#2 arrived today!

[JMSparty08]

Hello all, new here and new to smoking.  Just got the Model 2 today and will season according to instructions noted here.  Already picking up some valuable info about things I need and how to do my first smoke and I'm sure I'll have many more questions as I learn. 

But my first question (and I didn't find an answer in a search) is the use of these smokers when it's raining.  We're looking forward to making something for Sunday, but the forecast is rain all day.  I had planned smoke on my back deck, but am worried about using an electric smoker in the rain.  Any issues doing that?  Any recommendations?  I was thinking of maybe getting one of those cheap tailgating tents to put over it, but maybe that's overkill?

 

[LarryD]

You have a 12 foot power cord, so hopefully that will let you get the end of the plug safely out of the rain.  Otherwise, cover up the rheostat (temperature control) and you should be good.  The stainless steel shouldn't be hurt at all, though I would wipe it dry once the rain stops.

Some have used the sticky cling wrap, some just put a plastic bowl over it.  In my case the I just put the smoker right up against my garage and under the eve.  I think some folks have used bricks, can goods, etc. around the smoke hole as pillars so they could stick a board or similar above the hole without blocking it.  Unless it's raining really hard, I don't personally think that would be necessary, though.

Congrats and welcome to the family!  The #2 is an awesome smoker.

 

[JMSparty08]

Thank you!

Another question: Safe to use on wood deck? Our house has wood siding and has a wood deck with wood railing. Obviously, I'll keep it as day away from vertical surfaces as possible, but my wife is still nervous about leaving an electric smoker overnight (on days where we do a large brisket) on the back deck to smoke meats. I told her there shouldn't be anything to worry about since it's electric and there's no flame, but am I right?

 

[LarryD]

It's perfectly safe right up next to your house and on your deck.  Mine sits on my patio with the back right up to the wooden garage wall.

The wood you use to smoke goes inside a closed fire box that has very little chance of letting anything out.  That fire box goes inside the smoker which is a large, insulated, stainless steel box.  The only place a hot coal could possibly escape would be for it to somehow get out of the fire box (almost impossible) and fall just precisely into the drain hole in the bottom of the smoker.  That drain hole is much smaller than a dime, so the coal would have to be even smaller.  At that point the coal would fall into a stainless steel pan where it would promptly die.

Your bigger/real risk is that you will splatter stuff on your deck when you're putting food into your smoker or taking it out.  I have stuff drip/fall on my patio all the time (rub, marinade, etc.) when putting stuff in and grease/juice drip when I'm taking stuff out.  Fortunately, my patio is rock and not covered where it drips so it mostly cleans itself up.  If I were on a deck I'd put down some kind of splatter mat whether that's a door mat, a piece of cardboard, or a fancy mat like sold on the Smokin-It site just to protect the look of the deck.

All of that said, you could actually get flame inside of the fire box.  Sometimes the wood gets hot enough and enough oxygen gets into the smoker that it can ignite.  You'll be able to tell post-smoke.  If what you are left with is ashes then your wood caught on fire.  If what you are left with is charcoal then it didn't.  In any case, you're still perfectly safe...  the fire box contains it and the relatively low oxygen environment inside the smoker keeps it from going crazy.  There is ongoing debate about whether it impacts the flavor of the food if your wood catches fire.  I've found that putting a double think piece of foil in the bottom of the firebox (between the wood and firebox) and poking smaller holes in it where the firebox holes exist will keep it from igniting 99.8% of the time.

 

[old sarge]

Hello all, new here and new to smoking.  Just got the Model 2 today and will season according to instructions noted here.  Already picking up some valuable info about things I need and how to do my first smoke and I'm sure I'll have many more questions as I learn. 

But my first question (and I didn't find an answer in a search) is the use of these smokers when it's raining.  We're looking forward to making something for Sunday, but the forecast is rain all day.  I had planned smoke on my back deck, but am worried about using an electric smoker in the rain.  Any issues doing that?  Any recommendations?  I was thinking of maybe getting one of those cheap tailgating tents to put over it, but maybe that's overkill?

From the FAQ section on the home page:
Q: Is it safe to operate the smoker in any type of weather?
A: Your smoker can be used safely in rain or snow. We recommend a sheltered, well-ventilated location while in use during bad weather. We recommend a cover for protection of your smoker when not in use.

And welcome to the forum from SE Arizona.

 

[JMSparty08]

It's perfectly safe right up next to your house and on your deck.  Mine sits on my patio with the back right up to the wooden garage wall.

The wood you use to smoke goes inside a closed fire box that has very little chance of letting anything out.  That fire box goes inside the smoker which is a large, insulated, stainless steel box.  The only place a hot coal could possibly escape would be for it to somehow get out of the fire box (almost impossible) and fall just precisely into the drain hole in the bottom of the smoker.  That drain hole is much smaller than a dime, so the coal would have to be even smaller.  At that point the coal would fall into a stainless steel pan where it would promptly die.

Your bigger/real risk is that you will splatter stuff on your deck when you're putting food into your smoker or taking it out.  I have stuff drip/fall on my patio all the time (rub, marinade, etc.) when putting stuff in and grease/juice drip when I'm taking stuff out.  Fortunately, my patio is rock and not covered where it drips so it mostly cleans itself up.  If I were on a deck I'd put down some kind of splatter mat whether that's a door mat, a piece of cardboard, or a fancy mat like sold on the Smokin-It site just to protect the look of the deck.

All of that said, you could actually get flame inside of the fire box.  Sometimes the wood gets hot enough and enough oxygen gets into the smoker that it can ignite.  You'll be able to tell post-smoke.  If what you are left with is ashes then your wood caught on fire.  If what you are left with is charcoal then it didn't.  In any case, you're still perfectly safe...  the fire box contains it and the relatively low oxygen environment inside the smoker keeps it from going crazy.  There is ongoing debate about whether it impacts the flavor of the food if your wood catches fire.  I've found that putting a double think piece of foil in the bottom of the firebox (between the wood and firebox) and poking smaller holes in it where the firebox holes exist will keep it from igniting 99.8% of the time.

Good to know. Thank you!  And I did read about lining the firebox with foil and I plan to do that. 

I guess I should have waited to ask my question until after the seasoning process.  I did that yesterday per the instructions here on this site and felt the smoker as it was running and realized that the exterior doesn't even really get warm to the touch with the exception of the vent hole at the top (but still not hot enough to cause injury). 

And thank you for the tip about splatter.  Wife would kill me if our newly painted deck got grease all over.  I'll make sure that I'm putting down some cardboard or something to protect it. I'll save some pieces of the box to take care of that.

 

[pappabear]

To make it really nice to use, I got a 2'x3' stainless steel table with wheels from eBay. If you do this  just take the casters off the smoker.

 

[JMSparty08]

To make it really nice to use, I got a 2'x3' stainless steel table with wheels from eBay. If you do this  just take the casters off the smoker.

Good to know.  While I obviously like Smokin It smokers, I have to say that their prices for the accessories are a bit in the "are you kidding me?" territory.  I looked at the cart they sell and saw the price. 

 

[pappabear]

A stainless steel table is about $80-90, and it puts the smoker at a very nice height to work with.