Smoke when raining??

[skealo]

I just got a electric smoker. Smoke Hollow 30166e.

I'm new to smoking and I'm wondering if I should position the smoker under the awning of the house or in the garage(Detached) or just not smoke at all when raining.

It seems like a really stupid question but I'm naive when it comes to smoking foods....

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[okie joe]

Hey I just started about a year and I have done it in the rain, wind (which really stinks) and really nice days. I had mine under the awning for awhile till the Boss(wife ) said it smells like smoke so then I put it back in the yard but close enough where I can keep an eye on it. Only thing I worry about is getting the electrical plug wet and have a shocking experience. Just keep it smoking

 

[Hinky]

Skealo-
You should NEVER let your smoker get wet, either while you are using it or while storing it. It's not so much a safety or quality of product issue as it is a longevity issue- smokey bits are incredibly corrosive to metal when combined with moisture and left to sit!!! This applies tenfold when you start adding a brine into the mix. After all, what's a brine- salt water! Even if you drip-dry or pad-dry your product before putting it in the smoker you are still introducing an incredibly corrosive solution into an environment that is perfectly suited for corrosion. If you set your smoker out in the rain and use it, or leave your smoker out in the rain after you use it, it will at BEST last a year or two after that at which time your heating element will go tits up on you. Even if you DON'T add salt to the mix and all you are doing is smoking 'dry' peppers or 'dry' meat, by leaving your smoker outside you are allowing moisture to enter. Add water to metals at 100-130 degrees? Congratulations, you have just produced the optimum environment for corrosion to occur in metals. If you had a bigass brick and cast iron smoker I would say go for it- actually, the rain sucks the heat out of the air, and I'm of the opinion that the colder the smoke the better. But since you have a 'manufactured' smoker and an electrical one at that, I would strongly recommend against using it when it's raining. Even if not directly in the rain.
I most certainly wouldn't put it under the awning unless you want everything near it (like your house) to smell of smoke and this applies to the garage as well. I would only use it when it's not raining, and I would store it indoors when not in use, and I would break it down as much as possible to clean and dry it after use, particularly the heating element. If you do these things, your smoker will last an eternity.

Hinky- my business is corrosion