Pre-heating

[bluecatpride]

Why can I not pre-heat my smoker? If I cannot pre-heat can I use something like I did in the tunimg process to get it to desired temp?

 

[Grampy]

Why do you want to preheat your smoker? There is no set rule that says you can not preheat your smoker if you want to. There is just no need to. However, if it makes you feel better to preheat your smoker, then by all means preheat it and smoke away!

 

[bluecatpride]

Thanks. Just found site on cooking steaks and then reverse searing them. It says to preheat smoket so was juse wondering.

 

[Durangosmoker]

As Grampy said, if you want to preheat, go ahead. Whatever works for you is good. I, however, don't preheat; here's why.  Meat only absorbs smoke up to an IT of about 140 degrees F., and because I like a relatively strong smoke flavor, the longer I can keep the meat in the smoke before it reaches 140, the better, as far as I am concerned. So the time from when the wood starts to smolder to the time when it gets to the set box temp is pure gold to me.  Hope that makes sense. 

By the way, I'm smoking a strip steak for dinner tonight... no pre heating.