Reflective Coating

[DonOtt]

Hey folks....

Looking out at my deck and seeing 3 - 4 feet of snow makes me cringe and confirms that I need to make an enclosure for my OBS once the snow clears away.

For those of you who have already built one and deal with smoking in colder climates, or if you just have an opinion about it, when building an enclosure from wood (Cedar), do/would you line the inside of said enclosure with a reflective insulating material? Would it keep things warmer inside? Keep heat away from the wood?

In a cold climate with the smoker outside, how much smoking do you do in the winter?

[Saber 4]

If you put enough space around it you shouldn't need it, venting the smoke out is the only place you will have some heat. The Bradley is pretty well insulated, you can touch the outside with a bare hand while smoking and it's not even very warm except around the vent hole. Wind seems to be the biggest enemy it has in cold weather. Others have built some really neat cabinets and rooms for theirs and they should be along shortly. You can also do a little searching on the forum and find some similar threads with pictures and discussions on many of the homemade enclosures.

[Salmonsmoker]

Don, you won't get enough heat exiting your smoker through it's walls to be an issue with the enclosure you're going to build. A reflective material inside won't be of any benefit in the heat saving department. One of the main functions of the enclosure is to keep the wind off of the smoker, as a breeze/wind can strip the heat out fast enough to make temperature recovery impossible.

[DonOtt]

Excellent....makes the build a bit easier.

GO AWAY SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   >:(

[tskeeter]

Don, several folks, including me, use one of a variety of snap together plastic storage sheds to house their smokers.  Some are small, just big enough for the smoker.  Others are larger.  I think mine is about 7 feet wide and 3 feet deep.  I chose a bigger storage shed so I would have room for the turkey fryer, camp oven, spare propane tanks, and the like.

I went the plastic route because it was about the same cost as buying the materials to build a shed, because the wife and I could slap it together in about an hour, and because the wall and roof colors were a pretty good match for the house.

[manfromplaid]

this is what i set up. i use it in the cold weather and there is no heat on the walls to worry about.a small ceramic heater gives enough warmth to work without gloves.  lots of options  good luck

[TNRockyraccoon]

[/URL]

That's a sweet smokehouse! Love your work area and storage.

[DonOtt]

this is what i set up. i use it in the cold weather and there is no heat on the walls to worry about.a small ceramic heater gives enough warmth to work without gloves.  lots of options  good luck

Nice set up.