Meat Smoker & Barbecue Resources

Smokers Shelter

November 19th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

If you’re really serious about cooking good smoked meat, you definitely need to have a smokers shelter so that the weather will not affect your smoking. A smokers shelter can either be a permanent settings or just a temporary one and they are usually made of three, four or five sides.

For general protection from the wind, a three-sided structure will usually suffice but the sides should be a minimum of two feet from the sides of the smoker. The materials used on the smokers shelter can be whatever you desire, but if it is to be temporary should be light enough to be installed quickly.

If planning a four-sided shelter you must also plan for an entry and exit and you will need to insure it allows for rapid exit if the need arises. A smokers shelter with five sides should have a gap where the walls meet the roof to allow for proper ventilation. A small pavilion-style building with removable sides makes an ideal smokers shelter and the permanent nature of the roof provides more stability.

How To Cook Smoothly With A Smokers Shelter Even If The Weather Is Bad?

While cold weather will have an effect on the amount of fuel used in your smoker, the wind is the real culprit in maintaining a constant temperature.

The wind may blow the heat out of the cooker and may also get in through the vents, lighting more fuel, driving the temperature up. A smokers shelter designed to block the smoker from the wind will help keep you cooking regardless of the weather.

How Do Smokers Shelter Works?

There are those who have built a smokers shelter to surround their smoker during use, and then decided to leave it in place when not using it. They have all advised to line the inside of the box with aluminum foil to help reflect the heat back to the smoker. Additionally, three-inch holes on two opposing walls of the enclosure will typically provide enough air as well as one three-inch hole at the top to allow for the exhaust.

You can also use an insulated jacket as a substitute for a smokers shelter to keep the wind from affecting the smoking process provided that the material can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. You will need to wrap the entire smoker and only allow enough room at the top for the exhaust for the smoker to smoking to work properly.