Smoking can be a great way to enhance food flavors.
On a chilly or rainy day, when your cooking spots are wet but want to smoke some food, you may think of doing it from the garage.
Well, while the garage is more suitable for several activities, you need to know if it is a good idea to smoke inside the garage.
So, Is It Safe To Use An Electric Smoker In The Garage?
Safety first! Using an electric smoker in the garage is not safe, whether you do it with open doors or closed doors. Electric smokers, just like other smokers, produce carbon monoxide, which is toxic. When this gas is inhaled, it interferes with the oxygen supply in the body and can even lead to death. You may argue that the carbon produced by an electric smoker is in small quantities, but you cannot reject the fact that even small quantities are toxic.
Carbon monoxide has drastic effects on health and should not be handled anyhow. While smoking in the garage can seem ideal, especially in winter, doing so is putting one’s life and property in danger.
If you plan to use your electric smoker in the garage, this post will give you reasons not to dare such a practice. It will cover more on how and where to best use an electric smoker.
Three Reasons Why You SHOULD’NT Use An Electric Smoker In The Garage
Electric smokers are rapidly replacing traditional and gas smokers.
However, they cannot just be used anywhere and everywhere in your home.
If used indoors or in the garage, they pose a great risk. Here are three reasons you should not use an electric smoker in your garage.
1. Carbon Monoxide Buildup And Poisoning
Wood, charcoal, and gas smokers produce a lot of smoke when in use, and one can confuse the smoke to be carbon monoxide and assume that electric smokers do not produce such a gas because they have less smoke.
However, electric smokers produce carbon monoxide, though in less quantities; its accumulation is dangerous.
If you smoke in an enclosed space, the effects of this gas can be very severe. If you are using an electric smoker with smoking chips, you can be sure it will produce carbon monoxide.
Other smokers produce carbon monoxide and smoke in large quantities which can be very dangerous.
While an electric smoker has less carbon monoxide, it is capable of causing carbon monoxide poisoning to living things.
Carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless, and invisible to the naked eye.
When inhaling the gas, you may not even notice that you are using an unusual gas.
Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the red blood cells, damaging the body tissues seriously. If you allow carbon monoxide to circulate in an enclosed place for some time, when you are within the enclosed area, then you are at risk of dying within minutes.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is the main reason why using an electric smoker in the garage is highly discouraged.
Electric smokers are considered safer because they do not use charcoal or wood. However, these smokers use smoking chips and electricity as fuel, and smoking chips produce carbon monoxide.
Therefore, there is always a carbon monoxide poisoning risk when you use any type of smoker indoors.
If you must use an electric smoker in the garage, then it is advisable that you install carbon monoxide detectors.
You can also place the smoker in an open place, near the door. Install vents in the garage; forget a fan running while you smoke your favorite meal.
2. Fire Hazard
Using an electric smoker in a garage is a fire hazard. Accidents can easily occur with heat-producing equipment like electric smokers. You can make errors while using it and burn yourself or your property.
The electric smoker can sometimes get too hot and can kindle objects nearby if you are a bit careless.
A fiery discharge can also ignite flammable substances in the garage and set the whole house on fire.
In most homes, you will get engine fuel and other combustible substances stored in the garage. Adding an electric smoker inside the garage increases the fire possibility.
While it is easy to take fire precautions outside, it is almost impossible to fireproof everything in the garage when you want to put in your electric smoker.
3. You May Never Get The Smoky Smell From Your Garage
Even though electric smokers don’t produce a lot of smoke, your garage will still smell even if you use it once to smoke a meal. Even if you leave your garage door open and a fan running, you can still stink your stored items like clothes and old books.
A smoky smell might be so sweet on meat but will be awkward on other items stored in the garage. If all the items in your garage are soaked and have a unique smoky smell, the entire garage will be smoky.
Even if you clean the stored appliances and take clothes for laundry, they will still have that smoky few traces of the smell.
Proper ventilation in the garage can help reduce smoke buildup. This can only be effective if you use your electric smoker in the garage once.
However, if you repeatedly use a smoker in the garage, vents and fans cannot help reduce the smoke.
Where Can You Use Your Smoker In Bad Weather?
Now that you know the effects of using a smoker in your garage, it is most automatic to use it outside.
What if the weather is bad, but you still want to smoke your meat? You have to get another place to smoke.
Fortunately, there are areas in your home where you can comfortably do one-time meat smoking without exposing yourself to the dangers of Carbon monoxide poisoning.
1. Patio
A patio will help you continue with your smoking activities all year round. You can use your electric smoker on the patio as long as it is open.
You will, however, need to have a fan in the area or install carbon monoxide monitors. Such precautions can help you remain safe while smoking your favorite meal.
2. Porch
A porch can be the best place to smoke meat with an electric smoker in bad weather. However, you need to put in place precautions to prevent or lower the risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
What If You Don’t Have A Covered Porch Or Patio?
Consider building an awning to help you carry out your smoking practices even in bad weather. A cover will protect your electric smoker from rain and provide a good summer shade.
You can also cover your electric smoker with a gazebo or barbecue cover.
This is easy to protect your equipment from rain and elements while barbecuing.
The cover creates a study canopy around the barbecue area, protecting you and your smoker from hot sun and rain.
Conclusion
An electric smoker can easily add a sweet smoky flavor to your favorite meals.
However, there are times when the weather will deny you a chance to smoke from outside. In such a case, you need to find a better place to use your electric smoker, knowing well that a garage is an out-of-bounds area for smoking.
Try the other options for smoking with your electric smoker mentioned in this post.
