Wintering Over

Ashes
Where are you located the SOUTH POLE?
We can't help if we don"t know where you are. Never heard of a place I couldn't Que.

Papa Shaka

And another fine testimonial for owning a CookShack. We can smoke 12 months a year (although a few of our northern friends have to dig a path to the smoker -- it still works perfect in cold weather).

I'd invest in a moderate Vacu-Sealer, you can certainly do some "pre-cooks" to hsmoke your food and then reheat in the oven. Won't be perfect, but it will be good.

Smokin'

Absolutely, I've done some of my best Qing in the dead of winter. Certainly no reason to retire the Cookshack. It cooks as well at 0� as it does at 90�. As long as the cook has the proper anti-freeze.

Maybe he ain't got a Cookshack. On the other hand, when I lived in Minneapolis I used my Brinkman gas-fired smoker year round outdoors, and I knew a number of people who used electric bullet smokers in their garages (with the door open). One family's tradition was smoked turkey on New Year's Day.

Ashes, it's not a good idea to partially pre-cook meat & poultry for extended storage. The USDA says, "Some people like to cook food partially in the microwave oven or on the stove to reduce smoking time. Partially cook meat or poultry ahead of time only if the food goes immediately from the microwave or stove to the hot smoker. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows harmful bacteria to survive and multiply to the point that subsequent cooking cannot destroy them. And once food is in the smoker, cook until it reaches a safe temperature as determined with a food thermometer."