Does Wind Effect Pellet Smokers? Yes – But It’s Not All Bad News!

We all want to smoke for as long as possible through the year, ideally from Spring through Fall. But weather conditions do play a role in your ability to smoke or grill effectively. Does wind affect pellet smokers and other types of grills? Yes and no. There are some conditions that would not be conducive to easy smoking, but with a few precautionary measures in place, you can usually get by.

And harsh weather doesn’t seem to just be a winter phenomenon. Driving rain, arctic cold, and high winds seem to happen when you least expect them, even in the middle of summer. This article will provide some tips on how to overcome the unexpected, and allow you to maintain a consistent temperature in your smoker, no matter what the weather throws at you.

Does Wind Effect Pellet Smokers?

Yes, wind can affect pellet smokers, but the issue is mainly related to strong winds drawing the heat out of your smoker and preventing you from maintaining a steady temperature. The wind is the enemy of the smoker, even more so perhaps than a rain shower. Heat always moves from hot to cold, so cool wind hitting the thin sheet steel of your pellet smoker can create an uphill battle to maintain temperature.

Some smokers are insulated internally, which goes a long way to maintaining inner temperature. How well your smoker seals when doors and hatches are closed is also important. What we aim for is to minimize heat loss. The electric pellet smoker will take action to maintain temperature, as most are thermostatically controlled, but you’ll likely end up burning a lot of pellets as the smoker tries to maintain the temperature.

How To Smoke Meat In The Wind

So, you’ve set up your pellet smoker out on the deck or in the backyard and are ready to get cooking some delicious food. However, about an hour into your cookout, you notice that things seem to have chilled down a bit. You wind up your smoker to maximum power and crank the door shut, but still, the temperature continues to drop.

This happens a lot when folks are cooking on windy days, especially pellet smokers. However, there is a simple solution: windbreaks!

The easiest way to windbreak your smoker is to set it up in a protected area, ideally in a protected corner of your backyard. However, if you do wind up smoking your own meat on a blustery day, there are ways to windbreak your smoker while it is going.

1. Try to find a wind-free spot to set up your smoker. If you cannot find shelter from the wind, try to use windbreaks like a large tree or wall to block the wind. Some people use pallets to create a protected area.
2. You may have to add more pellets to fuel the fire. This will create more heat and help keep your smoker warm. Not ideal, but sometimes you’ve got no choice.
3. Turn your smoker away from the wind, so that the door area is away from the prevailing wind direction. One of the biggest ways to lose heat on a windy day is from the opening and closing of the door.

Modern pellet smokers like the ZGrills pellet smoker shown below are fairly wind-resistant, well insulated, and produce a lot of heat, making them a great choice for windy days. No matter what type of smoker you use, wind can cause significant heat loss, leading to poor performance and wasted fuel. By following these tips, you can reduce the amount of heat loss and keep your temperature constant, or with as little fluctuation as possible.

Last Thoughts

Smoking in the wind is pretty easy, and with no more than a few basic precautions, the wind should not have a drastic impact on your smoker. Small temperature fluctuations are easily dealt with by automatic temperature controls. Also, and to me, this is important..It’s no fun being outside smoking in a galeforce wind. It’s supposed to be enjoyable. Almost any backyard will, at any given time, have an area that is fairly calm and protected. If the distance from a power supply is an issue, then it’s always worth investing in a decent extension cable.