Question on Outdoor Temperature

[Griller guy]

Doing most my smoking in Florida, and in the past on the Green Egg I never worried about outside temp. This Christmas I want to do a 12 lb flat brisket on my Pit Boss at our Lake House in Southern Virginia. My question is if the outside temperature is in the 40’s am I going to have to increase my time and or temperature considerably to compensate. I have been advised to just set it to 180 before going to bed rather than get up at 2:00 and set at 220 but if the outside temperature is in the 40’s is that going to be sufficient. I worry because the walls of the Pit Boss are thin and it is not nearly as air tight as a Green Egg so I suspect there is considerable cold air seeping in and hot air leaking out. Thanks.

 

[Ol' Smokey]

I think the grill will just use more pellets to maintain temps. The auger will just feed more pellets....

 

[Steve In Pa]

I think the grill will just use more pellets to maintain temps. The auger will just feed more pellets....

Theoretically but in actuality I’ve found I have to adjust to a higher temperature in order to maintain the target inside. Its an art as much as a science

 

[Steve In Pa]

Doing most my smoking in Florida, and in the past on the Green Egg I never worried about outside temp. This Christmas I want to do a 12 lb flat brisket on my Pit Boss at our Lake House in Southern Virginia. My question is if the outside temperature is in the 40’s am I going to have to increase my time and or temperature considerably to compensate. I have been advised to just set it to 180 before going to bed rather than get up at 2:00 and set at 220 but if the outside temperature is in the 40’s is that going to be sufficient. I worry because the walls of the Pit Boss are thin and it is not nearly as air tight as a Green Egg so I suspect there is considerable cold air seeping in and hot air leaking out. Thanks.

And my opinion, ambient temps, and wind are a significant factor and what’s gonna happen inside that cooking chamber. So for me, I have to fiddle a bit with a setting, probably putting it significantly higher than I would on a warm summer day.

 

[Mike From R.I.]

See what temperature you have to set it at to maintain 180 degrees inside the smoker by using a trusted accurate thermometer, get the temperature stable right before you go to bed. That's what I do.

 

[sparkyv]

The controller on my Lexington has a "P"setting that can be adjusted to tune the auger cycle rate when using low temperature settings. Higher setting = reduced auger pause for colder ambient temps.

 

[Griller guy]

Thanks all! My concern is the timing, I am going to be transporting it from the Lake House to my daughter’s house about two hours away. Which will be great resting time in the cooler. When I did the full packer few weeks ago it took 16 hours, it hit the stall and just took a lot longer then I anticipated. I had guests showing up and I was just wrapping and putting it in the cooler. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and the females headed to the beach with wine and us guys watched a football game and no one seemed to mind the wait. This time I would like to tighten it down a little, I don’t want people showing up at my daughters and us still trying to finish up at the Lake House, or showing up with a Brisket that has been resting for 8 hours. I will post the results when I do it. Thanks again.

 

[Smokeyholler]

I have not needed to go here yet but a coworker swears by this for his PB in the winter. Easy way to add some insulation to help maintain temps.



Welding blanket

 

[Griller guy]

Makes sense, and for $22 bucks would not be much of a gamble. I have a friend who also bought some stick on weather-stripping specifically made for grills that he uses around the door of his Traeger. Said it works good, got it from Amazon. His main goal was keeping more smoke in slightly longer. I use smoke tubes so I get enough smoke in mine. I have really been enjoying the Pit Boss. I originally was going to buy another Green Egg and take it up there but my daughter convinced me to buy a Pellet Cooker so it would be less hands on and give me more freedom for family time. I got the Pit Boss with Wi-Fi so even down at the dock one glance at the smart phone lets me know what is going with the grill and the meat. After using it up there for two weeks I told my wife we really needed one here also. I got the same model so hopefully they will be similar in performance (within reason). I still use the Green Egg and enjoy that, but for anything over a couple hours it’s going on the Pit Boss.

 

[sparkyv]

Same here, except I use a Weber kettle for my grillin'.

I still use the Green Egg and enjoy that, but for anything over a couple hours it’s going on the Pit Boss.

 

[Mike From R.I.]

Weber kettle here to with Cowboy hickory and oak lump charcoal.

 

[Smokeyholler]

Weber here as well. I've grilled on them for longer than I want to think about. PB, Blackstone Griddle and a Weber are on the porch. All do many things well, some do certain things better than the others.

 

[Freedbyjc]

Doing most my smoking in Florida, and in the past on the Green Egg I never worried about outside temp. This Christmas I want to do a 12 lb flat brisket on my Pit Boss at our Lake House in Southern Virginia. My question is if the outside temperature is in the 40’s am I going to have to increase my time and or temperature considerably to compensate. I have been advised to just set it to 180 before going to bed rather than get up at 2:00 and set at 220 but if the outside temperature is in the 40’s is that going to be sufficient. I worry because the walls of the Pit Boss are thin and it is not nearly as air tight as a Green Egg so I suspect there is considerable cold air seeping in and hot air leaking out. Thanks.

If your ambient temperatures are very low and your smoker does not want to start (ERL/ERR) ... you can use a hair dryer, Heat gun, brûlée torch or any heat source on the RTD or digital thermometer probe on the inside of barrel on left side. Heat it up until the controller displays shows ACTUAL temperatures above freezing; that will then allow the grill to start and go through normal start up. Once it is going and it heats up it will run normally.



Sometimes, when it comes to ambient temperatures and a PitBoss, you just have to play the cards you’ve been dealt.



An Insulated blanket or non-fiberglass welding blankets or FIRE BRICKS lining the bottom of the barrel will store the heat the firepot produces; It lessens the heat loss from the barrel; will help to stabilize your barrel temperatures and also minimize pellet usage.



When it gets super cold you may need to adjust your rain cap down a few spins or air vents closed a little to keep your smoker warm enough to operate properly but watch your barrel/cabinet temperatures, if they start to rise and not settle then spin it back up some.

 

[sparkyv]

You guys up North have to deal with outdoors cooking factors that I've never experienced or thought of!