SeaRanchLodge.com is a participant in the Amazon Associate program and will earn from qualifying purchases.
Smoking food can help elevate its taste to another level. There’s no doubt about that! People have been using smoke to add additional flavor to meat and even fish.
This is why a smoker has become a common appliance in our homes now. A lot of people, especially people who like to throw barbecue parties, own a vertical smoker.
To ensure that all of the flavors get inside the meat or fish, you need to make sure that no smoke escapes the machine. To do this, you need to know how to insulate a vertical smoker properly.
Without proper insulation, all your efforts will go in vain. No matter how long you smoke the food, it won’t absorb any flavor.
Let’s take a look at the few steps you can follow to ensure proper insulation and maximum flavor.
How to Insulate A Vertical Smoker? 4 Steps to Follow
Do you want to take your smoked food to another level? Do you want to ensure better flavor penetration and quicker smoking? Follow these tricks below to properly insulate a vertical smoker for the most optimum results!
Use An Insulating Jacket
Most companies that make vertical smokers are already making insulating jackets used to increase the insulation of smokers.
You can get insulating jackets from other manufacturers as well. But it’s better to invest in the ones that are made by your smoker company. The fitting will be better, and the jacket will be able to cater to the shape and size of your smoker better.
An insulating jacket has a layer of aluminum cover to help keep the smoke inside. Not only does it help pack your meat and fish with flavor, but it also quickens the smoking process by keeping the heat inside.
Cover with A Welded Blanket
If you happen to work in construction, you might have access to a welding blanket. While these blankets were made to protect workers from Sparks and heat, the blankets can also be used as a grade insulator.
It’s better if you have a large-sized welded blanket. Then you can wrap this blanket around the machine a lot of times. The more layers of blanket there are, the better the insulation.
Keep in mind the blankets would never touch the firebox of the smoker.
Cement Board
You can only use a cement board for insulation in a smoker if you are sure that the firebox does not have any smoker if you are sure that the firebox does not have any active burning fuel.
Measure the insides of the firebox, and cut a slab of cement board of the same size.
If you want to cut the cement board properly, you can use a utility knife to mark both sides of the board. Then if you place the board on a flat surface and push slightly, the board should break off into a clean piece.
After the cement board has been cut to the right size, you can place it against the interior walls of the firebox.
Cement boards are great for holding in heat and smoke. It creates a chamber that does not let the smoke escape.
Cover with Insulation Blanket
An insulation blanket has an aluminum layer underneath the fabric layer — the construction of the material results in ease of use. You won’t have to fit it in too tightly for proper insulation.
You can wrap the blanket around the smoker. Similar to the welded blanket, the more layers you can create, the better the insulation.
You just have to make sure that the blanket does not come in contact with the firebox. If the blanket is placed even near the firebox, it can catch on fire and cause an accident.
Insulation blankets are great for storing heat. So the smoke has no way to escape. This way, your food gets smoked a lot faster.
How to Keep The Heat Up in A Vertical Smoker?
To keep the heat roaring inside the smoker, you can try and open up the vents. When you open the vents, you allow more oxygen to enter the device. This helps the fire burn and cook your food quickly.
Another way to keep the heat in is to not open the lid too often. This lets the heat and smokes out, which increases the overall cooking and smoking time.
If it’s raining when you are using the smoker, you should try and avoid opening the lids. If raindrops get inside the device, it will lower the temperature significantly.
How To Ensure Quicker Smoking in Winter
Using a vertical smoker in the winter can be a little bit more challenging. In the winter the machine loses heat a lot faster.
But this does not mean that you cannot use the machine at all because of the cold temperature. If you take the right precautions and follow a few tips and tricks, you can smoke your food quite efficiently, even in winter.
The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that you should not open the lid too often when you’re using the vertical smoker in winter. This will allow the smoke and the heat to escape.
Therefore the device will have to create smoke all over again. This can almost double the cooking time. We suggest that you invest in a smoker that comes with a thermometer.
This way, you can monitor the temperature from the outside without having to open the lid of the machine. Keep in mind, if you keep on opening the lid, and the machine has to repeatedly create a heated environment, you will be using a lot of fuel as well.
To preserve fuel, you can place the smoker in such a way that the smoker’s natural airflow is in harmony with the direction of the wind. This will prevent drastic changes in the cooking temperature.
And it will also reduce the amount of fuel that you need to use. But, even if you follow all of these steps, it’s always better to stock up on fuel in the winter.
No matter what, you will be using a little bit more fuel for your smokers in the winter than in summer. Therefore it’s better to have a few extra stocks in hand.
Final Verdict
If your vertical smoker does not have proper insulation, it will take you forever to smoke your food. No one wants that!
That is why to reduce your going time, you need to know how to insulate a vertical smoker. Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can do so. And most of the ways are quite cheap and efficient as well.
No matter what method you choose, make sure that you follow the necessary safety precautions. Try not to open the lid of the smoker, as it lets the heat escape.
If you want to increase the temperature inside, you can consider opening up the vents to let in more oxygen. This will help burn the fire more vigorously, which in turn decreases the overall smoking time.
Also Read: