Winter Smoking?

[Sparxxx256]

This is my first winter with my ironwood 885. i plan on smoking a pork butt this weekend. is there anything i should know going in to these cold nights going in to an overnight cook? should i change what temp im running at or is there a rough idea of what i should be at with what ever the temp is outside?

 

[BobbyQ]

May take a little longer to reach operating temperature. It will burn more pellets so make sure the hopper is topped off before turning in. It’s a good idea to use a third party temp probe to watch the cook temperature if you have one. Not many members trust the stock probe

 

[traeger860]

The Ironwood is insulated well enough to deal with CT winters. You shouldn't have any issues as long as you aren't opening the lid all the time.

 

[RayClem]

Cold weather won't necessarily be a significant problem unless the cold is accompanied by high winds. However, if there is heavy snowfall, the melting of snow on the outside of the cook chamber can make it difficult to control temperatures. If possible, try to provide some form of shelter for the cooker, but make sure you do not have anything flammable come in contact with the grill.

 

[midwest]

I (along with many others) went to Harbor Freight and got a welding blanket. When I bought mine a few years ago they were around $20.00. I drape it over the cooker when I do long cooks in temps below 35 degrees or so. Helps with temp swings and probably saves a little on pellets over time. Definitely better than the $100.00 plus Traeger charges for insulated cover. Mine is a 780 pro and not insulated. Not sure how much affect it would have on one that is insulated.

 

[traeger860]

I (along with many others) went to Harbor Freight and got a welding blanket. When I bought mine a few years ago they were around $20.00. I drape it over the cooker when I do long cooks in temps below 35 degrees or so. Helps with temp swings and probably saves a little on pellets over time. Definitely better than the $100.00 plus Traeger charges for insulated cover. Mine is a 780 pro and not insulated. Not sure how much affect it would have on one that is insulated.

A cover would block the rear exhaust on an Ironwood or Timberline. They work great with the models that have smoke stacks though.

 

[YYCRed]

Like others have stated, as long as you provide protection from precipitation and wind, you should be good. The only thing to keep in mind other than that is that you will use more pellets as it has to burn more to keep the temp. I haven't seen any other issues and I have cooked in -25 temperatures.

 

[RayClem]

The Traeger will continue to work in frigid weather. However, I do not like cold, so I try not to schedule cooks when the temperature is below 40F. I do my cooking in warmer weather and fill my freezer for winter hibernation. Last january, we had one warm spell when the temperature were high enough to do a few cooks to replenish the freezer. It does not look like that is going to happen this year. Temperatures are expected to remain well below freezing here in Chicagoland through the end of the month so I will only venture out when I have to do so. Maybe February will offer some opportunities.

 

[LilTXinMT]

This is my first winter with at Traeger, and we have been well below zero for the last few days. Not looking to be above freezing for about 4 more days. My wife got me the insulated blanket for my Lil Tex for Christmas and I got it installed yesterday. Im going to do some trial stuff to see just how much extreme low temps effect my grille. I'm sure it will work just fine, with some additional pellet consumption, and maybe longer cook times.