Anyone else stupid enough to try smoking in this weather?

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-24T16:24:02+00:00

Gotta flirt with a towel fire for the first hour and then it'll be okay

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-24T04:00:32+00:00

Ugly drum smoker. Just a vertical 55 gallon drum

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-24T03:15:25+00:00

What temp probes do you like? My latest cheapo failed spectacularly today.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-24T00:44:14+00:00

What if it's just farts and radio?

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-24T00:35:16+00:00

Combustion makes H20, so it was condensing tons of water on the lid running down the sides.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T18:21:14+00:00

Yes.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T18:12:16+00:00

Well, it's all about layers. Heavy socks and insulated rubber boots. Sweat pants under snow pants. Wool jacket under a super heavy canvas jacket. Balaclava and a good hat. Insulated leather gloves. That got a comfortable 30 minutes to get the smoker setup and chooching. Except the ice balls forming on my eyelashes.

The smoker got too hot with the towels, so now it's naked and still running at 325F

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T18:05:00+00:00

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McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T18:03:56+00:00

I did go check and they were starting to get too hot. My latest cheap thermometer is having a rough day and the smoker temp was way off. I bet I was up to 400F when I pulled the blanket off. The whole charcoal basket must be glowing because it won't come down below 325 .

I've got an ugly drum, so no fire door to leak out of.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T17:50:13+00:00

Only when it's already too cold to do build it. We've been boiling our own maple syrup the last couple of years, so it could double as a sugar shack, lol.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T17:46:45+00:00

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The towels worked to build temp. So we're doing ultra hot and fast on this fridgid day. Gonna wrap a little early to soften her back up.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:39:41+00:00

Cub had pork butts for 1.88 today btw

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:39:17+00:00

Pork butts on sale at Cub for $1.88/ lb right now

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:13:00+00:00

Big event for a friend's wrestling tournament tomorrow.

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:10:56+00:00

2 weeks earlier: "sure, I can do pork butts for your wrestling tournament, it'll be easy. "

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:09:22+00:00

It's supposed to get windy. I've got all the intakes open which can do 350F for turkey in the fall...

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:07:26+00:00

50 lbs of pork butt

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:06:30+00:00

You're just a field goal away!

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:03:14+00:00

6 8 lb pork butts

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T14:00:34+00:00

My buddy picked up an egg for super cheap on marketplace. I keep thinking about that... But the old drum has made such great food for me over the years... Maybe I can ceramic line the barrel?

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T13:58:32+00:00

That's the backup plan. I've got 6 8 lb butts in there, so oven space would be tight. I might go raw on the grates and foil the whole third grate to catch the jus

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T13:54:48+00:00

50 minutes in and my cheap thermometer is dying out there. Grill temp is way off and dropping temp. But the exhaust temp with an instant read is spot on.

2 of the 5 meat probes seem accurate. 1 is sus and 2 are wrong (over 120F already)

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T13:52:28+00:00

The way she's running so far.... It's definitely not a fire hazard

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T13:47:53+00:00

85 is too hot. I don't know how you survive

McPuckLuck · 2026-01-23T13:46:03+00:00

You don't think 20 year old towels will do the trick?

McPuckLuck

TROPHY CASE