Garage Rigging / Smokin in the Rain

[STLstyle]

I've got 14lbs of butt that needs to hit the smoker tomorrow with thunderstorms in the forecast.  This got me wondering about all the talented folks out there who smoke in the garage.  Any pics of permanent vented garage setups out there?  This rain has me looking for some ideas.  I'd love to see...

[hal4uk]

I'm one of those that recommends against the idea ---
BUT lots of folks here do it with no trouble.

Just remember Murphy's Law (and your family)...
Your call.
Awrighten.

[viper125]

Well hal4uk does have a good point. But a detached garage is the first consideration. my second was I never leave the area or sleep whiles its going. I use my Auber Pid, my maverick 732 I set alarms for temps above unexpected. If I cant see the cooker I can see my maverick. I have several fire extinguishers placed in strategic areas. And with all this I feel fairly safe and haven't had no problems. Oh yes i forgot a biig one. Every thing is out and cleaned before the next smoke. absolutely no grease build up to start a fire. And when smoking chickens or greasy items I empty all grease regularly. So with that all said and that i don't recommend it here's mine.

it's vented thru a roof chimney using my 3 " PVC to extend into pipe. I get no smoke into garage at all. Except when I open door which I do at times because I like the smell there. LOL

[STLstyle]

Thanks Hal4uk.  Point taken.  Murphey's Law hit me today.  First time I parked my truck outside the garage in a year = Hail storm.

I have a detach garage (and home owner's insurance  ;)) which makes this garage smoking a little more tempting however.   

Viper 125 - That's exactly what I'm talking about!  Very nice.  Any pics of the venting pvc / pipe combo?  Did you take it out the side of the garage with flexible?

That looks like 4'' pvc vs. 3'' correct?  What's the seal made of connecting to the smoker?

[hal4uk]

Yeah.. "Detached" makes a lot of difference. 
(as well as common sense precautions)...
Some others will be along soon with pics their setups (lots of folks here DO THIS --- but, make no mistake, they are careful about it)

What part of STL are you in?

[hal4uk]

Ohh... One more thing...
(I saw your avatar)

Welcome to the SEC, BROTHER!   ;D   ;)

[Mr Walleye]

STLstyle

I'm one who has 2 built in smokers in a heated detached garage. Although I really hate looking at the photo that Hal posted for many reasons but mainly because it doesn't tell the story of what occurred. Although fires are rare, you have to respect and acknowledge the risks. I have yet to hear about a fire that occurred for no apparent reason. Usually operator error.

My setup works perfectly and works perfectly safe for a number of reasons.
- my smoke generator is mounted in a permanent cold smoke setup. In other words there is no way for grease to drip on smoldering spent pucks.
- I always clean my V-pan after every use. This protects against the V-pan drain plugging and potentially leaking onto the elements. In addition, when doing things like butts, occasionally scrape the V-pan to ensure it hasn't plugged the drain hole. (I think someone mentioned that the never units have a V-pan with a larger drain hole.)
- Never, and I'll repeat, never allow your meat to be touching the walls of the smoker, especially the back of the smoker. What happens is the grease can run down the wall and potentially get onto the elements.

In addition to this my big smoker also runs redundant controllers that operate as a high limit to add a further safety.

So.. my 2 cents is, through proper safe practices, procedures, and maintenance you can eliminate the majority of the problems that cause a fire in the first place. However, if you don't... well... you can end up with a photo like Hal posted.

We all use ovens and stoves in our homes. How many people use a pan or pot of oil on the stove. Certainly not the safest thing but it is done on a regular basis. In addition, I don't know about your neck of the woulds but around here our butcher shops all have smokers built into their shops as well. There are proper ways to do it but if your not going to take all the precautions then the risk will be higher.

Mike

[STLstyle]

Hal4uk,
I'm from St. Charles, MO.  Thanks for the info and thanks for the warm welcome to the SEC.  Maybe the Tigers can meet the Cats in the Final 4?  That would sure be nice to see...

Mike,
Thanks for the tips.
I'll make sure to take that all into consideration if I make the move.

[viper125]

Thanks Hal4uk.  Point taken.  Murphey's Law hit me today.  First time I parked my truck outside the garage in a year = Hail storm.

I have a detach garage (and home owner's insurance  ;)) which makes this garage smoking a little more tempting however.   

Viper 125 - That's exactly what I'm talking about!  Very nice.  Any pics of the venting pvc / pipe combo?  Did you take it out the side of the garage with flexible?

That looks like 4'' pvc vs. 3'' correct?  What's the seal made of connecting to the smoker?

No it's 3" PVC and the adapter on top is nothing more then the floor adapter that bolts to the floor you fasten your toilet to. Fits good and has slots that allow me to adjust my vent if needed. My chimney is a old metal one that was for a gas heater. It's 4-5 inch pipe. It goes thru the attic and out the roof. PVC would be fine for this though. I simply inserted my pVC about 12 inches into the inside of the pipe. Not sealed or any thing. The draft pulls the smoke up fine. Also I dont fasten the adapter to the smoker , it just sits on top. This way I can just lift and insert probes. I have my Auber probes thru the top. My mavericks I either put thru the top or thru the door depends. But normally all 4 go thru the top. I just unplug my maverick and take inside and leave probes in it mostly. Not being fastened seems to work better for me as its more versatile. Plus the draft from the chimney pulls all the smoke out just fine. I havnt even cemented the pipes together as there is no need to. I would recommend if you do this put a tee at the bottom of the drop to allow for moisture to drop through. As humidity builds on walls and some times runs back. Not a problem most the time just something I prefer.

[viper125]

Also I'm with Mr Walleye. I run an electric stove, even a gas stove for over 50 years with no problems. But others because of their own mistakes burn houses down with the same stoves. My electric oven has a electric coil exposed in the bottom. To me thats more dangerous then the Bradley. Of coarse removing the burning wood from the cabinet makes it a lot safer too. A little oil on steal burns off and usually thats it. But put the same on a piece of wood and light and you have a fire. All the bigger restaurants here have electric smokers built in their kitchens.

[TedEbear]

I'm from St. Charles, MO.  Thanks for the info and thanks for the warm welcome to the SEC.  Maybe the Tigers can meet the Cats in the Final 4?  That would sure be nice to see...

Small world.  I work in St. Charles, live in west St. Louis county. I attended college at Kansas State.  Missouri basketball fans probably remember them from several meetings this season.   :)

Anyway, I put my smoker on my covered front porch if it looks like it will rain during a cooking session.

[4given]

I'm using mine on the front porch day because of the rain. It will be fine and I will bethere to watch it. ;)

[viper125]

Don't get me wrong wasn't trying to say any thing wrong. I would never presume to tell some one what to do just a friendly warning. I  hope you didnt take it the wrong way.

I'm using mine on the front porch day because of the rain. It will be fine and I will bethere to watch it. ;)

[CoreyMac]

Here's my rig in the garage. Like you said, don't venture away from it or sleep and things are perfect. Makes the garage smell REAL nice ;)

[Toker]

I'M the worst over here i think, i'm using mine into my kitchen. Never had any trouble at all.