Has anybody considered additional insulation for their Amerique? I used to run a smokin' tex in a plastic shed enclosure during the winter months. I never had any trouble laying my temperature readout on top of the unit during a cook, and the walls just never seemed to get very hot. I just took my Amerique up to 300 degrees to cook some wings and the walls were uncomfortably warm. Just wondering if I am going to face significant heat loss when the winter winds come?

It's the same insulation for all the CS. You really won't gain much by trying to improve 800degree insulation so guess we need to consider the symptom.

Plenty of CS's operation in the cold (Canada, Alakska) year round with no issue.

Where was it feeling warm? Around the front, door edges?

I've got an Amerique and a 008 and neither get even slightly warm from cooking, but they'll get downright hot from the sun. Too hot to touch. Is that a possibility for you? I've cooked on both of mine in temps as low as 0*F and have seen no change in cook times either.

Definitely not the sun, and as I recall it was warm on the sides and top. Didn't consider heat leaking through the door. After all of the years cooking with my smoking tex', I was somewhat surprised to feel any heat at all.

Guess I will pay more attention during the next cook and try to get a temperature reading.

http://www.lamaine.com/bbq/index.html

read this link and you will have a better understanding of Cookshack instead of the cheap knock off Smokin Tex.

Enjoy

If you continue to have problems with the temperature, give me a call here at Cookshack and we can go over a couple of things to check.
(800) 423-0698

Bill
Cookshack Customer Service

Thanks, Bill. I am hoping to fire her up today or tomorrow; I will try to get some external temps with my thermapen. I do appreciate the support, hope to check in with you soon.

After running the unit at 300 degrees for 90 minutes it is definitely too hot to handle. I could hold my palm on the left hand side for almost ten seconds; on the right hand side (my right hand facing the unit) I couldn't do five, and the top side gives a burning sensation to my fingertips. Again, I am just trying to find out if this is normal, because I had no problem leaving the temperature readout unit on the top of my smokin tex throughout an eighteen hour cook. I definitely wouldn't put anything plastic on top of this cooker right now.

Evening time, no direct sunlight, outside temp about 85.

twofer.

I don't think the heat is a problem for the operation of the smoker and normally wouldn't get that hot.

The issue won't affect how the smoker works unless it didn't have ANY insulation.

Could be the insulation in that part of the smoker has an issue. If it gets moist, wet or other problems, it would affect it's ability to work.

But if you're concerned about it, call CS and discuss.

Discussed the situation with CS, culprit could be moisture intrusion around the top vents. As usual, they are taking steps to address and solve the problem.