Leveling Smoker

[BXMurphy]

I have a Weber SmokeFire that's on a slight slope. I use disposable foil trays to catch drippings and pour water in the trays because it makes me feel good.

Do you level off your smoker? If so, how?

Also... The trays warp out. Why am I pouring water in them? Do I need water? And if I don't need water, do I need a perfectly level smoker?

B

 

[DougE]

I run em whatever way they happen to be leaning

 

[DRKsmoking]

For me being a carpenter , and a little anal. Must be level for me.
But no big deal unless your butts are rolling out of the smoker

Others will have to explain about the water trays, I always have mine full to begin the smoke and try to keep topped up, for me helps with temps and moisture ( I think )

David

 

[Cabo]

My smoker leans slightly to the back. I put 1/4" pieces of plastic under the back legs to make it level.

 

[smokerjim]

Mine is not perfectly level but I try and get it as close as possible, I guess you could put a bottle of beer on top and use that as a level.

 

[cal1956]

perfectly level no , close yes my drip pan has a slight slope built in so even level it drains , also as heat rises it will go to the highest point in the cooking chamber , not a big deal but thats why mine is pretty close , i never use water pans

 

[SmokinAl]

The only time I worry about whether it’s level or not, is when I’m using the side burner on our Genesis. If your cooking something that has grease in it, the grease goes to one side of the pan, and I level the grill out so it stays even..
Al

 

[1MoreFord]

Somewhat depends on the cooker. I try to make sure the grease will drain properly and the like.

You can change the way offsets cook by how they are leveled. This especially is pertinent to reverse flows.

 

[thirdeye]

Do you level off your smoker? If so, how?

Oh boy, yes I do. I sometimes cook things in a foil pan, or a cast iron skillet and I use the minimum amount of liquid or melted butter, so it only takes about a second to notice that your juices are not even in the pan. My Eggs are on casters, so the quick fix is to level out the pan, not the cooker. I use metal shims on the low side.


The same goes for my outdoor stove, if it's not level it's harder to fry certain things, and my griddle won't drain into the grease tray. For my patio I have some metal discs from work that I painted yellow that I use for shims.

I use my pressure cooker in my garage, and the floor is only slightly off level, so a paint stir stick is perfect for shimming.

My drums are a whole different story because of the round base, and because I never know where I might be cooking on them. I have steel wedges (also yellow) that I got from work that taper from 1.5" down, and are about 7" long. I can level them in a couple of minutes and it's very stable. You can see one wedge, the second one is about 45° away and hidden.

 

[sawhorseray]

34 years a union carpenter, of course my smokers are level! RAY

 

[fxsales1959]

I have a Weber SmokeFire that's on a slight slope. I use disposable foil trays to catch drippings and pour water in the trays because it makes me feel good.

Do you level off your smoker? If so, how?

Also... The trays warp out. Why am I pouring water in them? Do I need water? And if I don't need water, do I need a perfectly level smoker?

B

i usually cook on the "warmer grate" (top) on my MB560. i bought two 9" steel "cake pans. I put them on the searing(bottom) grate as drip pans. i put water in them just to make cleaning easier. don't know if it makes a differnce.

 

[Nefarious]

I have a Weber SmokeFire that's on a slight slope. I use disposable foil trays to catch drippings and pour water in the trays because it makes me feel good.

Do you level off your smoker? If so, how?

Also... The trays warp out. Why am I pouring water in them? Do I need water? And if I don't need water, do I need a perfectly level smoker?

B

do you have access to the nuts that tighten the casters? If so you might be able to put a bolt between the caster and the smoker to control the height of the smoker.

 

[DougE]

do you have access to the nuts that tighten the casters? If so you might be able to put a bolt between the caster and the smoker to control the height of the smoker.

That would work given that it's a stud mount caster and not a plate mount, so long as the stud is long enough to do what you are saying.

 

[Nefarious]

That would work given that it's a stud mount caster and not a plate mount, so long as the stud is long enough to do what you are saying.

And if the stud isn't long enough, he could get longer ones from home depot or amazon. I had to get long studs for my smoke vault.

 

[gmc2003]

34 years a union carpenter, of course my smokers are level! RAY

61 years as a professional procrastinator, of course my smokers aren't level. Heck my stove isn't level.

Chris

 

[chopsaw]

I have a Weber SmokeFire that's on a slight slope.

Probably because all residential flat work falls away from structure , or it should .

 

[BXMurphy]

61 years as a professional procrastinator, of course my smokers aren't level. Heck my stove isn't level.

Chris

Happily, April is National Procrastinator's Month!

B

 

[BXMurphy]

Oh boy, yes I do. I sometimes cook things in a foil pan, or a cast iron skillet and I use the minimum amount of liquid or melted butter, so it only takes about a second to notice that your juices are not even in the pan. My Eggs are on casters, so the quick fix is to level out the pan, not the cooker. I use metal shims on the low side.
View attachment 631533

The same goes for my outdoor stove, if it's not level it's harder to fry certain things, and my griddle won't drain into the grease tray. For my patio I have some metal discs from work that I painted yellow that I use for shims.
View attachment 631534
I use my pressure cooker in my garage, and the floor is only slightly off level, so a paint stir stick is perfect for shimming.
View attachment 631535
My drums are a whole different story because of the round base, and because I never know where I might be cooking on them. I have steel wedges (also yellow) that I got from work that taper from 1.5" down, and are about 7" long. I can level them in a couple of minutes and it's very stable. You can see one wedge, the second one is about 45° away and hidden.
View attachment 631536

Nice setup you got there. Thanks for the pix.

Where'd you get the wedgies; online?

Murph

 

[BXMurphy]

And if the stud isn't long enough, he could get longer ones from home depot or amazon.

Smoking studs?

 

[Nefarious]

Smoking studs?

Yea, it depends on if you want a permanent solution or if you want to readjust it every time. Since the smokefire is on wheels, I doubt the wedges will work well. If you don't get what I wrote, I can add a picture.

And, I guess all smokers are studs of some sort.