Can You Use An Electric Smoker In The Rain?

The straightforward answer of “Can You Use an Electric Smoker in the Rain?” is it depends, we forbid our users to operate an electric smoker in an open environment without a shelter, though the electric smokers are durable enough to handle a few drops of rain, still they have an electric system that can be damaged.

If you really want to enjoy smoking on rainy days make sure to follow the proper safety guide we have discussed below.

How To Use An Electric Smoker In The Rain?

Cover The Electric Box:

Waterproof the electrical assemblies by placing gaskets or any rubber seals to keep protect the inner electrical assemblies from the water. Silicone Rubber Sheet also works well in my case and it’s pretty cheap compared to the gaskets.

Use A Tent:

A tent,  grill gazebo, or even simple shelter with an open environment will work pretty well on a rainy day since we only need to block the raindrops and a well-ventilated area for providing fresh air to the smoker, a simple shad will be enough if you don’t want to spend on grill gazebo.

Use Dry Wood Chips:

Dry wood chips are ideal for rainy days, though we need to soak the wood chips before smoking on ordinary days but in case of a rainy day, we only need to feed dry wood chips.

Water Proof Cover:

After smoking your meat, please cover it with a waterproof cover to avoid rusting and other problems, hunt for a deal where you can get both an electric smoker and a cover otherwise you have to purchase a separate one.

Keep Eye On Weather Conditions:

Keep eye on weather conditions, if you found that the weather becomes harsh, prepare your tent, cover, etc. make sure to cover one side of the tent or grill the gazebo where the fast air and dust particles flow.

Safety Precautions Should Be Taken To Operate An Electric Smoker In Rain

• Never touch a wet electric smoker with bare hands, wait until it will be completely dried.
• Make sure to check the electrical current with a current tester.
• Wear a pair of cooking gloves and shoes.
• Make sure to inspect the electric cord of the smoker, if it is broken, make sure to fix or replace it.
• Cover your electric smoker with a waterproof cover.

Potential Problems Using Electric Smoker In The Rain

Water in the Grease Catcher: A grease catcher is responsible to accumulate all grease from the bottom of the smokers, if it is filled with water and grease you may need to do hard cleanup or you may have to remove the liquid from the grease catcher rapidly, which is not a that difficult task, still you don’t need to drain it rapidly in ordinary days.

Damage to the Electronics: Electric smokers have many electrical assemblies for ignition chambers, meters, etc. that can be damaged easily with the contact of water.

Blocked Vents Because Of Water: If the top vents of your smoker are open then water may enter the cooking chamber via pipe or in some cases the vents will be blocked. You can make a temporary tent of aluminum foil on the top of the vent, later you can remove it.

Rusting: Though the frame of the electric smokers is made from high-grade metal and painted to avoid corrosion problems, still the moisture content is able to rust the hinges, vents, etc.

Check out our guide about Can You Use An Electric Smoker Indoors.

Are Electric Smokers Waterproof?

No, they have electric assemblies that can be damaged with a huge amount of water however, they are durable enough to sustain a few drops of rain or some spills of water. Better to cover or take them inside on rainy days to avoid any damage.

My Say

At the I must say “safety is more important than convenience” make sure to operate your electric smoker safely on rainy days or better to extend the BBQ party if you haven’t a proper tent or shaded area for smoking.

Hopefully, you have got what you’re are looking for, thank you very much for your precious time;