I started the smoker this morning at 28 degrees and its come up in temp since then. Perfect smoking weather for summer sausage. I like some smoke on the sausage but I don't like it tasting like it just came out of a house fire. Today is perfect. I don't look for a lot of heat either and will finish the sticks in the oven until they reach an internal temp of 152 degrees, then they go right out to hang in the garage a couple days.