Smoker Vents Open or Closed? [Explained]

Vents are one of the most important parts of a smoker. They directly affect your smoking process. Therefore, it’s necessary to know how they work. 

So, do you keep smoker vents open or closed while smoking?

Well, it depends on how you want to control your smoker’s temperature. Sometimes, the vent adjustments rely on how smoky you want the meat to be. Thus, you’ve to keep the vents open or closed according to that. But it’s best to keep the exhaust vent partially open. Also, you’ve to adjust the intake vent from time to time while smoking.

Now, there’s more to this. For example-

How to control the temperature with the vents, how to adjust them, etc. That’s why we’ve tried to provide in-depth knowledge for you in easy words. 

Therefore, spare some time and check out the entire piece!

Smoker Vents: Definitions and Positions 

Like we mentioned before, vents are pretty important for a smoker. Because they help in controlling airflow and heat while smoking. 

Now, there are mostly two types of vents in every smoker. And by every smoker we mean- charcoal, electric, and propane smokers. 

So, what these two vents called-

Intake Vent or Bottom Vent

Firstly, you’ll encounter the intake vent of your smoker. This vent is positioned at the bottom of the smoker. This is why it’s called the bottom vent as well.

So, what does this vent do?

Well, as the name suggests-

The bottom vent is basically the reason why oxygen can enter your smoker. And because of that, you’ll get more heat. Thus, your smoker will get hotter inside. 

Exhaust Vent or Top Vent

Now, another type of vent is the exhaust vent. You can find it at the top of your smoker. 

What is the reason behind this vent’s existence?

Well, it’s the complete opposite of the bottom vent. Because this vent helps to get rid of the air or oxygen that’s inside your smoker. 

Therefore, you can reduce some of the heat by opening this vent. However, you can’t completely keep the vents open or closed. 

Yup, the whole issue is much more complex than you think. Moreover, if you didn’t know, the two vents don’t look the same in every smoker. 

However, they can be identified by their positions. Which we’ve already mentioned.

What Are the Smoker Vents Used for?

Now, before getting to the vent adjustment-

You might wonder about the usefulness of the smoker vents. Well, we’re here to answer your curiosity-

So, smoker vents are usually used for two main reasons. We’ve discussed those two down below-

Reason 1 of 2: To Control The Temperature

Now, it’s important to keep a stable temperature inside your smoker. And you can’t maintain that temperature without doing anything. 

So, the first reason is controlling the smoker’s temperature.

To be honest, smoker vents are built for this job. Because there’s no other logical or easy way to do so. 

Now, the question is-

Should you keep dampers open or closed for controlling the temperature?

Well, for every kind of smoking process-

You’ve to get at least a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit. And to get this, you need to let the air come inside your smoker. 

So, what do you have to do to allow air inside? 

Yup, open the bottom or intake vent. Once you get the correct read, you can start smoking your food items. 

Now, if the heat is too much inside the smoker, you need to let some air out. And for that, you’ll have to open the top vent completely. 

Furthermore, start closing the bottom one. However, don’t close the bottom vent fully. Keep ⅓  of it open.

To make everything a bit clearer- 

We’ve tried to show you three smoking stages and temperatures-

Smoking Stage & Temp	Top Vent State	Bottom/Intake Vent State
Preheating (68-220F)	Fully closed/partially open	Fully open
Mid smoking process (145-250F+)	Partially opened/ halfway open	Partially closed
Before finishing off (155-300F+)	Halfway open	Fully closed

So, these are some of the ways to control the temperature with the vents. However, this might not be the case for you. 

Because the temperature varies from one smoking process to another. For example, the snake and minion smoking methods.

Therefore, remember one rule of thumb-

While preheating the smoker-

Keep the bottom vent fully open and the top vent fully/partially closed. Then if the temperature rises more than needed, close the bottom vent. And open the top vent.

You can identify the rise in temperature through its gauge. But not every smoker has a build-in temperature meter. 

So, in that case, observe the smoke. Because, if the heat increases, there’ll be more smoke.

Now, once the temperature starts coming down-

Open the bottom vent to keep the temperature stable. And that’s all you gotta do for controlling the temperature.

Reason 2 of 2: You Want Your Meat to be Smoky?

Another possible intention of yours can be making the meat smoky.

Well, to do that, take the help of the vents. Because you can easily control the smoke by managing the airflow.

Now, you can generate smoke in every type of smoker. In charcoal smokers, the process is a bit easier. 

However, in an electric or a gas smoker, you might have to level up. Because there’s no coal to help you out. 

Nevertheless, the vent adjustment is quite similar. So, we came up with another simple rule of thumb-

To trap the smoke, keep both the top and bottom vent closed. You can either close them fully or keep the vents ½ or 1-inch open. This way, the smoke will be trapped inside and will enter the meat. 

However, there’s a catch-

Keeping the vents closed for a while will reduce the temperature gradually. Therefore, when you see the temperature dropping fast-

Open the intake vent and let the air inside. Once you get back to the right temperature, open the exhaust or top vent partially. And close the intake a little bit. 

So, you need to handle the vents this way to get smokier meat! 

How to Control the Vents Properly? [Depending on Recipe+Smoker]

Now, you might think adjusting the vents is pretty easy. Well, you aren’t completely wrong. 

But you should know the vent adjustments rely on what you’re smoking. Also, they can be different for different types of smokers, temperature.

That’s why we’ve explained how to control the vents depending on recipe and smoker-

Smoking with Charcoal Smokers

The first smoker that’ll come to your mind is the charcoal-based smoker. You can smoke literally anything in this. 

But it’s important to adjust the airflow properly. Otherwise, you might end up with chewy and tough meat. 

Plus the smoke of the charcoal grill can cause health risks. Thus, it’s essential to manage the airflow in a correct way.

Now, you might be wondering-

Whether to keep vents open or closed when smoking chicken.

Well, if you didn’t know-

There are various types of charcoal smokers. And their vent controlling process is a bit different too. That’s why we’ve mentioned the adjustments of the most popular ones-

Charcoal Smoker Type	What You’re Smoking	Temperature	Time	How to Control Vents
Kamado	Meat for BBQ (Beef, Pork, Ribs) and pizza	225-275F	4-12 hours	Let the exhaust vent be closed but intake 1-inch open. Furthermore, keep the daisy wheel holes on the top vent open.
	Poultry such as whole turkey, chicken wings, etc.	250-300F	3-4 hours	Partially open the top vent along with daisy wheel holes. And let your bottom vent be halfway open.
Offset	BBQ meat and pizza	225-275F	4-12 hours	Keep the side vents of your smoker’s firebox ⅓ open. And make sure the chimney lid is halfway open.
	Poultry	25250-300F	3-4 hours	Keep both firebox side vents and chimney lid ½ or ⅓  open.

Now, you might get a little confused about the offset vents. Well, don’t be! Because the side vents of the firebox are actually the intake vents. And the chimney lid is the exhaust vent. 

Therefore, control the temperature properly. Otherwise, the heat will rise and produce an excess amount of smoke. And if you didn’t know-

Smoke can invite flies and bugs around your smoker. And flies can be hard to get rid of.

Smoking with Electric Smokers

Now, electric smoker vents are comparatively easier to control. Because there aren’t many varieties for this smoker.

So, let’s check out the adjustments-

What You’re Smoking	Temperature	Time	Vent adjustments
BBQ meat, pizza	225-275F	4-12 hours	Keep the heavy-duty dampers/intake vents ⅓ open. And the exhaust/top vents ½  open.
Poultry	250-300F	3-4 hours	Allow the intake vents to ⅓ open or nearly closed. However, the top should be wide open.

So, this way you can easily control vents and keep the temperature stable.

Smoking with Gas/Propane Smokers

Lastly, let’s talk about the master-built propane smoker vents. This type of smoker has mainly two vents as well- a bottom and a top vent.  

So, how to use vents on propane smokers to smoke food? 

Food Item for Smoking	Temperature	Time	How to Adjust Vents
Pizza and BBQ meat	225-275F	4-12 hours	Keep the top vent ½-¼  open and the bottom nearly closed.
Poultry	250-300F	3-4 hours	Open the exhaust/top vent fully. But keep the bottom vent ⅓ open.

So, that’s all for gas/propane smokers!

Now, you should keep in mind- 

These adjustments can vary from temperature to temperature. Therefore, the adjustment we mentioned might not be helpful for everyone.

That’s why remember the rule of thumb we’ve mentioned before. And control the vents accordingly. Only then you can enjoy juicy and smoked meat.

4 Things to Remember While Controlling Smoker Vents

Last but not the least, you’ve to keep in mind a few important things. This will help you avoid some mistakes people make when adjusting vents. 

And these 4 things are- 

• Never keep the top and bottom vents fully closed for more than 30 minutes. Because this will diminish the heat and your food won’t cook properly.
• Don’t open the intake vent fully unless you’re trying to preheat the smoker. Keeping the bottom vent fully open will increase the heat and temperature. So, there’s a chance of the food burning.
• Allow the top vents to be partially open throughout the smoking process. Otherwise, there’s a chance of creosote build-up. Furthermore, your meat will turn black and bitter.
• Always keep an eye on the temperature of your smoker. Because you’ve to adjust the smoker vents according to that. 

So, these are the few tips we had for you. Also, to check the temperature, you can keep an eye on the smoker gauge. 

However, your smoker might not have a built-in gauge or thermometer. For that, we suggest getting a new one. 

Are you getting worried now? 

Well, don’t! 

Because to help you out, we’ve mentioned some smoker thermometers and gauges-

Therefore, just get the one you think suits you to keep everything in control! 

FAQs 

Question: Electric smoker top vent open or closed?

Answer: Well, the adjustment of vent kind of depends on how much heat/temperature you need. For example, you’ve to open the bottom and partially close the top vent to increase heat. And for reducing heat, you need to nearly close the bottom and open the top vent fully. Moreover, it’s ideal to let the top vent be partially open all the time. 

Question: How to regulate temperature in a smoker? 

Answer: The answer is- by controlling the vents of the smoker. Yup, vents are made to control the airflow in your smoker. And changing the airflow means changing in heat or temperature. 

Question: What to do if electric smoker not getting hot enough? 

Answer: Well, we suggest opening the intake or bottom vent of the smoker. And closing the top vents a little. This way more air will get into the smoker. Therefore, the temperature will start rising. And your electric smoker will get hotter. 

Final Words

Now, that’s all on smoker vents open or closed. By the way, if the heat is too much and adjusting the vents is difficult-

Try using a water pan above the charcoal chamber. For propane, it should be above the burners. And keep it above the wood chips for electric smokers. 

Lastly, share your experience with us by leaving a comment!! Thank you!!