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Insulating your smoker improves both the barbeque preparation and the meal itself. Only the best-insulated smoker can give you the barbeque taste that you have always loved in restaurants. You can insulate your smoker using an insulation jacket and blanket, welding blanket, and cement board.
Craving a plate of smoking hot grilled chicken with some amazing barbeque sauce? Well, an insulated smoker can help upcoming bbq enthusiasts test their cooking skills.
Now, smoking your favorite delicacy can be an effortless task if you have a dedicated electric smoker. Simply put your meat inside the cooking chamber, set the heat, and let the delicious piece of meat cook thoroughly.
However, the frequent temperature fluctuations might affect the texture and cooking process, thus affecting the taste of your food. To help with the insulation issue, we have found ways to insulate your smoker and make your dishes tastier.
What Is An Insulated Smoker?
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of insulated and non-insulated smokers, let’s first understand the term ‘smoker’ and its relevance in the world of delicious barbeque recipes. Well, in layman’s language, a smoker is cooking equipment and an integral part of making barbeque dishes.
A smoker cooks the cuisine at a very low temperature in a smoky environment. This method ensures two things - the meal is cooked properly, and the smoky flavor of the charcoal is retained. Just ensure that you know how to clean the smoker grill before your next barbecue session. After all, you wouldn’t want to compromise on the taste of the food and health of your guests, right?
Nowadays, smokers are available in many variations: from an offset smoker to small ceramic ovens and mini smokers. While the former can serve your entire family on a cold evening, the latter can be easily carried on camps and picnics.
With that out of the way, here’s an important question: why should you insulate a smoker?
The idea behind insulating the smoker is to prevent heat loss. As such, the smoker not only retains heat and saves fuel but also concentrates the heat and smoke solely on the meal.
Benefits Of Using Insulated Smokers
Before considering the various methods of insulating a smoker, let’s first understand its benefits.
1. Food Is Cooked Properly
When you insulate a smoker, heat and smoke are retained and are explicitly focused on the meat. As a result, the meat becomes tender and captures the smoky flavor.
2. Can Be Used In Any Weather
One of the best parts about insulation is that you can cook smoked meat in almost any weather. Though most people think insulating your smoker works best during cold weather; they rarely realize that even windy or sunny weather could be perfect for barbecue chicken and smoked veggies. So, you don’t have to worry about the weather and focus on the delicacies you’ll be cooking.
3. Fuel Is Preserved
As a result of insulation, your smoker will retain heat and save fuel in the long run. This is true for most smokers, regardless of the fuel they use. More heat and smoke will be concentrated on the meat, enhancing its taste.
4. Risk Of Accidental Burns Is Reduced
The insulating material absorbs all the heat, so the smoker’s lid and outer cover don’t heat up. Even if kids and pets accidentally touch the smoker, the risk of burning their hands will be reduced significantly. This is the main difference between an insulated vs. non-insulated smoker.
How To Insulate A Smoker?
1. Insulation Blanket
An insulation blanket made using aluminum is available for most kinds of smokers, making the insulation process easier. One can quickly wrap an average insulation blanket around a smoker to prevent the heat escaping.
These insulation blankets are best for a horizontal smoker and vertical smoker. And using them helps in making your barbeque dishes even more delicious.
2. Insulation Jacket
Insulation jackets are one of the most hassle-free solutions for temperature control. Though they have limited uses, they are a secure fit for vertical smokers.
Made with aluminum-covered fabric, installing an insulating jacket is hassle-free and perfectly traps the heat.
3. Welding Blanket
Welding blankets were initially made to protect welders from injuries they might sustain during welding process.
Such blankets are made from highly durable and heat-sustaining fibers that ensure their durability and insulation properties. As such, they are also used to insulate offset smokers.
Warning
Before using welding blankets, always check the heat tolerance. Sometimes, the high heat of the smoker might affect the welding blanket.
4. Cement Board
Though cement boards are suitable for insulation, one should always use them with insulating jackets and blankets to retain maximum heat and fasten the cooking process.
The cement board is the only smoker insulation material used inside the smoker. This makes the cement board pieces the right equipment for insulation.
How To Insulate The Smoker’s Firebox?
Before considering an insulated firebox, you need to get the proper measurements of the interior walls of the firebox. You can use a tape measure to know the exact insulating material you need.
All the sides of the smoker should be adequately insulated to prevent the heat from escaping. And then you’re all set to make delicious barbeque recipes all year round.
What Is An Insulated Smoker Conclusion
Insulating your smoker will help in cooking the perfect grill recipes and save a lot of your fuel and time. Though there are numerous ways through which you can insulate your smoker, we recommend insulation jackets and blankets as they are compatible with all kinds of smokers.
That’s all for today. We’ll be back soon with more tips on mastering your barbecue recipes!
