade (Apr 20, 2015)

The reason I ask (and yes Atomic I was serious - tho I could not help the pun 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






) is that it would make a big difference. If you are hot smoking it would simply be a case of adjusting the heat of the coals to maintain the desired temperature. With cold smoking though there is potentially a real problem depending on where the smoker is located. As it happens, today I was logging the internal temperature of my smoker and for most of the day it was in the shade. At about 3 pm though the sun was in a position where it shone directly on the smoker itself













Smoker in Sun.jpg



__ wade
__ Apr 20, 2015






For most of the day, whilst the smoker was in the shade, the IT was only about 2-3 Deg F hotter than outside. However as soon as the sun was able to shine directly on it the IT increased to 10 Deg F above the outside temperature. This logging was purely to see the effect of the sun and there was no fire and no smoke generator present.













Sun effect on Smoker IT Deg F.PNG



__ wade
__ Apr 20, 2015






Now this was a reflective stainless steel smoker on a relatively average UK spring day. If this was a black smoker in midsummer on a hot day (e.g. in Phoenix) then the IT temperature differential is likely to get a great deal larger. Then the safety of the food when "cold" smoking would need to be the prime consideration.


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## wade (Apr 20, 2015)

Sorry - I know logging the temperatures in your smoker with nothing in it is sad ... but what can I say


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## kihler (Apr 20, 2015)

Cold smoking in the summer in the Phoenix area would be very hard. When it's 115 outside, the internal temp in cars and smokers can get up 150 or more. In the summer, buy your cold smoked items at the store.


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## pops6927 (Apr 20, 2015)

In my smokehouse when it's 110° outside, it's ave. 130° inside the smokehouse (75° in my livingroom; if not, we're in a hotel, lol!).  No cold smoking in the summer!  In the winter, when it's 50° out, I do my cheeses, vegetables, etc. with just the AMNPS, nothing else and inside the smokehouse; hot smoking in the mailbox, but even then in the summer the pellets sometimes combust, so I just use chunks in the iron pan on the burner when the sun is shining on the mailbox.


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## gary s (Apr 20, 2015)

I'm with Pop's.    Here in East Texas it gets pretty hot. I positioned my smoker so I can see it and the temp gauge from my recliner it's a cool 72 º in our house

Gary


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## mummel (Apr 20, 2015)

What about humidity?  I read that Huffington post article about "the stall", and how evaporation of the moisture in the meat affects cook times.  Do you think going from Florida to Phoenix will decrease the stall time?


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## mummel (Apr 20, 2015)

Wade said:


> The reason I ask (and yes Atomic I was serious - tho I could not help the pun
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What device gave you this chart?  Very cool.


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## wade (Apr 20, 2015)

I use a ThermaData Logger TCD

http://thermoworks.com/products/logger/thermadata/thermadata_thermocouple.html

They will record 2 channels simultaniously and there is free software to produce the graphs or export the data to Excel or CSV. I have set mine to recod the temperature every 60 seconds however this is configurable. When cooking something like a pork shoulder it is good to be able to see what has actually been happening in smoker and meat during the smoke. You could use it instead of a Maverick however, as the TCD does not have a remote wireless receiver, I usually use it in addition.













ProbesAttached.jpg



__ wade
__ Apr 20, 2015


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## mummel (Apr 21, 2015)

Cool thanks.


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