Food cooks unevenly (hot spots and cold spots inside smoker)

Safety first: Use heat-resistant gloves when rearranging racks during a cook.

Steps:

• Load balancing: Avoid crowding one side of the smoker. Distribute food evenly across racks and leave space between items for airflow.
• Rack position: Use middle rack positions for most cooking. Avoid placing delicate items directly above the element.
• Rotate food: For long cooks, rotate racks front-to-back and top-to-bottom midway through to even out any hot spots.
• Clean interior: Remove heavy grease deposits that can affect heat flow.