Cooking on WSM in the rain?


 
W

WPKillmer

New member
Can cooking on the WSM in the rain be done? I've done 2 cooks on mine so far, and have been planning to smoke 5 racks of baby backs, a 7ish lb pork butt, and some chicken thighs on my 22.5" next Saturday for my daughter's 2nd birthday. However, the forecast is calling for rain all day next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Assuming a regular flow of rain, is it even possible to cook on my WSM? Or should I come up with a plan b? Thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum, WP. :)

I, for one, cannot smoke in the rain with decent results - and that includes using some sort of partial shelter too. Every time the mist of rain hits my smokers, the temps will drop to within 180° to 200°, and it takes a while for the smoker to recover after the rain has stopped. Actually, I guess I should have said that occasional rain tends to dampen my cooking times, but with my setup, I wouldn't attempt it if the forecast called for all day rain.

I can only go by my personal experiences. Others may disagree.
 
I've done it in my garage, but it's detached about 25' from the house. Leave the 16' door open and I have good cross ventilation with a side door and window which has a big ceiling mounted fan forcing the air out.
A few years ago my Boys bought me one of these.
6930707000291.jpg

And that's where I store all my grills and smokers and it works great in the rain and snow.

Tim
 
If the rain is light then you can adjust vents and achieve normal smoking temps. Temperature tends to vary as the rain does, though, if that bothers you (some people obsess about temperature control). Otherwise a cover of some sort is called for.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Now that you mention it, smoking in the rain would cause the lid to cool off (a bit) and the result would be condensation (producing liquid smoke) in the smoker...hmm.

My set up is that I smoke under my 2nd story deck and hang a welding blanket around the WSM. I've used the blanket almost every tie because of the wind. When it's windier than usual I set up a 4' plywood wall on the upwind side.

Eventually, I want to make one of those Outhouse-style smoke sheds. The design I want to make uses door hinges on the corners so I can pop them out and fold (stack against the wall in the garage) the entire thing flat when not in use (like in storage).
 
timothy said:
I've done it in my garage, but it's detached about 25' from the house. Leave the 16' door open and I have good cross ventilation with a side door and window which has a big ceiling mounted fan forcing the air out.
A few years ago my Boys bought me one of these.
6930707000291.jpg

And that's where I store all my grills and smokers and it works great in the rain and snow.

Tim
Click to expand...



I really like that !!!!!!
 
In a torrential downpour- probably not

But I've ran my WSM in pretty hard rain by moving my patio set umbrella over it. I lash the umbrella pole to the fence that is situated directly behind my smoker. This keeps the worst of it off of the lid. If a little spray hits the side, no biggie...
 
Rusty James said:
Tim, how big is that vented shed?
Click to expand...

It's 8' wide by 6' deep. It's called a grill gazebo, usually around $199.00 but they got at the end of the year when Meijer ( which is like Wal-mart, only nicer) was clearing out the outdoor stuff for $99.00.

Tim
 
I have that same hamburger flipper. Another Meijer special.

I'll have to keep an eye out for the end of season closeouts. I could use a covered area for the outdoor cooking equipment.
 
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