Gene,
I hear ya on the cord in the cold issue! Those stock cords get stiff as a board in the cold! I just "upgraded" the cord on the smoker, and Auber, to a true sub-zero cord. I bought a 25' one at Lowe's. Don't remember the brand, but it's guaranteed soft down to like -58° or something crazy...guess they should have just said "Guaranteed soft down to Minnesota temperatures!" LoL! I'll find out this winter how it works! You can see the cord setup in the pic: Short 3' one out of the smoker, and the rest wired into the Auber (this does require soldering).