So I've been grilling/smoking on my wooden deck for years, and now we are going to put a shingled roof over it. Should be around 9' high over the deck at its lowest pitch. Should I have any concerns with grilling or smoking under a roof if all of the sides are exposed to the air? The sides won't be enclosed or screend in, and I'd have the grill/smoker on the farthest end away from the house. Or might I want to scale the roof back to leave a section uncovered just for grilling/smoking purposes?
For the record I'm using a Weber Summit Kamado for charcoal and a Genesis for gasser.
Last edited by MillerTime; July 20, 2022, 08:08 AM.
You won't have any problems, just make sure to maintain side and back clearances from combustibles. I have 7 cookers, including a Santa Maria grill, on my covered porches. My offset is on the 8' porch and the only issue is the ceiling gets smoke-stained.
Also, I installed 4 operable skylights when I built the roof structure, it really helps with smoke dispersal and adds very nice ambient light. Not cheap, for sure, but you only have to pay for it once.
Last edited by CaptainMike; July 20, 2022, 09:19 AM.
One thing that comes up is whether the ceiling above the grills is going to be shiplap, sheetrock, some other material... or just open beams to the roofline for a rustic look.
if it's a covered material, you may find yourself with smoke stain buildup over time, that may be alleviated by regular ... uh.... washing?
we're looking at the same thing -- but are concerned about cooking in the rain.
We don't want to have the grill exposed to the elements at all, but others suggest that only the person doing the cooking should be under cover while the back half / remaining portions of the grill are fine to be left out in the sun/rain.
We have a ceiling fan on the ceiling of the covered portion of our patio. When I start up my Chimp, I run the ceiling fan during the heavy smoke period to blow the smoke away. I do burn my cookers near the outer edges of the covered patio to eliminate smoke stains on the ceiling. House is brick so that is not effected by smoke.
Very good question. We must not forget about spontaneous combustion. A quick google turned up the following.
Grills must be 10 feet from the side of a building unless the manufacturer's instructions say it can be closer. Make sure grills are not underneath overhanging branches. Grills cannot be used on a porch, balcony or deck with a roof, overhang or wall (other than the exterior of the building).Grilling Safety | Mass.gov
Weber Genesis S330 with GrillGrates
Weber Summit Kamado E6
Weber Performer with SnS, DnG and Pit Viper mod
Weber 26" kettle with SnS, DnG and Pit Viper mod
Traeger Flatrock Griddle
PKGO
Fireboard (2)
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks MK4 (2)
Themoworks Thermapen ONE
All my cookers are under a covered patio. The only issue I've ever had is starting a chimney. You can get smoked off the patio in a hurry. So I have a steel milk crate I put out into the yard for getting the chimney going.
I invariably keep one of my grills under a pavilion by my pool. So its a detached structure, on a concrete pad. The pavilion has a peaked metal roof, with exposed wood, ceiling fans, etc. Most of the time, I am using either my SNS Kamado or my Camp Chef 6-burner flat top over there, and I roll one or the other under the roof for protection from the rain.
I don't have any worries about a fire with either of those grills, and I wouldn't worry about your Weber Summit kamado really either. The most flame you will have there is when starting the grill, and its not like those flames will be reaching the ceiling/roof. I would have more concern about a conventional gas grill, as I have had grease fires in my Weber Genesis on occasion. Never had that in any of my charcoal grills, or on the flattop (griddle).
What I will say from experience is this. The smoke ascending from your grill tends to have little particles, and if grilling, grease is in the smoke. I've not noticed any discoloration (yet) on the white underside of the metal roofing, but what I have noticed is the grease and gunk buildup on the ceiling fan at the end where I use grills under cover. There is no buildup of that sort on the ceiling fan at the other end.
In my case, I have a peaked roof, and any smoke trapped under the roof goes up and out at the peak at either end. If this is a shed type roof off the back of your house, will it have a ceiling below it, which is flat, or just the bottom side of a sloping roof? I think I would be less likely to grill under a finished 8 foot ceiling than I would under a higher sloping roof.
I guess I would think long and hard about the finish and materials. I think you would have a lot more heat rising from the Genesis gas grill than you will normally have from the Summit kamado. I almost wouldn't think twice about the summit, but the Genesis gives me a little pause, as it will be generating more heat (and grease) and has more potential for grease fires and other things that can catch the roof above on fire.
My Genesis, Performer and offset smoker live in another area of the backyard, and I have an old patio umbrella on a stand I can use to keep the rain off one of those grills if need be. Those don't get used under cover aside from the umbrella.
You have no issues with your setup. From what you described, you have more than enough clearance and ventilation. I'd set the smoker on a footprint that might catch some embers and have a fire extigusher.
We have a covered deck and I have my smoker, flattop, and gas grill on the deck. It is open on all 3 sides as the one side is against the house. My smoker is right near my back door and when I first start it up I have to close the windows for a few until it gets lit. Otherwise, I have no issues.
Weber S-335 gas grill
Weber 26†kettle
Weber 22†kettle
Camp Chef XL Smoke Vault
Camp Chef 3 Burner cook top
Camp Chef Woodwind 36 Pellet grill with sidekick burner
PBC
Accessories:
SnS XL
SnS standard
Vortex
Weber Rotisserie for 22†Kettle
1st gen FireBoard
2nd gen FireBoard
Griddle for Camp Chef cooktop
Several Thermoworks items
Set of Grill Grates
Here's my setup (The He Shed) showing my kettle, pellet cooker and my 3 burner camp chef. These all get used 2-3 times a week with no problems at all for the past 3 years. Plus i'll drag my 26" kettle inside here if it's raining.
rickgregory It traps very little is any smoke. If you look close you'll see the 10" opening at the very top of the back wall, and there's a 8" opening at the very bottom of that same wall. The knee walls are only a hair over 3' tall and those blinds are not sealed up tight. Plus if you look at the ceiling you can see my ceiling fan.
I just committed to a Sunsetter awning that will keep me dry in light rains while I cook outside! It'll be abot 9 feet high and extend out from my back door 7 feet! I can roll it out so it only covers me as I stand at my PK and or Weber 1200 ! I usually start coals with a chimney, but if that gets "sketchy" I'll just use tumbleweeds and a torch going forward! I'll give updates after a couple of Weeks/months use. However if the worst happens my house burns to the ground , you probably won't hear from me!!
Just to put the link from Massachusetts in context the actual code underlying NFPA standard does not apply to single family dwellings "10.11.7 For other than one- and two-family dwellings, no hibachi, gas-fired grill, charcoal grill, or other similar devices used for cooking, heating, or any other purpose, shall be used or kindled on any balcony or under any overhanging portion or within 10 ft (3 m) of any structure." There was an exception for electric grills and smokers until 2009, but then the exception was removed.
Now, do I personally think people should be extra careful in their single and two family dwellings? As someone who actually responded to three separate house fires one Thanksgiving due to people frying their turkeys on their wood decks the answer is YES.
Last edited by Donw; July 21, 2022, 10:39 AM.
Reason: Missing word
Thanks all! I felt good about it, but always good to hear others seem to agree. There's always risk, but I'm willing to accept it with a fire extinguisher. Also good to know about the potential smoke stains as something to be on the lookout for. No better place to seek for advice than this one!
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