My smoker blew up!

[Rich_S]

I have a Char-Broil H20 electric smoker that normally works great. But one fine day . . .

Getting ready to smoke up some beef jerky, I turned on the smoker to preheat it. I also poured a couple of cups of Apple wood chips over the cal-rod heating element. Went back inside to finish arranging the meat on the shelves.

I was in the kitchen about five minutes later when I thought a bomb went off outside. Then I heard a lound CLANG! I looked out the window where the smoker was and all I saw was a cloud of smoke. I went outside, the smoke cleared and the smoker lid was about ten feet from the smoker, on the deck. Wisps of smoke were coming out of the barrel of the smoker, which was all askew.

My best guess is the chips let off enough smoke to fill the smoker, then got a whiff of fresh air and caused a backdraft. I've seen several of those during my career as a firefighter, but never heard of one in a smoker. But, come to think of it, a smoker with a tight lid is an ideal candidate for such an event.

Might be a good idea to have a couple of small vent holes, one at the top and another at the bottom to prevent backdrafts. Just sayin'.

BTW, my son in Stanwood has been building custom smokers for the last year or so. Here's pictures of one . . .





This was an early one. He's gotten a lot fancier since with wildlife scenes of trees, mountains, deer, elk, eagles, etc. He can build them with rack and/or chains hanging from the top to hold hams, roasts, etc. They are propane fired and can easily reach oven temperatures if you need to roast something, or set them low for cold smoking. Notice the pick head he used for a door handle?

[Rider]

Glad you are safe.
I have cooked on many smokers. Everything from a char-broil so giant pits capable of cooking multiple whole hogs. Never have I heard of this happening on an electric or charcoal/wood burning pit.

Does your smoker have an exhaust stack?
You don't want a vent on the bottom. Need to control airflow. You should have an intake on the firebox and an exhaust at the top (or opposite* side) of the chamber . *Unless it is a reverse flow.

[Rich_S]

.
Does your smoker have an exhaust stack? .

Nope. There's no vents whatsoever. The element is in the smoker at the bottom, then above that is the water pan, then two racks and the lid.

[CAMPMEAT]

I like you Corvair, daily driver ?

[Kc_Kracker]

, daily driver ?

note, the thick layer of dust, id say not 

[KFhunter]

I wonder if you could have gasified the wood, then a tiny flame and BANG

[Heredoggydoggy]

I found out the hard way, that I can't use pellets in my smoker, a Cajun Injector electric.  Wood chips and chunks are OK, but not pellets.  They blow up in the pan, and my smoker has a door in the side and a chute down to the chip pan, and when the pellets explode, it blows the little door open on the side, and all the heat and smoke goes out the chute.

Don't know why the pellets blow up, and the wood chips don't--maybe it's the glue they use to hold the pellets together, but I gave the bag of pellets to a buddy who has a smoker that uses them... 

[Rich_S]

I like you Corvair, daily driver ?

Nope, Kc_Kracker's got it right. I restored it about 30 years ago and gave it to my son 3-4 years ago. Too much rolling stock around here. Gotta peddle this one off as soon as it gets warm out. (The 'Vette, not the plane.)