“I’m following these recipes exactly and my meat is not done in the cooking time that is called for – what is going on? Is something wrong with my Smoker?”

Maybe. Maybe not.

If it is taking an hour or two longer than the recipe calls for, don’t worry about it. A man once said,”It’s done when it’s done.” I think that is good advice because there are so many variables involved so use the cooking times as mainly guidelines. I would suggest that you take notes on each cook and if you deviate from the recipe, write it down so you know that ribs in your oven are going to take five hours to cook instead of four like the book says. But if it is taking a lot longer and it doesn’t seem as if your oven is reaching the temperature you set, then there are some questions I would like to ask first:

(1) Are you using an extension cord? If so, what size? This is usually the reason that an oven will take a long time to cook. I encourage you to not use any cord but if you must, use at least a 12 gauge heavy duty extension cord.

(2) How much meat did you have in the oven and did you ever open the door to check on it? Keep in mind a fully loaded oven will take a longer amount of time to reach set temperature than an oven with just one or two pieces. Also,every time the door is opened, a good rule of thumb is to add 30 minutes cooking time.

(3) Have you checked the vent holes? A blocked or partially plugged vent, whether it is the top one where the smoke comes out or the bottom one for the grease to drain will keep the air from circulating properly and increase cooking time.

And finally, if your smoker is still not behaving properly, give us a call here at Cookhack (800) 423-0698. We want to keep you cooking for a long time – just not the same piece of meat!