Smoker wind break

[uncle_lar]

Holy cow, guys!! I thought it was windy here. Apparently, I have it better than I thought.

And I have a nwe found respect for you folks you live in those states and still smoke in the wind, that's for sure!!

Dave[/quote]

and on top of trying to smoke in all this wind! we have to Golf in it too!!!!
and spring doesnt want to get here! it was in the 30s today!!

 

[fire it up]

Very nice johnd, you get points for that one. Snow like that and I'm thawing out a fattie and not even thinking of firing up the smoker.
What were you smoking, do you remember?

 

[morkdach]

no such thing as portable unless ya catch it on the rebound in kansas. so heres what i did shove it in a out house lol.





after & befor pics. good luck.

 

[johnd]

Fire it up, That picture was taken superbowl night about halftime. -12* I had a pork loin a fatty and some armadillo eggs on. Didn't get any finished pics.

 

[mofo]

Nice setup there Terry...

 

[smoke freak]

OK guys. Im smack dab in the middle of Kansas . The town Im in is so flat you can see from one side to the other. My point? I know the wind. It sucks!

After siding my garage I had enough scraps of the cedar pressboard siding leftover to build two 5'X5' sections. I hinged them in the middle so they come apart and can be repositioned in any setup I need. They dont work miracles but they do give me a fighting chance in the Kansas winds. Yes the have blown over a couple times but in those times... I had sense enough not to be smokin! Yes in Kansas/Oklahoma/Nebraska/Texas/Etc...
we do cook in some extreme conditions. We learn to deal with it and we learn to retreat from it from time to time. The wind is not our friend but the smoke must roll on! Or not...

Oh yeah... my wife calls my wind break the Great Wall of Barbecue. It is...

 

[mofo]

SmokeFreak..

got a camera? Would like to see a picture of your Great Wall.

thanks!

 

[seenred]

The wind blew so hard at my house yesterday, it blew the neighbor's st. bernard over the fence into my yard. (windy) I played golf on saturday and hit one tee shot that came down in Arkansas. (downwind) I hit another tee shot that hit my playin' partner.... HE WAS BEHIND ME! (upwind) What I'm sayin' is its windy here(me too)

 

[drlouis]

I know this thread is kinda old, but I finally remembered to snap a pic of my windbreak. If it's really blowing I add 2 more bungie straps to the bottom, and move the smoker closer to the board.

 

[afreetrapper]

Here in Kansas the wind blows twice a year once to the north and once to the south the only calm day is when it changes directions. I have a second floor balcony and I get plenty of wind.

 

[palladini]

Dave, how do you support it from blowing over?

That would be easy.  Some rope, several tent pegs, a drill, your done, providing your on grass, omit the tent pegs if on a deck.  Easy to do.

      

 

[slider n copa]

I have a small MasterBuilt vertical that i put backed up to a wall 6in away and I put a layer of aluminum foil across the 3 sets of exposed legs,, Lets me turn the burner way down without it getting blown out.

 

[illini40]

Sorry to resurface such an old thread, but I have not found other more recent posts.

Are there any new updates or attempts to make a wind break?

I have a gas smoker, and I think that the wind at the bottom is causing the temps to jump like crazy. In the northern Illinois flat lands, we have some wind and when there is some wind, it seems that I cannot keep my temps below 250* and constantly jumping up over 350*.

Looking for some guidance...

 

[gr0uch0]

Saw someone recenly who'd taken cement backer board, cut pieces to size, painted them to match, and had them up against the legs on 3 sides.  Heavy enough that they won't get blown away, and is a little more aesthetically pleasing than other methods.

 

[illini40]

Saw someone recenly who'd taken cement backer board, cut pieces to size, painted them to match, and had them up against the legs on 3 sides.  Heavy enough that they won't get blown away, and is a little more aesthetically pleasing than other methods.

That's an interesting idea. That may work for me, since I think the open bottom around the burner is causing the spikes in temp.

Were the backer boards just leaning against the legs? Maybe a silly question but any concerns of that material being flammable? I don't have experience with it.

 

[gr0uch0]

I think they were leaning against the legs:  don't think they'd bolted them on.  The "board" is actually made of concrete, so no, it won't burn.  It's used largely as a tile backer for showers and tub areas:  Google "cement backer board" and you'll have a bunch of site options pull up.  Depot, Lowes, Menards all carry it--usually 3' x 5' sheets that are half-inch or 5/8".  Durock is one brand name--lemme know if you need anything else.

 

[illini40]

I think they were leaning against the legs:  don't think they'd bolted them on.  The "board" is actually made of concrete, so no, it won't burn.  It's used largely as a tile backer for showers and tub areas:  Google "cement backer board" and you'll have a bunch of site options pull up.  Depot, Lowes, Menards all carry it--usually 3' x 5' sheets that are half-inch or 5/8".  Durock is one brand name--lemme know if you need anything else.

Thanks! Hopefully I'll make a Menards run this weekend.

 

[gr0uch0]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll make a Menards run this weekend.

My pleasure:  let us know how it turns out.

 

[gr0uch0]

Last thought, if you go this route:  get some industrial Velcro that has adhesive backing on both the hook and loop sections.  Cut them to fit, put some of the loop on the legs, and the hooks on the backer board:  adhesive should be aggressive enough that it sticks to the cement board.  When you need the windbreaks, slap 'em on and you're good to go--pull them off when you don't.  Get black Velcro to match your frame, and put the loops on the frame:  that way, it's not grabbing you/your wife/your kids/your dog/your cat/etc., every time you brush up against it like the hooks will.

 

[r2 builders]

I have a Masterbuilt propane Smoker and was having the same issues with the inability to hold Temps below 250.
I made skirts out of cement board (painted black with high temperature spray paint) and placed them against the legs of the smoker. I followed the same angle as the legs. This has helped with wind blowout of the flame at a low level. The other thing I did was add a needle valve.
This has allowed me to dial in the temp with much more accuracy than the stock control valve.
I used high temperature foil tape to block some of the vent holes coming into the chamber.
These three mods have allowed me to hold Temps below 200.
It's night-time here but will post some pics this weekend.

r2