Looking for a way to use your BBQ smoker in winter? Learn how to insulate your smoker so you can use it all year round.
You may be looking for ways to insulate your barbecue smoker because you don’t want to have a good time quitting. Smoking meat is something that has been practiced for a long time. It’s a great way to salt meat and give it a smoky flavor.
Smoking food gives it an intense taste. Nothing compares to foods that have been slow cooked and smoked. Unfortunately, some smokers aren’t properly insulated so they don’t hold back the smoke, affecting the quality of the meat. You will find that grilling requires a certain level of skill as well as the right equipment. In this article we take a look at how to isolate your smoker from your grill.
Why should you isolate your smoker?
Isolating the smoker from your grill is a necessary step that will make your cooking process more effective. The fact that it’s an outdoor cooking appliance means it’s vulnerable to nature’s dying elements. When the cold winter months arrive, whether accompanied by low temperatures or a mix of precipitation and cold winds, they can potentially become dangerous for your BBQ smokers.
Your smoker’s insulation helps retain and generate heat in rain, snow, ice, dust, dirt and even sunshine. The goal of smoking meat is to have a constant source of heat over long periods of time. This is how you manage to give your food the unique taste that smoking brings with it.
Insulating jackets
There are several ways to ensure your grill doesn’t lose its essence. One of those ways is by wearing insulated jackets. In most cases, they consist of a fabric coated with aluminum or silicone. These two materials trap heat to provide insulation. Also, aluminum reflects heat and is one of the best ways to insulate a grill.
You can make your own insulated jacket or simply buy one. The ultimate goal is to achieve the highest heat retention and the most efficient way to retain all smoke. This is particularly useful in winter when cold and heat can escape easily.
Advantages
- Insulated jackets are easy to find
- They work well with upright smokers.
- Easy to use
Disadvantages
- The mantle burns when it covers the combustion chamber.
- They have to be accurate.
Insulating blankets
Another way to retain heat and ignite smoke is to use an insulating blanket. While these two may seem like they are the same, they are not. The main difference lies in the positioning of the aluminum layer. With the jacket, the aluminum layer is on the outer layer. In the case of the insulating blanket, however, the lining is inside the blanket.
Although there is a difference in the way they are isolated, the result is quickly the same. The great thing about using an insulating blanket is that you can use it on almost any grill. You don’t need a specific size like you would with an insulated jacket. All you have to do is wrap the blanket around the smoker to retain the heat generated. Wrap it tight enough to cover the smoker, being careful to avoid the firebox.
Advantages
- One size fits all means no custom fit is required
- it is easy to use
- It effectively keeps the heat inside.
Disadvantages
- If you don’t wrap it properly, it may not fit securely and thus fail its purpose.
Sweat blankets
Combining excellent heat retention and insulation against cold winter temperatures, adding a sweat blanket to your smoker offers a surprising option for fans of winter grilling.
Another way to insulate your smoker from the grill is to use your option of sweat blankets. It’s an automatic replacement if you don’t have an insulating jacket or blanket. These are specially made to protect a welder from flying sparks while welding. They retain heat and also cover the person handling the heat source, all crucial qualities for an insulating blanket.
A sweat blanket works in a similar way to an insulating blanket; You don’t have to get a custom fit. All you have to do is wrap the blanket around the smoker and make sure it fits snugly and snugly.
How to insulate the firebox of your grill
Although the insulating blanket and mantle should be kept away from the combustion chamber; You can still isolate. The difference is that YOU have to be careful and use specific materials. You must use a refractory material and cement board for excellent work. A cement wall insulates the combustion chamber from the inside and not from the outside like the insulating blanket and mantle.
To isolate the combustion chamber, make sure it is turned off. Then measure the inside walls of the firebox so you know what measurements you need for the cement board. With these measurements, you can then mark and cut out the measurements on the board. Once YOU cut out the sides of the wall, YOU use the boards to line the inside of the firebox.
The reason for using a cement board is that it is made of a very resistant material to the heat that the smoke brings. Several manufacturers produce cement boards. Before you decide to use it near your food, you should consider how safe the ingredients are near the food and how they will heat up over the longest hours.
Verdict
Detaching the smoker from your grill will give you a better result. Although there are several types of insulation, the ones listed above are the most common. We prefer to use an insulating blanket because YOU don’t have to worry about whether it fits or not. Even if you change the type of your barbecue smoker, you can still use the same insulation. Which method you choose depends on you and your needs.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
