Can A Masterbuilt Smoker Be Left Outside? Simple Tips To Protect Your Smoker

Electrical smokers take up a fair amount of room, and anyone keen to begin smoking, but with little storage space often asks the question: Can a Masterbuilt smoker be left outside?

The answer is a definite yes. Masterbuilt smokers can be left outside year-round, as long as some sensible precautions are taken to protect your smoker from the elements.

This article will provide you with a few solutions to the problem, and allow you to keep your smoker protected from corrosion and damage to its delicate electronics.

Can You Leave A Masterbuilt Smoker Outside?

Leaving any electrical appliances outside during inclement weather or winter months is always a bad idea. Rain, snow, or just moisture in the air can penetrate electronic circuitry and cause your smoker to short-circuit when you next use it.

An important consideration that is often overlooked is the matter of warranty. Most manufacturers will not cover accidental damage caused by leaving your product outside.

So, during your warranty period, it is important to offer as much protection to your Masterbuilt smoker as you possibly can.

That said, if you take a few precautions, it is generally safe to leave your Masterbuilt smoker outside.

Are Masterbuilt Electric Smokers Water Resistant?

Yes and no. All-electric smokers are designed to withstand an accidental spill or liquid on them while being used, or a light sprinkling of rain. If they weren’t people all over the world would be getting electrocuted every time a summer shower passed by.

Most electrical appliances have built-in safety mechanisms that will stop you from being electrocuted if the electrics get wet, including trip switches and auto cutoffs. Fuses in plugs and a household fusebox also fail or trip if a live current goes to earth.

So, yes, you don’t need to panic if you spill a little beer on your smoker, or drizzle hits it, but it will not be protected from heavy rain. This is why we need to look after it.

How To Protect Your Masterbuilt Smoker From The Elements

Depending on the outbuildings and/or materials you have to hand, there are a few ways to add some protection to your Masterbuilt smoker.

This list is in order of best solution to less effective. All will work, but of course, some options are better than others.

5 Best Ways To Store A Masterbuilt Smoker Outside

In A Garage Of Shed – It makes sense that if you have an outbuilding that is dry and secure, that will certainly be the best place to store your smoker. In addition to providing security from theft or vandalism, any building that is dry all year round will protect your items better. If a purpose-built outbuilding is not available, and if you have access to some materials, and are a bit handy, then building a simple shelter is a good option.

Under A Covered Veranda Or Canopy – Protecting your Masterbuilt smoker from direct rain or snow goes a long way towards keeping it dry and protected from the elements. Yes, rain can certainly drive in at an angle, but keeping your smoker under a veranda or canopy will afford a good deal of protection.

Use A Purpose Made Protective Cover – One way of protecting your electric smoker or pellet smoker from precipitation is to purchase a purpose-made cover for it. These covers usually come in two types: those that offer total protection and those that will allow you to remove the lid and access your meat without having to take off the entire cover. Whichever type you choose, it is important to find one that is made from a waterproof and breathable material. This will allow any built-up moisture to escape, rather than sit and cause your smoker to rust. Masterbuilt water-resistant covers have UV additives in the material to protect them from fading and damage from the sun. They also have an internal PVC liner that prevents tearing. Double-stitched seams minimize the risk of leaks.

Under A Tarpaulin – If you don’t want to spend money on a cover, you can try storing your smoker under a tarp or some other form of waterproof shelter. There is no guarantee that this will work, as it depends on the layout of your garden and also how sheltered an area you have to place it in. In any case, whether you buy a cover or make some other type of shelter, never attempt to use your smoker while it is still wet. Make sure the exterior has completely dried before plugging it in.

One More Thought

An alternative option I just thought of was to use a tarp/cover that is purposely made for camping, and can easily be used to create a decent overhead cover in just a few minutes, providing you have some decent anchor points, like trees, posts, buildings, that you can anchor to.

These purpose-built tarps that are designed for camping, used by the military for creating temporary shelters are really good. With a little ingenuity and 10 mins on Youtube, you can make a decent protective canopy.

How Might The Cold Affect My Masterbuilt Smoker?

Cold is not likely to be a huge problem with your Masterbuilt smoker, but it is dependent on the temperature lows you experience in your area, and also the fluctuations in temperature.

When temperatures go from very cold to warm, and then back to very cold again, this can create issues, especially if moisture has been allowed to permeate into the delicate areas of the machine.

Moisture on circuitry which then freezes, causing expansion of the water ‘may’ cause damage. The ideal solution is to prevent moisture from entering the working at all.

If you have no choice, a good recommendation is to open any access hatches or lids when the weather improves, and give your smoker a couple of days to dry out before using.

Will Consistent Sun Exposure Damage My Smoker?

Smokers and barbeque grills are manufactured a lot better these days, with hard ceramic coatings that don’t suffer much from exposure to the elements.

I have a grill that has been sitting outside with no cover for a couple of years, and there is no fading or corrosion. The hard, shiny black coating is pristine. This is a charcoal grill, so no electrics to worry about.

Sun can be damaging, and not all smokers are manufactured to the highest standards. It probably pays to avoid prolonged sunlight year-round if you want to avoid fading of the out surfaces.

Additionally, in VERY hot conditions, it has been known for direct sunlight bearing down on metal surfaces, to cause temperature sensors to trip and cause the machine to shut down.

How Resilient Are Masterbuilt Electric Smokers?

Masterbuilt smokers are designed to be used outside, to be exposed to the sun and the elements. But one needs to be sensible and proactive to minimize the chances of damage to your smoker.

Even if there is no real risk of death or injury, just looking after your stuff will make it last for many years. Smokers are getting cheaper, but buying one every year due to laziness is not the best use of your resources I doubt.

Look after it, and it will provide you with many years of trouble-free service.

Additional Measures To Protect Your Smoker From The Elements

Place electric plug into plastic bag and tape securely shut. I always place a plastic bag over plugs and electrical connections when I am forced to leave an electrical appliance outside. Place plug into a bag, then use gaffer tape to tightly secure the bag, this alone will help protect your smoker.

Spray outside of smoker with a protective oil film to prevent corrosion. Using a light oil to protect the outer surface can be a good idea, providing you make sure that it is washed off with hot soapy water before you start smoking again.

Last Thoughts

I hope this article has given you some useful solutions for how to protect your Masterbuilt smoker if you are forced to leave it outside. A garage or shed is the obvious place, but many people do not have access to one, so other workarounds need to be used.

If you have any comments, or pictures of your makeshift smoker protection, leave a comment below.

Happy, and safe smoking!