Thread: Popping smoker fix?

Originally Posted by Harryg

Try pre heating your smoker. The popping will be caused by expansion of the metal

That's a good idea.
Our smoker started doing the "pop" as it got older and out of shape (much like me!). The expansion causes the bottom surface to "pop" from being very slightly concave to being slightly convex.
Another possible fix is to give the bottom a few hits with a hammer to change the shape and the stresses.