Hi all! New to smoking and was wondering if there are any tips or tricks to using my new 640 at 6,000 feet plus in elevation. It’s also windy here most of the time should I be concerned about wind directly hitting the fan area? So far I’ve used it for direct grilling successfully, but have failed to smoke anything successfully. The first failure was a 7lbs. pork butt 16 hours and stalled at 185 degrees and took it off too early. Second failure was a 13lbs brisket followed the all things bbq recipe for Texas style brisket, 19 hours stalled at 195 degrees and took it off to rest. About 4 inches of the flat was jerky lol! Should I be smoking at higher temps due to the altitude?
There is nothing required for higher elevations, as the controller will adjust as required. I have cooked at sea level and at 8000+ feet above sea level with no issues at all.
As far as wind, I have only had a problem one time with wind. The wind was blowing 40 to 50 MPH directly in to the hopper fan opening. The cooker was working fine, but struggling to get to temperature until I moved it so the wind wasn't like a leaf blower blowing into the fan opening on the hopper.
The best advice I can give you is to not cook to temperature with tough cuts of meat, i.e., pork butt, brisket, chuck roast, ribs, etc. Cook until the meat tells you it is done, when it probes tender. I believe the Texas brisket video you mentioned shows what I mean.
Keep on smoking.
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