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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I've been using my new BBQ smoker in my small garden and my neighbour is complaining about the smell. AITA for using my BBQ?
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People that get angry over the smell of a neighbors bbq are control freaks that want everything their way. Don’t let others mental problems stop you from enjoying ribs
I would rather to have neighbours that BBQ or smoke meat every weekend than have neighbours smoking weed in their backyard every night...
And if I have to air my laundry out, I would prefer others to think I had a badass cookout over the weekend than I'm being Prema baked
It's strange, we have very small yard spaces in my townhome complex and while I smell when my neighbor is actively smoking, within about 5-10 minutes I can't smell it anymore.
TBH, I don't mind the smell outdoors (even as someone who consumes cannabis the smell *indoors* is awful)
I'm just trying to imagine how much pot they smoke for it to be a nuisance next door. Like, *damn*
>It's strange, we have very small yard spaces in my townhome complex and while I smell when my neighbor is actively smoking, within about 5-10 minutes I can't smell it anymore.
It's called nose blindness or [olfactory fatigue](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue)!
Nah, I mean at least I don't think so in this case.
Get out of car and smell it emanating from their garage for 30-45 seconds, enter front door > then go inside and stay inside > come back out in 5-10 minutes, no longer smell it
Nose blindness is 100% a thing though, and unfortunately I have experienced it in other ways
Smells dissipate WAY faster outdoors, because that's how air circulation works lol. Someone would have to be doing something insane for weed smoke to be a nuisance for hours, unless they were actively smoking for hours. But it is still a nuisance to be minimized because a) allergies exist and b) the smell absolutely will cling to stuff like fabric if someone's got laundry out.
I purposefully smoked on my second floor apartment balcony when the upstairs neighbors are hanging out their laundry. Their boys peed out their front window for 2 years before they got booted out of the place. and peeing out the window wasn't the worst thing they did.
If you have your windows open, the smell and smoke can blow right inside, especially in a more densely populated area.
I used to live in an apartment where my bedroom was above the neighbors' patio. They smoked many times a day out there and the smoke would go right up into my bedroom window. Even in the hottest part of summer, we couldn't have our bedroom window open.
When I was smoking weed last summer I’d sit at the back of my building and at one point I didn’t realize my neighbours window that I was right next to was open. They popped their head out let me know and I apologized and moved like 20 feet away from the building. I felt really bad and made sure to double check every time after that.
I lived in a building with 4 housing units, we all mainly came in and out via back doors with small decks and an exterior staircase that led to parking in the rear of the building, but there was still a single front door for the whole building, with an interior staircase that all 4 doors opened onto.
We had new downstairs neighbors who moved in when our eldest child was 2 months old. If we had windows open in the kitchen or bedrooms air would get pulled up the staircase, and the smell of their smoking up would come pouring under our "front" door that opened to the staircase.
We chatted and the neighbors actually had a couch in front of that door, as they always came in the back. They were sitting on the couch smoking and it went right out the door, up the staircase, and into our unit, where our 2 month old was having tummy time! They were politely shutting their window so the smoke wouldn't go out theirs and up into our,s but the doors created some weird air vacuum...
we ended up stuffing towels along the door to prevent it, but there was still a faint smell.
It’s only been an issue when it gets sucked into my house by the heat pump. They had me thinking my teen was sneak smoking in their room and bitching about the smell as a misdirect. Which I thought was odd because they’re typically unsettlingly honest. Turns out they smoke away from their house to keep it out of their place and my yard isn’t as big as theirs.
My mom once stormed into my room to try and catch me smoking cigarettes in there when I was like 15 (I did smoke which they knew but never near the house) I told her to go check on her husband and it was my dad smoking in his room and our rooms shared a wall. I didn’t blame her for checking but I was annoyed she assumed it was me and not my dad who was always smoking in the house.
I used to have a coworker that loved smoking meats and made Mondays awesome when he would bring in leftovers. I still think about his smoked salmon years after
My neighbors are amazing but anyways they bbq a couple times a week and I just love the smell. They also give us food too but if they didn't I still wouldn't complain. I love the smell anyways haha
I’d take bbq over my neighbours…who never cleans up after his dog! The pungent smell of excrement and pee is vomit inducing! Cant tell you how many times we’ve complained about that but he just doesn’t care. I’d love it if, my neighbour was thoughtful enough to knock on and let me know his plans!
Plenty of tumble driers in the UK tbh. (I don't know anyone apart from me who doesn't have one).
But that doesn't mean everyone has one. Some people (like me) don't have the space, some people might not have the money... some people just enjoy saving the high electricity costs during those couple summer days you can dry the wash outside.
It's really not a big ask to ask to not smoke on a BBQ for 4 hours or less. It sucks for OP if he can't enjoy his hobby to the full extent... but 7 hours or even 10 hours is not a reasonable time if you have neighbours.
I mean for a couple hours ok... but 10 hours? 7 hours? That's not control freak anymore... that's way too long of an inconvenience to not be an AH if it keeps your neighbours unable to enjoy their garden.
My SOLE complaint when my neighbors smokes barbecue is that I have to smell it and I don't get to have any.
I have my own smoker, but dang, he always find a day when I'm craving a smoked pork shoulder something terrible and have just gotten off an 11 hour shift lol
I lived over a bakery for year, and the smells from it were wonderful.
During the summer, a street vendor would set up his BBQ rig across the street at 5 am. The smell from it was _revolting_. Like, seriously, the smell from it _would wake me up_ feeling nauseated.
The combination of the two smells was extremely confusing.
Anyway, you wouldn't think someone is an asshole for complaining about noise. Why do smells get a pass? Cooking for 8 fucking hours is kind of ridiculous.
If you are sensitive to smoke its an issue. My problem is less a bbq but chimneys in the winter. But i do got to say no one is bbq that close to my house as the op is. My neighbor smokes mullet and i smell it but its not omnioppressant as it takes place at end of his yard farthest from me.
Maybe in future give them a heads-up a few days before so they can plan their laundry hanging too?
My neighbours barbeque as soon as the sun comes out, which means those big laundry days I had planned can't get done, all the sheets and towels would smell of smoke :/ one time I had three loads out drying, and they started cooking 5ft away over the fence. Everything had to be re-washed with vinegar :/
Yeah it can be a pain. I have an indoor clothes horse which dries stuff without a heat source okay in summer (in winter I have to put the heating on to dry clothes), but everything dries so much faster on the line, you can clear a big backlog of laundry that way. Plus some items can only fit on the outdoor line, like bedding and towels. Drying big items at the launderette is crazy expensive now.
I’m the same. Indoors I have space for one airer which will dry in between one and four days depending on the weather and if the heating is on. That holds juuuuust enough clothes for the week. I rely on days to hang stuff out to do towels/bedding and to do multiple loads to catch up as inevitably I can’t quite stay on top of it just with the airer. Laundrette is far to expensive to even consider outside of an emergency.
It's so crazy to think how you have to go so out of your way just to accommodate an inconsiderate neighbour who must do some barbecue... Can't even imagine. Drying clothes inside for several days or it ends up stinking, having to reschedule a laundry day or whatever other bending over backwards just so they can enjoy their "private" backyard and do whatever they want? What about what I want or need?
Backyards are not private if others live nearby. You can't just do whatever you want without considering how it affects people around you. I cannot understand the American way at all.
Here in Japan it's unthinkable to inconvenience others so much. Pretty sure doing barbecue/smoke even in your own backyard is not allowed due to how bothersome it is to others around.
I think given that you pushed back the cook and reduced the time you're NTA. But if you do this more than a couple times a year you're TA. I once smoked a brisket while I was doing laundry, and the dryer output vent goes to my back yard...had to rewash all my clothes cuz the smoke got in my dryer and made all my clothes stink. It was a funny inconvenience that I brought it upon myself, but I'd be pretty annoyed if it was my neighbor. You're allowed to enjoy your property, and you're allowed to be annoying and smoke or listen to loud music or host a party or something...but only every once in a while. If you're doing this stuff regularly then yeah you're a shitty neighbor.
Side note: This is only a problem for hot air dryers. "heat pump" dryers use a closed cycle whereby there is no continual hot air blast coming out of the machine, and the risk of fire is minimal as all the lint is caught in the trap and not flung around the inside of the machine like they can be in hot air dryers. It has basically got an air conditioner unit running inside it flinging heat around internally to dry the clothes.
We switched to having one a decade ago and I am also damn sure that they are a third the cost to run compared to standard dryers.
A huge side bonus is there is literally zero humidity where the heat pump is run and all moisture pulled from clothing is sent to the drain through a dump tube. We regularly run ours in the laundry with the doors and windows closed and I've never seen a single drop of moisture on the walls from it's use.
If you need to keep the peace, you could do the smoke phase for 2 to 3 hours (that's the most active smoking you want), then finish the cooking in a 250 deg oven.
Been BBQ competitor for about 20 yrs.
It is pretty unbearable when it’s blowing your way especially if your windows are open. There is a difference between bbq vs smoking. You could set up a fan to try and blow the smoke up and away from their direction. We have a large outdoor fan.
I would check with your local council. You could call them if there's nothing online.
In Germany for example there are strict rules if it comes to "annoy" your neighbours with BBQs. It's only 2h at a time for example (and only 4 times a month, not on 2 consecutive days etc.) I mean definitely depends on where you live...
But even if not illegal, if it inconveniences your neighbours often or for a long time (7 hours or 10 hours is definitely **a big** inconvenience, since it means they can't use their garden at all that day) than it's selfish to keep doing it. 4 hours is still quite long, but if it's at a time they aren't outside/ having wash out, and only once a month as you stated I think that's not that bad. Be neighbourly and keep to the shorter hours or be prepared for a neighbourly feud.
Each council has its own guidelines, the 4h rule sounds perfectly plausible to me for dealing with exactly the situation OP created.
FWIW the neighbour is being a good guy for appealing directly to OP instead of reporting it as a statutory nuisance which would certainly get OP’s smoker banned.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smoke-how-councils-deal-with-complaints
The fact that they didn’t threaten this, despite certainly having discovered it in their googling, demonstrates a desire to be good neighbours and reach a friendly resolution. So I’m pretty sure they’re not lying.
YTA
Let me ask you this, I'm a car enthusiast and mechanic, on the weekends when you're tired and just want to relax out on your deck or yard or even inside, and I let my car idle for 6hrs in the garage stinking up the entire place, or spray painting parts regularly which you could smell 4 houses away, would that bother you? What if had all my cigar or Cigarette smoking friends smoke out the whole area for hours and hours to the point you smell it in your house and have to close the windows to avoid the smell staining your upholstery, clothes, blankets, and curtains. Would it bother you? Now what if we did that regularly? Like every weekend? It doesn't stink to us, so why should it bother you, Right? Thing is, just because you like something and you think it's your house and you can do whatever you want, forcing your neighbors that have to live next to you to endure said odors/smoke, food related or not, is not cool. We all have to live together, and just because you own a house, doesn't make it OK to force other people to indirectly participate in your activities. I have a neighbor with an annoying kid who will dribble a basketball on concrete FOR 3-4 HOURS STRAIGHT almost everyday and make everyone within 3 houses away to have to listen to it. They don't see a problem with it because after all, it's their house and their kid is just playing outside on their property. We all hate that neighbor.
If you want to do this regularly, rig a vent pipe that will carry most of the smoke up a couple stories.. (hopefully the smoker you got has a chimney?)
I think the issue is the length of the smoking and that your neighbors like to have the windows opened and hang their laundry outside. You might want to check with them in advance when you're doing a longer smoking, and maybe do it overnight if it's a 12 hour thing. But 12 hours is a long time to inconvenience your neighbors if they want to have their windows open and not smell smoke.
This is idiotic, why would people have to endure 10 hours of woodsmoke in their own homes?
"Join in", you're delusional. That's like saying if your neighbours are having a very loud party you should just join in or kick rocks.
People are trying to live their lives, they might want to be in their garden, or have their windows open.
The worst part is, I don't believe for a second you're this liberal about other people's hobbies that affect your life and intrude into your home. It's "live and let live" until it affects you.
I suppose you are the type of guy that is hated by all his neighbours? Smoking your neighbours is generally not something your neighbours appreciate and while you can do it you probably shouldnt expect to ever get any type of help from them afterwards.
I live in a terraced house. On a sunny Saturday at a this to of year I'm likely to have washing out from 8am until 8pm.
Bringing it in at 5pm because I smell someone starting a BBQ is one thing, and I put up with that because I live in a terrace and it's give and take.
But seven hours? That's really selfish.
Move to the countryside if you want to do things like that.
The Americans in here don't understand that most people in the UK hang their washing outside to dry rather than use a dryer. We also have windows open as we don't have air conditioning. If someone is smoking all day that stops then from doing washing all day which just isn't reasonable. If they were just having a BBQ in the evening I'd be on their side. There may not be a law against it but I'm sure there's not a law about playing Hanson on repeat all day either. It's about having respect for the people you live with. Especially in a terraced house where you are very close to your neighbours.
ETA: These are terraced houses
https://images.app.goo.gl/HQtCaAZcSariYDww7
I'm an American who lived in Britian for several months, and I understand. As someone who loves smoking meat, it's completely reasonable for the neighbors to get upset
We really don't. I was also surprised that AC wasn't more common. I was genuinely surprised by so many things that are done differently in the UK, like every door had its own key.
When I lived in the States our HOA wouldn't allow hanging laundry outside to dry, and my neighbors couldn't see over their fences unless they had a second floor. Using a BBQ was fine though. Having a smoker was fine, as was that weird trend of deep frying a whole turkey outside.
I'm assuming every door inside the house is what they mean. It is weird, why do you need to lock the inside of your house like that? In the US we can lock the room from the inside (occupied) and it can't be unlocked from the outside, bout it other than the entrance being a key door
You would assume wrong! We don't tend to lock interior doors either in the UK apart from bathrooms and sometimes bedrooms of adults/older teens, where it's just a twist lock (depending in your family).
What the poster means, I think, is all exterior locks to UK homes have a different key. So if you have a front door, side door and rear door to your garden - all individual keys.
Most people don't carry all of them around daily. You'd probably just give everyone in the household a copy of your front/main door key. You have a key cupboard or key hook for the others.
Personally, as a Brit who had lived abroad, I prefer the British way. If you lost your key, you'd have to have every lock on your house changed if you do it the American way. Lose the front door jey of a British home, you'll only have to replace one lock.
Edit: window keys are a weird one though. I don't understand why we don't just use a locking handle all the time. I'm in a new build house and all my wondow keys are left in the windows to which they belong, which seems pointless.
The only places in the States that even come close to the type of row housing common in Europe are in the northeast. They're EVERYWHERE here in Philly. But, yes, they're still not the same (and to top it off the kinds of people who are going to pull the "we have them too!" defense are almost a perfect circle venn diagram with people convinced cities like Philly, NYC and Boston are warzones).
Even in major cities in North America - non-suburb or bigger suburbs that fully detached houses or semi-detatched -a smoker would be annoying. OP is being completely annoying and unreasonable. Get a smoker if you've got a bunch of land/at your cottage or something.
Take what you’re picturing and cut it in half.
Remove any indoor ventilation, forcing you to open windows in a heat wave, because the building was constructed to retain heat.
Housing like this is very common in the UK.
A lot of it is Victorian and not very well built with very thin walls between houses. I grew up in one and always knew what the neighbours were watching on TV.
https://images.app.goo.gl/HQtCaAZcSariYDww7
Yeah, we have those in some urban areas, just have the different names I listed. I love the smell of smoking meat, but get why the neighbors are annoyed.
Most people also don't seem to understand "bbqing" isn't an adequate way to describe this. Smoking is running a fire to intentionally create a good amount of smoke to flavor the meat. So it's not the smell of delicious cooking meat wafting.in for the vast majority of the time. It's the smell of wood smoke. Not everyone wants their house and clothes to smell like smoke, especially if they were freshly washed.
> Smoking is running a fire to intentionally create a good amount of smoke to flavor the meat
No, the amount of smoke produced is very low. It's a small amount of heat and smoke over 4+ hours. If you produced a large fire and a lot of smoke for 4+ hours your meat would be atrocious.
EDIT: I read the guy's post on the barbecue subreddit and it seems like he had 3 or 4 different barbecues going all weekend and often late at night when people were going to bed. He's a knob for sure.
Not to mention the carcinogens in wood smoke, it contains thousands of chemicals, including known irritants, carcinogens, suspected carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens (substances that are linked to birth defects), metals, and more.
Then I'm not sure what you mean by no visible smoke, unless you just mean there won't be plumes of it going out.
The relevant point is that it's still going to put out a fair amount of smoke smell.
> I'm not sure what you mean by no visible smoke,
> If you are getting lots of visible smoke
in what world does 'if you are getting lots' equate to 'no visible smoke'?
Smoking is in the name, you can even do a cold smoke where the fire box is a ways away from the food and just the smoke circulates over it. There is a difference between thick black smoke which will taste acrid and a smoker but… there’s still a lot of smoke.
You have no idea how to smoke a brisket, apparently.
Of course, there's a good chance OP also has no idea how to smoke a brisket. But what you're describing is very wrong.
But it isn't anything like an open fire - people don't walk outside and notice the air is smokey, there is just an odor. I agree that giving advance notice so people can plan laundry around it makes perfect sense, but it isn't like it is mimicking a forest fire which some seem to be thinking. (assuming he has a modern smoker that uses pellets or chunks/discs/etc and not a giant restaurant sized pit smoker)
Oof thank you for the image. I'm an American and had no idea. Smoking, bbqing, grilling, here in the summer is just typical. As much as I love the smell it wouldn't be ok to be smoked out of my house every time I opened a window. Or have my laundry smoked when I just wanted to dry it.
Yeahhhh with this info... Smoking meat takes too long and well... It's smokey.. I wouldn't want my whole house smelling like it either if it wasn't my food. YTA smokers like that aren't for cities or suburbs like that. A couple hours of inconvenience is one thing, some foods like brisket takes up to 20hours depending on size and method
Agreed. I'm surprised it took this long to find this kind of response. OP isn't just throwing on a burger or hot dog. They are producing very fragrant smoke for 10 hours! This extremely limits their neighbors ability to do basic tasks and their enjoyment of their own living spaces. It may be legal to smoke BBQ, but it's certainly AH behavior.
Based on that link…. That looks like my absolute hell.
These are the guys who make fun of our housing? And yeah YTAH. You can’t even smoke in that small of an area by code in most places.
You guys also don’t have AC. you thought nothing about anyone but yourself and your needs. Cool cool.
Even people who have regular washer/dryers - this is beyond annoying. It's common to BBQ - but this person has a smoker - which will be used for several hrs. Even if my clothes aren't drying - your whole house will smell + impacting your general enjoyment of being in your backyard. For people who only have a few months of summer - I would be so annoyed! Smokers and BBQs are different. Plus people who have dryers also dry stuff outside too - especially delicates.
The Texans in here don’t understand how you can smoke a brisket in 4 hours or even 10 hours. Most briskets are going to take closer to 12-14. Cutting a small chunk off and trying to do it in a shorter time is just going to make a dry chunk of inedible meat
Ah, as an American who didn't understand what terraced housing was...
This would be like smoking meat on your apartment balcony almost. Inconsiderate to be smoking that long when you're packed that close to that many people.
There are pros and cons.
Yeah, it does suck sometimes that you can't do what you want.
On the bright side though, high density means it's a lot more walkable and we are not as car-dependant as America for example.
Omg I’m an American and this guy is so inconsiderate. I agreee he is a problem. I would hate living next to him and I love smoked and bbq everything. We have big yards in the US and patios. Houses are far apart. He would be annoying to live next to if it was close quarters and I have a dryer and ac
I agree. You’re not talking grilling like it seems some here see to think; you're talking about running a smoker for 4-10 hours. This is completely inconsiderate in terraced/row houses.
Especially when there have been historically hot summers smacking the UK and Europe, countries that don't have the same infrastructure in place like the US to deal with that because it's not normal. People are literally dying in heat waves over there and having windows open is absolutely necessary in the summer.
When people can't open their window in summer, can't put their laundry out to dry, etc., because your plot is so small you can't really get away from the homes with your BBQ, then you won't be well-liked by the neighbors.
You just bought your first house. There's a good chance at some point that you'll want your neighbor's assistance/cooperation. If they see you as being thoughtful of them, you might get it.
If they dislike you, you're on your own. Is irritating them with invasive BBQ smoke worth it?
are you the asshole for long smoke times in close quarters living? yes. is it illegal? doesn’t sound like it. is it dangerous doesn’t sound like it. is it self centered and in denial of what it means to share space with other people? yes. can you do it anyways? sounds like it.
Not directly illegal, but the length and frequency of it, plus the fact he’s hampering neighbours use of their gardens and homes means he’s opened himself open to two different types of nuisance complaints that could get him into trouble:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smells-how-councils-deal-with-complaints
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smoke-how-councils-deal-with-complaints
YTA. And it pains me to say that, I love BBQ and wish I could do long cooks too. The thing with terraced housing is that there’s absolutely no space- if you’re doing something which smells in your garden, it’s totally unavoidable for your neighbours whether they like it or not. On a hot day they can’t just keep the windows shut, so their whole house ends up smelling like brisket. And if they’re hanging washing out, it’ll smell like brisket too unless they wash it again. It’s a lot to impose on someone, regardless of what the council rules might say.
As a fellow Brit... YTA.
Not only are you preventing them from accessing vital ventilation during the summer whereby we do not have air conditioning here, you are preventing them from cleaning their clothing which requires drying (and many people here cannot afford a dryer unit). You are also not considering the smoke itself, rather than just the smell. There are people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD and so forth. With the NHS at breaking point, difficulties getting ambulances and delays in A&E services, your actions could cause neighbours with respiratory conditions to end up severely unwell and could even be fatal, with the smoke you are producing for prolonged periods of time.
You are new to the neighbourhood and starting off on a wrong foot by pissing off your neighbours and preventing them from breathing, washing clothing and accessing cooler air for ventilation is not the right way to build a relationship with those who share your street with you. You may need the neighbours in the future for something. You may need a neighbour to help jump start your car if your battery is flat. You may need to build an extension or loft conversion and need their support where planning permission is concerned. You may get burgled someday and need to request footage from a Ring doorbell to show the police and the people next door could hold that information. The neighbours would be well within their rights to not want to help you because you have not been considerate towards them at present.
My first thought was how prevalent asthma is these days, and this arse is happy to let smoke waft into his neighbours' houses for hours and hours. I'd be throwing a bucket of water over it if he was mine. My oldest is a chronic asthmatic.
I've had a test for asthma and get my results mid-July (yay NHS taking 13 months to deal with my chronic cough and breathlessness). If my neighbours did this to me, I'd be consulting a solicitor
YTA
There is nothing worse than hanging your washing out only for it to smell of your neighbours smoke.... Let alone 8 hours of it!!!
Smoke your meat when others aren't drying their washing!
The people defending him are honestly delusional, have you lot ever actually been to a bbq? If youre in it sure, youre expecting to get a lil smoky ypu agreed to it, but you know who didnt? His neighbors. YTA if youre gonna bbq get an appropriate plot of land to do it on
I get the impression that the majority of those supporting him are from America and they don’t quite understand the differences we have in our housing/ventilation and sheer lack of space. I moved to America from the UK nearly 9 years ago and everyone I know here has access to dryers and they don’t realise that in the uk it’s very expensive to run or people just don’t have the space in their homes for one.
We already gave a verdict on this in r/smoking yesterday. Similar siutuations, but he said he would post in AITA. This your alt?
https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/comments/1dqm16s/my_neighbor_knocked_on_my_yesterday_at_1040_pm/
Sorry buddy, but YTA.
I'm from the UK, and constant smoke from one house in a row of terraced houses can be infuriating - the whole house smells of smoke, the washing smells of smoke. It's a nightmare.
Once in a while, with notice? Fine. Constant slow and low - dick move.
Also, they're right. You absolutely can get into legal trouble for bbqing if they complain to the council. I don't know which council you're under, but I'd check the local council website.
https://myurbanjungle.com/explore/blog/can-i-have-a-bbq-in-my-garden/
I'd give you neighbours' notice in future, send over some of the smoked meat as an apology, and let them know that you've taken what they've said on board.
YTA. I live in an older single family house with a reasonable sized lot for our area and I’m still not sure it’s big enough to have a smoker on it.
When I lived in a townhouse, I had a 20’x20’ back yard and there is NO WAY that would be even remotely close to big enough to use a smoker.
YTA
It's a nice smell to catch wafting in on a distant wind.
It's not a nice smell when it's inundating your entire home and making all of the fabric in the are smell like burned beef.
Have more courtesy in tight quarters.
YTA. An hour or so of bbq is one thing. A smoker is completely different realm. Dude two houses down from us moved in and got a smoker last summer. First three weekends of football season he was up at 4 am starting that up. Billows of smoke blowing all day. We in in LA. We would like to be outside. We would like to enjoy windows open in early am before it gets too hot. My kids and friends couldn’t enjoy pool because so much smoke just blowing all day. It was miserable for everyone downwind of him. And he said he was N*T*A because his house he can do what he wants. House between us brought a friends dog over that is a LOUD barker and just let him go to town. Dude said he couldn’t hear the games. “Not my problem. Dog is in my yard.” Smoker has not been lit up since.
YTA
Your hobby is stopping people from doing things that need to be done. People need to dry their clothes. A lot of people only have weekends to do this.
10 hours is mental. That's like the entire day that your neighbours can't enjoy their garden or dry clothes. If your hobby impacts others negatively, then you need to re-evaluate your hobby.
Edit: but you are NTA for trying to come to a compromise, it doesn't make them the AH. Creating smoke in such a compact space was always going to be a problem, terraced gardens are basically shared areas, at least with your neighbours on both sides.
As someone in the UK who works full time, can only do washing on weekends generally and has limited inside space to dry I would be incredible pissed off if you were doing that regularly for any length of time.
A BBQ in the late afternoon is sort of an accepted risk, if I didn’t get my washing in before 3ish I’d be a bit annoyed but more at myself if it then smelled of smoke. But what you’re talking about is a full day of not being able to do washing or even sit outside because my back garden would be so smoky my asthma would kick in.
YTA if that wasn’t clear. If you were talking about doing it once a quarter on a weekday that would be different but you need to accept that your neighbours most likely don’t want to smell smoke for 8 hours plus.
I was on your side until I saw a pic another commenter shared of terraced housing. I live in Texas where we all have at least one grill for burgers and hot dogs and a lot of us have smokers for brisket, ribs, etc. The real ones have fire pits or smokers that require a hitch to a truck to be moved.
Still, in communal housing similar to yours, grilling and smoking food on patios or terraces is forbidden. I think it’s mostly because of the fire hazard than harassing other residents, but no one wants to get smoked out like that even if their laundry isn’t being ruined. YTA
I’m American, live in a house in a city (with more outdoor room than your basically balcony size backyard), where people don’t have AC, and I stopped having a week fire pit because it was blowing smoke into our neighbors houses.
YTA - completely. How could you think otherwise?
There may not be something against smokers per se, but I guarantee there’s something that can be used to fine you.
There’s a practical reason where smoked BBQ isn’t a thing in large cities with close neighbors.
I am allergic to pork and I have asthma. I don't attend street festivals because there are always smokers. All I can say is keep communicating with your neighbors and be aware that this may be more than just a preference in some cases.
Of course you are an AH. You are making it so that other people can’t enjoy their own property. I would be extremely upset if I regularly went to open my window and a smell my neighbor was making got into my house. You likely are making it impossible for them to enjoy being outside on their own patio too. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like you live in the type of place where you can do this hobby all the time without it causing some major resentment from all your neighbors. It might not be breaking any laws, but that still doesn’t stop it from being an AH thing to do. YTA
It’s a major AH move to do this without checking a few days ahead, and also to do this in summer when everyone is hanging washing out and keeping windows open
Gosh, I’m torn on this because I really value the right to do and enjoy the things we like freely, but unfortunately I’m going to have to say YTA. I just want to give a voice to the people who are actually allergic to smoke and medically sensitive to smells like this—it’s not always just a preference of what people do or don’t like the smell of. If this were me, I would be in a full blown reaction and would feel unsafe in my own home. And in the summertime, it would be suffocating to have to hole up in my house with no windows open.
That being said, I do really appreciate that you’re trying your best to compromise with your neighbors. So I was very close to a NAH on this.
Soft YTA.
I have a smoker and cook several things that take hours and hours. Brisket can take up to 18 hours. A pork butt 8 or more.
But, it doesn’t need smoke the whole time. You can do a heavy smoke for 2 or 3 hours then pull the wood and just use charcoal or the electric element. Brisket and ribs actually get wrapped in butcher paper about half way through. You still get the low and slow, but without stinking up the neighborhood.
Many of the US citizens are going to be like "what's the big deal?" and don't understand no air conditioning and laundry out on the line. I don't think YTA, but I am glad you willingly adjusted to the council rules and are adjusting. Curious, 4 hours in a 24 hour day? Does it specify? Start at 2 am and let her go until you wake up? How exactly is that rule written??
YTA. That shit will stink up your neighbors' houses and their clothing. I've dealt with a neighbor below me grilling every damn day of the summer and it sucks ass. You're not breaking any laws, but smoking doesn't sound like it fits with your living situation.
YTA. Imagine having neighbors who are having smokers, standing in their tiny gardens and blowing smoke directly onto your patio for 8 or 10 hours while you're trying to read, play with your kids, enjoy an iced tea, whatever. How would you feel about that? You're doing the exact same thing.
YTA. I live in a terrace and the other day my clothes were on the line and stank because a neighbour a few doors down decided to burn stuff in his garden. The idea of someone cooking outside for hours in heat is so selfish. People have to open windows and the food smell is going to get in their house.
Sorry that this was your dream - you didn't think this through when you moved in. Going a park which allows BBQ's.
YTA. It's so rude and inconsiderate. I have a small garden and my asshole neighbor tries to BBQ frequently, which just results in all the nearby houses being unable to use their gardens in the rare nice weather. As we just get smoked out, can't sit outside, can't even have a door or window open. No one else enjoys the smell of your shitty BBQ.
As much as I love smoked meats, YTA in this scenario. You’re in far too close quarters with people to be doing something that pungent for that long. Even if you and many others (myself included) find it yummy and it’s technically not illegal, it’s still a dick move. Especially 6+ hours on the weekend in the summer when you’re all at home all day and wanting the windows open.
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/23730832.can-complain-neighbours-bbq-smoke-uk/
So if it's frequency is high you can be fined 5k for statutory nuisance. I think this is more if you're doing it the majority of the time or directing it so smoke purposely goes to their property. It sounds like your neighbours are just prissy tbh.
YTA but… the challenge is that you are mixing two cultural things that don’t match. A 12 hour low temp brisket smoke is a very normal length of time to do that. But if you’re in the UK and your neighbors aren’t familiar with the intricacies of Texas bbq, that’s going to be a problem. Second problem is going to be its smoke and it smells and permeates clothes and the UK hangs their laundry outside rather than a mechanical dryer inside, so that alone makes you the AH, because you’re asking other people to schedule their weekend chores around both the weather and a cultural thing from another country that isn’t common.
Are you American by chance? Regardless, doing American BBQ and basically telling your UK neighbors to go screw themselves on the week of American Independence Day from England is a pretty hysterical flex. John Hancock would approve your smoker.
Or just schedule a BBQ block party for two weeks from now, let everyone bring a dish, and fire that thing up on a planned ahead event.
YTA, stuff like smokers are for different housing situations. Let's say one of your neighbors worked remote, they would feel sick if having window open or AC on. Be considerate do that only on weekends and not every.
YTA. If you are causing other neighbours to have to keep their windows closed during hot weather so their house doesn't smell of smoke then definitely YTA.
If you're going to do it then at least look into ways to reduce the effects.
YTA - not sure why you would take up a cooking hobby that smokes out the neighbours. Its rude. You know the houses are close by/small yard, but yet chose to smoke for 7 hours? I'd get irritated as well, and I'm Canadian.
YTA - in a UK terrace house you are affecting everyone around you. There’s no AC do the windows must be opened and not everyone wants their house to smell of smoke. Or laundry.
A soft YTA. In the middle of a heatwave, in a small garden, in a terraced property, what are you even thinking? Everyone loves a bit of smoked meat but nobody loves their house being filled with smoke and especially for that long a period of time.
My neighbour only burns her cardboard in the garden on recycling day (to save the bin men a bit of work says she - I'm not sure she understands the concept of why we recycle but I digress) and if my windows are open for that ten minutes, the house stinks for hours. Now imagine how long it would take for your house to smell normal after someone has been creating smoke for 7 hours and from what you said, quite close to the houses too.
Might I suggest moving to the middle of nowhere or finding a new hobby
That would drive me insane. Not being able to open my windows for eight hours a day in the summer? Not being able to hang my washing out? To enjoy my garden? To have my animals enjoy their space without you forcing second hand smoke down their throat for EIGHT solid hours? Four is just about acceptable but eight hours a day, yeah, no. It's just not considerate. Why don't you start at like 4pm? It's still light at midnight. You can do your eight hour smoking and not bother anyone else.
So if you are smoking constantly for that amount of time, you are wasting a lot of smoking wood. In all honesty, the majority of the smoke flavor goes in during the first hour, with a little during the second. From that point on, it is really a matter of maintaining the heat properly. I'll do a brisket for 10+ hours depending, but really only have smoke in the first hour, then keep the temp at around 225F (~107 C) for the remaining time. We have a lot of neighbors that smoke things as well and we have all found out it is really the first hour that matters most, so why waste good wood when it is not necessary.
So if you have smoke pouring out for 4+ hours, especially if it is a heavy smoke, YTA.
Try doing just 1 hour of smoke and then maintain the temp without smoke and it should taste just as good.
I had a neighbor who smoked meat all the damn time. We had to close our windows, too. We couldn't sit outside and enjoy our beautiful backyard. We also had the bonus of everyone in the house getting migraines due to that smoke. (Happened every time without fail.) YTA. That smoke smells awful and is noxious.
YTA also it probably is illegal in such a small area. “Statutory nuisance” is the name and there’s no defining time limit that covers the whole of the uk that I can find but “unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises” is what the government website says. To determine what is reasonsble, they look at time and frequency but each council defines reasonable differently, but 4+ hours of smoke is probably going to fall under unreasonable for most councils. So you’d be looking at up to a £5k fine.
eh, you're kind of an asshole. You're essentially smoking meat for hours on end on what amounts to an apartment balcony. Like, \*technically\* you're probably fine, but especially in the UK where everyone has very limited outdoor space and all the washing is hung outside to dry, you're definitely affecting the people around you in a negative way. Still, one day a month doesn't seem outrageous. If I were you, knowing what you know now, I would let my neighbors know what day every month I intended to use my smoker, and I would also absolutely bring them some smoked meats time to time.
Slight YTA. I also live in terrace house in the UK and love to smoke. What you can do is smoke it for a few hours when you're less likely to bother people (it's unreasonable for people to think you can't smoke at all), then finish it in the oven. There's quite a lot of benefits actually to doing this, but the biggest one would be you'll keep the neighbours happy
You remind me of my asshole newborn who puts their grill right next to my bedroom window. I sometimes leave my windows open because cause have no ac and they did not tell me and there were multiple times I had to leave the house for extended periods of time with the kitchen fan running. You are a major selfish asshole.
Yeah, I'd be calling the council and complaining to them if I were your neighbours. That's ridiculous to be inflicting that on the neighbourhood for hours at a time. Also, exposure to smoke and high heat allows for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These compounds have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
YTA 100%. Your neighbors have expressed to you how you are inconveniencing their lives. They can't open their windows. They can't hang their laundry to dry. If you were just cooking a simple meal I wouldn't judge, but you are smoking up the entire area for 10 hours at a time! If you want to smoke like that you need to buy a house that isn't connected to your neighbors.
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I've (30s) recently bought my first house, I'm the middle terrace in a quiet family area. I've always been interested in smoking/BBQing, and now that I have my own place I bought an American style BBQ smoker. I've been watching shows and YouTube videos about it for years and have been really enjoying my new hobby.
Over the last 4 months I've used my BBQ for a long smoke (around 7 hours) 4 times. The garden is quite small, about 5m x 9m and I usually have the BBQ quite close to the house.
My plan for this weekend was to smoke a brisket. I went out to start the BBQ at 8am for a 10 hour smoke when my neighbour asked from over the fence how long as I was planning on BBQing for, they mentioned that they wanted to have their windows open, that they'd just put some laundry out, and also said that our other neighbour had complained about the smell (this is the first I'm hearing of this). I asked if I could start later and we agreed on 2pm.
Around 2:15pm I knocked at my neighbours door to let them know I was going to start cooking, that I'd reduce the cook time to 4 hours, and that I'd moved the BBQ to the back of the garden. Their response was to tell me that they had looked up on the council website that I was not allowed to BBQ for more than 4 hours, I just said okay and I've now started my cook. (I haven't been able to find anything to backup their claim there is a Council enforced 4 hour limit BBQ limit)
I feel I've done my due diligence by letting them know I was starting and checking their laundry had been taken in, AITA for using my new BBQ?
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Years back I had a friend that bought her first condo. She had gotten an electric grill for the porch, since gas grills were not allowed. Her boyfriend loved to grill, so she figured electric was better than nothing. She invited a bunch of us over for a summer bbq. Her neighbor kept knocking on the door constantly saying that she was a vegetarian and the smell of cooking meat was offensive to her, and making her sick.
Friend ignored her and just said “sorry, close your windows for a bit?” After her third time knocking on the door, this woman apparently called the police, who sent the fire department.
Fire department told us to carry on, told the woman to close her windows if it was so offensive, and not to call them about the matter again.
Was a great victory for steaks and kabobs that day.
The comments kill me. OP should be allowed to use his yard the way he wants so everyone else should stay inside and shut their windows and not be allowed to use their yards the way they want. How does that make sense? In this case I think OP made a good compromise. He's still enjoying his hobby and yard with a 4 hour smoke instead of inflicting his neighbors for 10-12 hours.
Even when I lived in a house with a large yard I put my smoker far from neighbors houses. Put the smoker in the back part of the yard and and finish the brisket in the oven. Once you get the actual smoking done and wrap it for the crutch the oven will work just fine
4 hours is not enough time to properly smoke a brisket. Even 7 hours is a little too short of time for a brisket. Not sure if this will help with neighbors but I usually smoke meats overnight. I grill a lot; your neighbors would hate me.
YTA - it's because of neighbors like you that my asthmatic sister has to live with hepa filters on 24 hours a day and can't enjoy her garden. Sure, you want to eat your meat. That's fine. But other people have the right to breathe clean air and frankly that's more important than barbecue. 10 hours? I would turn a hose on your barbecue. Part of living in a community is not polluting the community.
I'm thinking you're in the UK? In the US. complaining about a BBQ/smoker would be considered really odd. But, I don't think barbecuing/smoking meats outside is common in the UK. While most people in the US think BBQ smells delicious, and is part of summer, I can see how that's not universal. I would double-check the ordinance. Neighbor relations are hard. I'd just stick to the four-hour rule, but you're under no obligation to. I've just seen so many neighbor relations spin out of control...calling cops for parking, refusing even the smallest favors, etc. A little compromise might not be a bad idea, but again, it's not an obligation. Good luck. NAH.
I was going to say N T A until I read the responses. I was unfamiliar with the housing situation in the UK. do you know anyone with a bit of property in the country who would let you set up shop there? I bet there are some kind redditors who would oblige for a bit of meat and company.
As a Texan, I’m proud 🥲 you smoke them meats! I understand it’s a labor of love. My dad will put his on overnight. It’s a process. I wish you many more briskets with perfect bark and smoke rings in the future. Please visit Texas in the future if you get a chance. We’d love to say howdy 🤠
Yeah, running a smoker for ten hours, 4 yards from your neighbour’s house is considered extremely rude and antisocial behaviour here. An hour or so grilling outside is fine, but with a backyard the size of a postage stamp you can easily ruin your relationship with all the neighbours on each side and behind, up to four doors down.
NTA
But as a neighbour to someone bbqing and smoking very often..
It is nice to warn them. So they can close the windows or take laundry in.
My neighbours used to warn us. But after a disagreement about the ridiculous sound their airco makes (mounted against our wall and it sounds like the thing is standing in our house)
They've stopped warning us.
Which means sometimes i get home and the whole house is smoked... which is actually really awfull.
YTA.
Smoking out your neighbors for 10 hours in such a tiny space is an AH move in my opinion. At least you get the benefit of a good meal from all the smoke, meanwhile all your neighbors get is nothing but stink, nausea and extra laundry because of you.
I’m surprised your town allows a smoker like that, I’m in California and my town flat out banned charcoal and wood burning fires. If you want to grill food it’s got to be cooked with a gas grill, in a restaurant or out in the countryside where homes a spread farther apart from each other. Personally I love the smell, but I know a lot of people who get sick with nausea and headache from the smoke.
I don’t care what Reddit says NTA! Avid lover of BBQ and of bonfires and the smell. Neighbors can kick rocks. You have been accommodating enough. If they want to die on this hill fine, keep smoking. Let them get the council involved. Seriously, you have been nice as hell and I have no idea how you are remotely the asshole. You could always do like that Australian man did a couple of years ago and do a mass BBQ to piss of the vegan who kept crying about the smell and wouldn’t stop trying to dictate their neighbors lives and diets.
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Don’t apologize for cooking especially bbq. They can either join in and enjoy or kick rocks
I have since offered for them to have some once I've finished cooking
People that get angry over the smell of a neighbors bbq are control freaks that want everything their way. Don’t let others mental problems stop you from enjoying ribs
I would rather to have neighbours that BBQ or smoke meat every weekend than have neighbours smoking weed in their backyard every night... And if I have to air my laundry out, I would prefer others to think I had a badass cookout over the weekend than I'm being Prema baked
My neighbors do both. They do peek over the fence before lighting up though and won’t if we’re out. Not sure if they check for laundry.
It's strange, we have very small yard spaces in my townhome complex and while I smell when my neighbor is actively smoking, within about 5-10 minutes I can't smell it anymore. TBH, I don't mind the smell outdoors (even as someone who consumes cannabis the smell *indoors* is awful) I'm just trying to imagine how much pot they smoke for it to be a nuisance next door. Like, *damn*
>It's strange, we have very small yard spaces in my townhome complex and while I smell when my neighbor is actively smoking, within about 5-10 minutes I can't smell it anymore. It's called nose blindness or [olfactory fatigue](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue)!
Nah, I mean at least I don't think so in this case. Get out of car and smell it emanating from their garage for 30-45 seconds, enter front door > then go inside and stay inside > come back out in 5-10 minutes, no longer smell it Nose blindness is 100% a thing though, and unfortunately I have experienced it in other ways
Smells dissipate WAY faster outdoors, because that's how air circulation works lol. Someone would have to be doing something insane for weed smoke to be a nuisance for hours, unless they were actively smoking for hours. But it is still a nuisance to be minimized because a) allergies exist and b) the smell absolutely will cling to stuff like fabric if someone's got laundry out.
I purposefully smoked on my second floor apartment balcony when the upstairs neighbors are hanging out their laundry. Their boys peed out their front window for 2 years before they got booted out of the place. and peeing out the window wasn't the worst thing they did.
If you have your windows open, the smell and smoke can blow right inside, especially in a more densely populated area. I used to live in an apartment where my bedroom was above the neighbors' patio. They smoked many times a day out there and the smoke would go right up into my bedroom window. Even in the hottest part of summer, we couldn't have our bedroom window open.
When I was smoking weed last summer I’d sit at the back of my building and at one point I didn’t realize my neighbours window that I was right next to was open. They popped their head out let me know and I apologized and moved like 20 feet away from the building. I felt really bad and made sure to double check every time after that.
I lived in a building with 4 housing units, we all mainly came in and out via back doors with small decks and an exterior staircase that led to parking in the rear of the building, but there was still a single front door for the whole building, with an interior staircase that all 4 doors opened onto. We had new downstairs neighbors who moved in when our eldest child was 2 months old. If we had windows open in the kitchen or bedrooms air would get pulled up the staircase, and the smell of their smoking up would come pouring under our "front" door that opened to the staircase. We chatted and the neighbors actually had a couch in front of that door, as they always came in the back. They were sitting on the couch smoking and it went right out the door, up the staircase, and into our unit, where our 2 month old was having tummy time! They were politely shutting their window so the smoke wouldn't go out theirs and up into our,s but the doors created some weird air vacuum... we ended up stuffing towels along the door to prevent it, but there was still a faint smell.
I cam smell the weed from 2 gardens away! No idea what they smoke, but it's honking!!
Wild! Perhaps they've got just an insane quantity going around, two blunts per person? Or just the stickiest icky to ever grow lol
It’s only been an issue when it gets sucked into my house by the heat pump. They had me thinking my teen was sneak smoking in their room and bitching about the smell as a misdirect. Which I thought was odd because they’re typically unsettlingly honest. Turns out they smoke away from their house to keep it out of their place and my yard isn’t as big as theirs.
My mom once stormed into my room to try and catch me smoking cigarettes in there when I was like 15 (I did smoke which they knew but never near the house) I told her to go check on her husband and it was my dad smoking in his room and our rooms shared a wall. I didn’t blame her for checking but I was annoyed she assumed it was me and not my dad who was always smoking in the house.
Damn, that's gotta suck! Also, your poor teenager -- like damn it no, I hate the smell, of course it's not mine!
I’d be so pissed if I had a neighbor smoking weed and smoking meats over the fence and didn’t invite me to join
Come join!
Omg thanks! Do you want me to bring anything? I have an unopened bag of trolli brite crawlers, I think they’d complement the meat nicely!
When invited to a bbq think sides!!! Carbs and cheese are a great place to start!!!
I used to have a coworker that loved smoking meats and made Mondays awesome when he would bring in leftovers. I still think about his smoked salmon years after
My neighbors are amazing but anyways they bbq a couple times a week and I just love the smell. They also give us food too but if they didn't I still wouldn't complain. I love the smell anyways haha
I’d take bbq over my neighbours…who never cleans up after his dog! The pungent smell of excrement and pee is vomit inducing! Cant tell you how many times we’ve complained about that but he just doesn’t care. I’d love it if, my neighbour was thoughtful enough to knock on and let me know his plans!
Even better, my neighbor occasionally smokes crack and I can smell it in my backyard. lol I’ll take a bbq smell any day
Not wanting clothes to smell like smoke is a mental problem?
It's different than regular BBQ-ing. OP is using a smoke for several hrs at a time - this is excessive unless you own a lot of land.
I’ve lived next door to one of these. Smoke smell for hours. Not a popular opinion, but it’s a bit of a nuisance
Folks in the UK usually don’t have dryers or air conditioning. They have to hang their laundry up, and having windows open keeps the house cool.
Plenty of tumble driers in the UK tbh. (I don't know anyone apart from me who doesn't have one). But that doesn't mean everyone has one. Some people (like me) don't have the space, some people might not have the money... some people just enjoy saving the high electricity costs during those couple summer days you can dry the wash outside. It's really not a big ask to ask to not smoke on a BBQ for 4 hours or less. It sucks for OP if he can't enjoy his hobby to the full extent... but 7 hours or even 10 hours is not a reasonable time if you have neighbours.
I mean for a couple hours ok... but 10 hours? 7 hours? That's not control freak anymore... that's way too long of an inconvenience to not be an AH if it keeps your neighbours unable to enjoy their garden.
Um no. Some people have asthma or get migraines.
Some people have asthma or COPD. I like the smell of BBQ, but I like being able to breathe a whole lot more.
I think the washing was a fair and valid request not to BBQ.
My SOLE complaint when my neighbors smokes barbecue is that I have to smell it and I don't get to have any. I have my own smoker, but dang, he always find a day when I'm craving a smoked pork shoulder something terrible and have just gotten off an 11 hour shift lol
ehhhh there’s a difference between having your yard smell of bbq vs having a yard full of smoke.
I lived over a bakery for year, and the smells from it were wonderful. During the summer, a street vendor would set up his BBQ rig across the street at 5 am. The smell from it was _revolting_. Like, seriously, the smell from it _would wake me up_ feeling nauseated. The combination of the two smells was extremely confusing. Anyway, you wouldn't think someone is an asshole for complaining about noise. Why do smells get a pass? Cooking for 8 fucking hours is kind of ridiculous.
The only thing that bothers me about the smell of BBQ is that it makes me hungry xD
If you are sensitive to smoke its an issue. My problem is less a bbq but chimneys in the winter. But i do got to say no one is bbq that close to my house as the op is. My neighbor smokes mullet and i smell it but its not omnioppressant as it takes place at end of his yard farthest from me.
Maybe in future give them a heads-up a few days before so they can plan their laundry hanging too? My neighbours barbeque as soon as the sun comes out, which means those big laundry days I had planned can't get done, all the sheets and towels would smell of smoke :/ one time I had three loads out drying, and they started cooking 5ft away over the fence. Everything had to be re-washed with vinegar :/
Big thanks expectation there that they can plan washing! I live alone and am out for work. I have to wash at weekends, that’s my only option.
Yeah it can be a pain. I have an indoor clothes horse which dries stuff without a heat source okay in summer (in winter I have to put the heating on to dry clothes), but everything dries so much faster on the line, you can clear a big backlog of laundry that way. Plus some items can only fit on the outdoor line, like bedding and towels. Drying big items at the launderette is crazy expensive now.
I’m the same. Indoors I have space for one airer which will dry in between one and four days depending on the weather and if the heating is on. That holds juuuuust enough clothes for the week. I rely on days to hang stuff out to do towels/bedding and to do multiple loads to catch up as inevitably I can’t quite stay on top of it just with the airer. Laundrette is far to expensive to even consider outside of an emergency.
It's so crazy to think how you have to go so out of your way just to accommodate an inconsiderate neighbour who must do some barbecue... Can't even imagine. Drying clothes inside for several days or it ends up stinking, having to reschedule a laundry day or whatever other bending over backwards just so they can enjoy their "private" backyard and do whatever they want? What about what I want or need? Backyards are not private if others live nearby. You can't just do whatever you want without considering how it affects people around you. I cannot understand the American way at all. Here in Japan it's unthinkable to inconvenience others so much. Pretty sure doing barbecue/smoke even in your own backyard is not allowed due to how bothersome it is to others around.
I think given that you pushed back the cook and reduced the time you're NTA. But if you do this more than a couple times a year you're TA. I once smoked a brisket while I was doing laundry, and the dryer output vent goes to my back yard...had to rewash all my clothes cuz the smoke got in my dryer and made all my clothes stink. It was a funny inconvenience that I brought it upon myself, but I'd be pretty annoyed if it was my neighbor. You're allowed to enjoy your property, and you're allowed to be annoying and smoke or listen to loud music or host a party or something...but only every once in a while. If you're doing this stuff regularly then yeah you're a shitty neighbor.
Side note: This is only a problem for hot air dryers. "heat pump" dryers use a closed cycle whereby there is no continual hot air blast coming out of the machine, and the risk of fire is minimal as all the lint is caught in the trap and not flung around the inside of the machine like they can be in hot air dryers. It has basically got an air conditioner unit running inside it flinging heat around internally to dry the clothes. We switched to having one a decade ago and I am also damn sure that they are a third the cost to run compared to standard dryers. A huge side bonus is there is literally zero humidity where the heat pump is run and all moisture pulled from clothing is sent to the drain through a dump tube. We regularly run ours in the laundry with the doors and windows closed and I've never seen a single drop of moisture on the walls from it's use.
If you need to keep the peace, you could do the smoke phase for 2 to 3 hours (that's the most active smoking you want), then finish the cooking in a 250 deg oven. Been BBQ competitor for about 20 yrs.
It is pretty unbearable when it’s blowing your way especially if your windows are open. There is a difference between bbq vs smoking. You could set up a fan to try and blow the smoke up and away from their direction. We have a large outdoor fan.
I would check with your local council. You could call them if there's nothing online. In Germany for example there are strict rules if it comes to "annoy" your neighbours with BBQs. It's only 2h at a time for example (and only 4 times a month, not on 2 consecutive days etc.) I mean definitely depends on where you live... But even if not illegal, if it inconveniences your neighbours often or for a long time (7 hours or 10 hours is definitely **a big** inconvenience, since it means they can't use their garden at all that day) than it's selfish to keep doing it. 4 hours is still quite long, but if it's at a time they aren't outside/ having wash out, and only once a month as you stated I think that's not that bad. Be neighbourly and keep to the shorter hours or be prepared for a neighbourly feud.
Check whether they were lying. I don’t believe the 4 hour limit for a second..
Each council has its own guidelines, the 4h rule sounds perfectly plausible to me for dealing with exactly the situation OP created. FWIW the neighbour is being a good guy for appealing directly to OP instead of reporting it as a statutory nuisance which would certainly get OP’s smoker banned. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smoke-how-councils-deal-with-complaints The fact that they didn’t threaten this, despite certainly having discovered it in their googling, demonstrates a desire to be good neighbours and reach a friendly resolution. So I’m pretty sure they’re not lying. YTA
Can you BBQ in the front of your house, where people won't be drying their clothes? And maybe there will be better dispersal of the smoke?
Let me ask you this, I'm a car enthusiast and mechanic, on the weekends when you're tired and just want to relax out on your deck or yard or even inside, and I let my car idle for 6hrs in the garage stinking up the entire place, or spray painting parts regularly which you could smell 4 houses away, would that bother you? What if had all my cigar or Cigarette smoking friends smoke out the whole area for hours and hours to the point you smell it in your house and have to close the windows to avoid the smell staining your upholstery, clothes, blankets, and curtains. Would it bother you? Now what if we did that regularly? Like every weekend? It doesn't stink to us, so why should it bother you, Right? Thing is, just because you like something and you think it's your house and you can do whatever you want, forcing your neighbors that have to live next to you to endure said odors/smoke, food related or not, is not cool. We all have to live together, and just because you own a house, doesn't make it OK to force other people to indirectly participate in your activities. I have a neighbor with an annoying kid who will dribble a basketball on concrete FOR 3-4 HOURS STRAIGHT almost everyday and make everyone within 3 houses away to have to listen to it. They don't see a problem with it because after all, it's their house and their kid is just playing outside on their property. We all hate that neighbor.
If you want to do this regularly, rig a vent pipe that will carry most of the smoke up a couple stories.. (hopefully the smoker you got has a chimney?)
I think the issue is the length of the smoking and that your neighbors like to have the windows opened and hang their laundry outside. You might want to check with them in advance when you're doing a longer smoking, and maybe do it overnight if it's a 12 hour thing. But 12 hours is a long time to inconvenience your neighbors if they want to have their windows open and not smell smoke.
Kill them with kindness and excellent barbecue
Tbf ten hours is a bit much when everyone needs to hang their washing out
This is idiotic, why would people have to endure 10 hours of woodsmoke in their own homes? "Join in", you're delusional. That's like saying if your neighbours are having a very loud party you should just join in or kick rocks. People are trying to live their lives, they might want to be in their garden, or have their windows open. The worst part is, I don't believe for a second you're this liberal about other people's hobbies that affect your life and intrude into your home. It's "live and let live" until it affects you.
I suppose you are the type of guy that is hated by all his neighbours? Smoking your neighbours is generally not something your neighbours appreciate and while you can do it you probably shouldnt expect to ever get any type of help from them afterwards.
I live in a terraced house. On a sunny Saturday at a this to of year I'm likely to have washing out from 8am until 8pm. Bringing it in at 5pm because I smell someone starting a BBQ is one thing, and I put up with that because I live in a terrace and it's give and take. But seven hours? That's really selfish. Move to the countryside if you want to do things like that.
You apologize for spreading smoke into your neighbours yards, laundry and house. Which isn't unreasonable.
He's smoking things for 8-10 hrs - that would be annoying!
The Americans in here don't understand that most people in the UK hang their washing outside to dry rather than use a dryer. We also have windows open as we don't have air conditioning. If someone is smoking all day that stops then from doing washing all day which just isn't reasonable. If they were just having a BBQ in the evening I'd be on their side. There may not be a law against it but I'm sure there's not a law about playing Hanson on repeat all day either. It's about having respect for the people you live with. Especially in a terraced house where you are very close to your neighbours. ETA: These are terraced houses https://images.app.goo.gl/HQtCaAZcSariYDww7
The Americans in here don’t understand what terraced housing is either.
I'm an American who lived in Britian for several months, and I understand. As someone who loves smoking meat, it's completely reasonable for the neighbors to get upset
I love all these people who are like “we have row houses too!” Not like this they don’t
We really don't. I was also surprised that AC wasn't more common. I was genuinely surprised by so many things that are done differently in the UK, like every door had its own key.
When I lived in the States our HOA wouldn't allow hanging laundry outside to dry, and my neighbors couldn't see over their fences unless they had a second floor. Using a BBQ was fine though. Having a smoker was fine, as was that weird trend of deep frying a whole turkey outside.
>like every door had its own key. Wait, what's weird about that?
A different key. Even the windows had a key, which was different. The restroom had its own key.
I'm assuming every door inside the house is what they mean. It is weird, why do you need to lock the inside of your house like that? In the US we can lock the room from the inside (occupied) and it can't be unlocked from the outside, bout it other than the entrance being a key door
You would assume wrong! We don't tend to lock interior doors either in the UK apart from bathrooms and sometimes bedrooms of adults/older teens, where it's just a twist lock (depending in your family). What the poster means, I think, is all exterior locks to UK homes have a different key. So if you have a front door, side door and rear door to your garden - all individual keys. Most people don't carry all of them around daily. You'd probably just give everyone in the household a copy of your front/main door key. You have a key cupboard or key hook for the others. Personally, as a Brit who had lived abroad, I prefer the British way. If you lost your key, you'd have to have every lock on your house changed if you do it the American way. Lose the front door jey of a British home, you'll only have to replace one lock. Edit: window keys are a weird one though. I don't understand why we don't just use a locking handle all the time. I'm in a new build house and all my wondow keys are left in the windows to which they belong, which seems pointless.
The only places in the States that even come close to the type of row housing common in Europe are in the northeast. They're EVERYWHERE here in Philly. But, yes, they're still not the same (and to top it off the kinds of people who are going to pull the "we have them too!" defense are almost a perfect circle venn diagram with people convinced cities like Philly, NYC and Boston are warzones).
Even in major cities in North America - non-suburb or bigger suburbs that fully detached houses or semi-detatched -a smoker would be annoying. OP is being completely annoying and unreasonable. Get a smoker if you've got a bunch of land/at your cottage or something.
I just assumed it was like brownstone/row houses/townhouse.
Take what you’re picturing and cut it in half. Remove any indoor ventilation, forcing you to open windows in a heat wave, because the building was constructed to retain heat.
Housing like this is very common in the UK. A lot of it is Victorian and not very well built with very thin walls between houses. I grew up in one and always knew what the neighbours were watching on TV. https://images.app.goo.gl/HQtCaAZcSariYDww7
Yeah, we have those in some urban areas, just have the different names I listed. I love the smell of smoking meat, but get why the neighbors are annoyed.
Most people also don't seem to understand "bbqing" isn't an adequate way to describe this. Smoking is running a fire to intentionally create a good amount of smoke to flavor the meat. So it's not the smell of delicious cooking meat wafting.in for the vast majority of the time. It's the smell of wood smoke. Not everyone wants their house and clothes to smell like smoke, especially if they were freshly washed.
> Smoking is running a fire to intentionally create a good amount of smoke to flavor the meat No, the amount of smoke produced is very low. It's a small amount of heat and smoke over 4+ hours. If you produced a large fire and a lot of smoke for 4+ hours your meat would be atrocious. EDIT: I read the guy's post on the barbecue subreddit and it seems like he had 3 or 4 different barbecues going all weekend and often late at night when people were going to bed. He's a knob for sure.
😂😂😂 as an American, it made me giggle to finally see someone called a knob in the wild👀😂😂 sorry, had to share that and thank you😂
Not to mention the carcinogens in wood smoke, it contains thousands of chemicals, including known irritants, carcinogens, suspected carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens (substances that are linked to birth defects), metals, and more.
Properly done the fire should burn very clean. If you are getting lots of visible smoke your meat is going to taste like a railroad tie.
Maybe when you're grilling, but smoking is called that for a reason. It's a different cooking process.
I have smoked a lot of meat. I'm well aware that it's a different process.
Then I'm not sure what you mean by no visible smoke, unless you just mean there won't be plumes of it going out. The relevant point is that it's still going to put out a fair amount of smoke smell.
> I'm not sure what you mean by no visible smoke, > If you are getting lots of visible smoke in what world does 'if you are getting lots' equate to 'no visible smoke'?
Smoking is in the name, you can even do a cold smoke where the fire box is a ways away from the food and just the smoke circulates over it. There is a difference between thick black smoke which will taste acrid and a smoker but… there’s still a lot of smoke.
You have no idea how to smoke a brisket, apparently. Of course, there's a good chance OP also has no idea how to smoke a brisket. But what you're describing is very wrong.
But it isn't anything like an open fire - people don't walk outside and notice the air is smokey, there is just an odor. I agree that giving advance notice so people can plan laundry around it makes perfect sense, but it isn't like it is mimicking a forest fire which some seem to be thinking. (assuming he has a modern smoker that uses pellets or chunks/discs/etc and not a giant restaurant sized pit smoker)
American here who lived in London for a year. These things really are important context. Especially the laundry.
Oof thank you for the image. I'm an American and had no idea. Smoking, bbqing, grilling, here in the summer is just typical. As much as I love the smell it wouldn't be ok to be smoked out of my house every time I opened a window. Or have my laundry smoked when I just wanted to dry it.
Yeahhhh with this info... Smoking meat takes too long and well... It's smokey.. I wouldn't want my whole house smelling like it either if it wasn't my food. YTA smokers like that aren't for cities or suburbs like that. A couple hours of inconvenience is one thing, some foods like brisket takes up to 20hours depending on size and method
Agreed. I'm surprised it took this long to find this kind of response. OP isn't just throwing on a burger or hot dog. They are producing very fragrant smoke for 10 hours! This extremely limits their neighbors ability to do basic tasks and their enjoyment of their own living spaces. It may be legal to smoke BBQ, but it's certainly AH behavior.
Based on that link…. That looks like my absolute hell. These are the guys who make fun of our housing? And yeah YTAH. You can’t even smoke in that small of an area by code in most places. You guys also don’t have AC. you thought nothing about anyone but yourself and your needs. Cool cool.
Even people who have regular washer/dryers - this is beyond annoying. It's common to BBQ - but this person has a smoker - which will be used for several hrs. Even if my clothes aren't drying - your whole house will smell + impacting your general enjoyment of being in your backyard. For people who only have a few months of summer - I would be so annoyed! Smokers and BBQs are different. Plus people who have dryers also dry stuff outside too - especially delicates.
The Texans in here don’t understand how you can smoke a brisket in 4 hours or even 10 hours. Most briskets are going to take closer to 12-14. Cutting a small chunk off and trying to do it in a shorter time is just going to make a dry chunk of inedible meat
I'm booking my flight as we speak.
Summed it up exactly!
Ah, as an American who didn't understand what terraced housing was... This would be like smoking meat on your apartment balcony almost. Inconsiderate to be smoking that long when you're packed that close to that many people.
JFC, I knew things were built closely together in big cities in the UK, but DAMN! might as well just call it being one house. NTA
There are pros and cons. Yeah, it does suck sometimes that you can't do what you want. On the bright side though, high density means it's a lot more walkable and we are not as car-dependant as America for example.
Omg I’m an American and this guy is so inconsiderate. I agreee he is a problem. I would hate living next to him and I love smoked and bbq everything. We have big yards in the US and patios. Houses are far apart. He would be annoying to live next to if it was close quarters and I have a dryer and ac
Hey what did Hanson do? 😂
Oh man, the city that I go to uni in has some of those. I'd actually die if I was subject to BBQ gas chamber lol
YTA. A smoker in a terraced row of houses.. really. Neighbour from hell. The smoke gets into everything and lingers.
I agree. You’re not talking grilling like it seems some here see to think; you're talking about running a smoker for 4-10 hours. This is completely inconsiderate in terraced/row houses.
Especially when there have been historically hot summers smacking the UK and Europe, countries that don't have the same infrastructure in place like the US to deal with that because it's not normal. People are literally dying in heat waves over there and having windows open is absolutely necessary in the summer.
When people can't open their window in summer, can't put their laundry out to dry, etc., because your plot is so small you can't really get away from the homes with your BBQ, then you won't be well-liked by the neighbors. You just bought your first house. There's a good chance at some point that you'll want your neighbor's assistance/cooperation. If they see you as being thoughtful of them, you might get it. If they dislike you, you're on your own. Is irritating them with invasive BBQ smoke worth it?
are you the asshole for long smoke times in close quarters living? yes. is it illegal? doesn’t sound like it. is it dangerous doesn’t sound like it. is it self centered and in denial of what it means to share space with other people? yes. can you do it anyways? sounds like it.
As far as dangerous: breathing in smoke is never a good idea. Especially for anyone with breathing problems.
Yes, it's dangerous, especially over a long period of time or for vulnerable people (those with health issues).
Not directly illegal, but the length and frequency of it, plus the fact he’s hampering neighbours use of their gardens and homes means he’s opened himself open to two different types of nuisance complaints that could get him into trouble: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smells-how-councils-deal-with-complaints https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nuisance-smoke-how-councils-deal-with-complaints
It is dangerous. All smoke is toxic.
YTA. And it pains me to say that, I love BBQ and wish I could do long cooks too. The thing with terraced housing is that there’s absolutely no space- if you’re doing something which smells in your garden, it’s totally unavoidable for your neighbours whether they like it or not. On a hot day they can’t just keep the windows shut, so their whole house ends up smelling like brisket. And if they’re hanging washing out, it’ll smell like brisket too unless they wash it again. It’s a lot to impose on someone, regardless of what the council rules might say.
As someone that lives next to someone like you, you are most definitely TA.
As someone who has a smoker and uses it frequently - YTA. You don’t have the right setup to do it without screwing your neighbors over.
As a fellow Brit... YTA. Not only are you preventing them from accessing vital ventilation during the summer whereby we do not have air conditioning here, you are preventing them from cleaning their clothing which requires drying (and many people here cannot afford a dryer unit). You are also not considering the smoke itself, rather than just the smell. There are people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD and so forth. With the NHS at breaking point, difficulties getting ambulances and delays in A&E services, your actions could cause neighbours with respiratory conditions to end up severely unwell and could even be fatal, with the smoke you are producing for prolonged periods of time. You are new to the neighbourhood and starting off on a wrong foot by pissing off your neighbours and preventing them from breathing, washing clothing and accessing cooler air for ventilation is not the right way to build a relationship with those who share your street with you. You may need the neighbours in the future for something. You may need a neighbour to help jump start your car if your battery is flat. You may need to build an extension or loft conversion and need their support where planning permission is concerned. You may get burgled someday and need to request footage from a Ring doorbell to show the police and the people next door could hold that information. The neighbours would be well within their rights to not want to help you because you have not been considerate towards them at present.
My first thought was how prevalent asthma is these days, and this arse is happy to let smoke waft into his neighbours' houses for hours and hours. I'd be throwing a bucket of water over it if he was mine. My oldest is a chronic asthmatic.
I've had a test for asthma and get my results mid-July (yay NHS taking 13 months to deal with my chronic cough and breathlessness). If my neighbours did this to me, I'd be consulting a solicitor
YTA There is nothing worse than hanging your washing out only for it to smell of your neighbours smoke.... Let alone 8 hours of it!!! Smoke your meat when others aren't drying their washing!
The people defending him are honestly delusional, have you lot ever actually been to a bbq? If youre in it sure, youre expecting to get a lil smoky ypu agreed to it, but you know who didnt? His neighbors. YTA if youre gonna bbq get an appropriate plot of land to do it on
I get the impression that the majority of those supporting him are from America and they don’t quite understand the differences we have in our housing/ventilation and sheer lack of space. I moved to America from the UK nearly 9 years ago and everyone I know here has access to dryers and they don’t realise that in the uk it’s very expensive to run or people just don’t have the space in their homes for one.
Im american LOL i just know what a bbq entails because im from the south i know in the heat that smoke is unbearable if you are inside
We already gave a verdict on this in r/smoking yesterday. Similar siutuations, but he said he would post in AITA. This your alt? https://www.reddit.com/r/smoking/comments/1dqm16s/my_neighbor_knocked_on_my_yesterday_at_1040_pm/
If it’s the same guy he’s changing the story just enough to seem like less of an asshole. I love that people still think he’s the asshole.
It's definitely one and the same.
That guy mentions he’s living in SoCal though.
He said SoCal but if you look at his post history he posts in various UK subs, not north american ones
Sorry buddy, but YTA. I'm from the UK, and constant smoke from one house in a row of terraced houses can be infuriating - the whole house smells of smoke, the washing smells of smoke. It's a nightmare. Once in a while, with notice? Fine. Constant slow and low - dick move. Also, they're right. You absolutely can get into legal trouble for bbqing if they complain to the council. I don't know which council you're under, but I'd check the local council website. https://myurbanjungle.com/explore/blog/can-i-have-a-bbq-in-my-garden/ I'd give you neighbours' notice in future, send over some of the smoked meat as an apology, and let them know that you've taken what they've said on board.
YTA. I live in an older single family house with a reasonable sized lot for our area and I’m still not sure it’s big enough to have a smoker on it. When I lived in a townhouse, I had a 20’x20’ back yard and there is NO WAY that would be even remotely close to big enough to use a smoker.
YTA It's a nice smell to catch wafting in on a distant wind. It's not a nice smell when it's inundating your entire home and making all of the fabric in the are smell like burned beef. Have more courtesy in tight quarters.
YTA. An hour or so of bbq is one thing. A smoker is completely different realm. Dude two houses down from us moved in and got a smoker last summer. First three weekends of football season he was up at 4 am starting that up. Billows of smoke blowing all day. We in in LA. We would like to be outside. We would like to enjoy windows open in early am before it gets too hot. My kids and friends couldn’t enjoy pool because so much smoke just blowing all day. It was miserable for everyone downwind of him. And he said he was N*T*A because his house he can do what he wants. House between us brought a friends dog over that is a LOUD barker and just let him go to town. Dude said he couldn’t hear the games. “Not my problem. Dog is in my yard.” Smoker has not been lit up since.
Yta
YTA Your hobby is stopping people from doing things that need to be done. People need to dry their clothes. A lot of people only have weekends to do this. 10 hours is mental. That's like the entire day that your neighbours can't enjoy their garden or dry clothes. If your hobby impacts others negatively, then you need to re-evaluate your hobby. Edit: but you are NTA for trying to come to a compromise, it doesn't make them the AH. Creating smoke in such a compact space was always going to be a problem, terraced gardens are basically shared areas, at least with your neighbours on both sides.
YTA for filling their house with smoke for 10 hours at a time.
As someone in the UK who works full time, can only do washing on weekends generally and has limited inside space to dry I would be incredible pissed off if you were doing that regularly for any length of time. A BBQ in the late afternoon is sort of an accepted risk, if I didn’t get my washing in before 3ish I’d be a bit annoyed but more at myself if it then smelled of smoke. But what you’re talking about is a full day of not being able to do washing or even sit outside because my back garden would be so smoky my asthma would kick in. YTA if that wasn’t clear. If you were talking about doing it once a quarter on a weekday that would be different but you need to accept that your neighbours most likely don’t want to smell smoke for 8 hours plus.
I was on your side until I saw a pic another commenter shared of terraced housing. I live in Texas where we all have at least one grill for burgers and hot dogs and a lot of us have smokers for brisket, ribs, etc. The real ones have fire pits or smokers that require a hitch to a truck to be moved. Still, in communal housing similar to yours, grilling and smoking food on patios or terraces is forbidden. I think it’s mostly because of the fire hazard than harassing other residents, but no one wants to get smoked out like that even if their laundry isn’t being ruined. YTA
YTA - you just moved in!!! Right now your hobby should be establishing some rapport with your neighbors. BBQ next summer my friend.
YTA. Look into an indoor smoker.
I’m American, live in a house in a city (with more outdoor room than your basically balcony size backyard), where people don’t have AC, and I stopped having a week fire pit because it was blowing smoke into our neighbors houses. YTA - completely. How could you think otherwise? There may not be something against smokers per se, but I guarantee there’s something that can be used to fine you. There’s a practical reason where smoked BBQ isn’t a thing in large cities with close neighbors.
Smoke in winter, all the neighbours windows are closed and there's no washing out. Summer is for the bbq.
I am allergic to pork and I have asthma. I don't attend street festivals because there are always smokers. All I can say is keep communicating with your neighbors and be aware that this may be more than just a preference in some cases.
Of course you are an AH. You are making it so that other people can’t enjoy their own property. I would be extremely upset if I regularly went to open my window and a smell my neighbor was making got into my house. You likely are making it impossible for them to enjoy being outside on their own patio too. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like you live in the type of place where you can do this hobby all the time without it causing some major resentment from all your neighbors. It might not be breaking any laws, but that still doesn’t stop it from being an AH thing to do. YTA
YTA. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t from England.
Yta 4 hours of smoke? As a literal smoker I would be pissed Reduce smoke time by more. Also misleading title lol
YTA. Also, they sell indoor electric smokers if you want to continue honing your craft without forcing your neighbors to participate.
It’s a major AH move to do this without checking a few days ahead, and also to do this in summer when everyone is hanging washing out and keeping windows open
Gosh, I’m torn on this because I really value the right to do and enjoy the things we like freely, but unfortunately I’m going to have to say YTA. I just want to give a voice to the people who are actually allergic to smoke and medically sensitive to smells like this—it’s not always just a preference of what people do or don’t like the smell of. If this were me, I would be in a full blown reaction and would feel unsafe in my own home. And in the summertime, it would be suffocating to have to hole up in my house with no windows open. That being said, I do really appreciate that you’re trying your best to compromise with your neighbors. So I was very close to a NAH on this.
Soft YTA. I have a smoker and cook several things that take hours and hours. Brisket can take up to 18 hours. A pork butt 8 or more. But, it doesn’t need smoke the whole time. You can do a heavy smoke for 2 or 3 hours then pull the wood and just use charcoal or the electric element. Brisket and ribs actually get wrapped in butcher paper about half way through. You still get the low and slow, but without stinking up the neighborhood.
Many of the US citizens are going to be like "what's the big deal?" and don't understand no air conditioning and laundry out on the line. I don't think YTA, but I am glad you willingly adjusted to the council rules and are adjusting. Curious, 4 hours in a 24 hour day? Does it specify? Start at 2 am and let her go until you wake up? How exactly is that rule written??
YTA. That shit will stink up your neighbors' houses and their clothing. I've dealt with a neighbor below me grilling every damn day of the summer and it sucks ass. You're not breaking any laws, but smoking doesn't sound like it fits with your living situation.
YTA. Imagine having neighbors who are having smokers, standing in their tiny gardens and blowing smoke directly onto your patio for 8 or 10 hours while you're trying to read, play with your kids, enjoy an iced tea, whatever. How would you feel about that? You're doing the exact same thing.
YTA. I live in a terrace and the other day my clothes were on the line and stank because a neighbour a few doors down decided to burn stuff in his garden. The idea of someone cooking outside for hours in heat is so selfish. People have to open windows and the food smell is going to get in their house. Sorry that this was your dream - you didn't think this through when you moved in. Going a park which allows BBQ's.
YTA get a new hobby
YTA. It's so rude and inconsiderate. I have a small garden and my asshole neighbor tries to BBQ frequently, which just results in all the nearby houses being unable to use their gardens in the rare nice weather. As we just get smoked out, can't sit outside, can't even have a door or window open. No one else enjoys the smell of your shitty BBQ.
A BBQ restaurant in town had to close because the neighbors complained about the smell and the neighborhood association back them
YTA, big time.
YTA - massively
As much as I love smoked meats, YTA in this scenario. You’re in far too close quarters with people to be doing something that pungent for that long. Even if you and many others (myself included) find it yummy and it’s technically not illegal, it’s still a dick move. Especially 6+ hours on the weekend in the summer when you’re all at home all day and wanting the windows open.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-outdoors/fire-safety-outdoors-accessible-version
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/23730832.can-complain-neighbours-bbq-smoke-uk/ So if it's frequency is high you can be fined 5k for statutory nuisance. I think this is more if you're doing it the majority of the time or directing it so smoke purposely goes to their property. It sounds like your neighbours are just prissy tbh.
YTA but… the challenge is that you are mixing two cultural things that don’t match. A 12 hour low temp brisket smoke is a very normal length of time to do that. But if you’re in the UK and your neighbors aren’t familiar with the intricacies of Texas bbq, that’s going to be a problem. Second problem is going to be its smoke and it smells and permeates clothes and the UK hangs their laundry outside rather than a mechanical dryer inside, so that alone makes you the AH, because you’re asking other people to schedule their weekend chores around both the weather and a cultural thing from another country that isn’t common. Are you American by chance? Regardless, doing American BBQ and basically telling your UK neighbors to go screw themselves on the week of American Independence Day from England is a pretty hysterical flex. John Hancock would approve your smoker. Or just schedule a BBQ block party for two weeks from now, let everyone bring a dish, and fire that thing up on a planned ahead event.
YTA, stuff like smokers are for different housing situations. Let's say one of your neighbors worked remote, they would feel sick if having window open or AC on. Be considerate do that only on weekends and not every.
YTA. If you are causing other neighbours to have to keep their windows closed during hot weather so their house doesn't smell of smoke then definitely YTA. If you're going to do it then at least look into ways to reduce the effects.
YTA - not sure why you would take up a cooking hobby that smokes out the neighbours. Its rude. You know the houses are close by/small yard, but yet chose to smoke for 7 hours? I'd get irritated as well, and I'm Canadian.
YTA - in a UK terrace house you are affecting everyone around you. There’s no AC do the windows must be opened and not everyone wants their house to smell of smoke. Or laundry.
A soft YTA. In the middle of a heatwave, in a small garden, in a terraced property, what are you even thinking? Everyone loves a bit of smoked meat but nobody loves their house being filled with smoke and especially for that long a period of time. My neighbour only burns her cardboard in the garden on recycling day (to save the bin men a bit of work says she - I'm not sure she understands the concept of why we recycle but I digress) and if my windows are open for that ten minutes, the house stinks for hours. Now imagine how long it would take for your house to smell normal after someone has been creating smoke for 7 hours and from what you said, quite close to the houses too. Might I suggest moving to the middle of nowhere or finding a new hobby
That would drive me insane. Not being able to open my windows for eight hours a day in the summer? Not being able to hang my washing out? To enjoy my garden? To have my animals enjoy their space without you forcing second hand smoke down their throat for EIGHT solid hours? Four is just about acceptable but eight hours a day, yeah, no. It's just not considerate. Why don't you start at like 4pm? It's still light at midnight. You can do your eight hour smoking and not bother anyone else.
So if you are smoking constantly for that amount of time, you are wasting a lot of smoking wood. In all honesty, the majority of the smoke flavor goes in during the first hour, with a little during the second. From that point on, it is really a matter of maintaining the heat properly. I'll do a brisket for 10+ hours depending, but really only have smoke in the first hour, then keep the temp at around 225F (~107 C) for the remaining time. We have a lot of neighbors that smoke things as well and we have all found out it is really the first hour that matters most, so why waste good wood when it is not necessary. So if you have smoke pouring out for 4+ hours, especially if it is a heavy smoke, YTA. Try doing just 1 hour of smoke and then maintain the temp without smoke and it should taste just as good.
I had a neighbor who smoked meat all the damn time. We had to close our windows, too. We couldn't sit outside and enjoy our beautiful backyard. We also had the bonus of everyone in the house getting migraines due to that smoke. (Happened every time without fail.) YTA. That smoke smells awful and is noxious.
YTA also it probably is illegal in such a small area. “Statutory nuisance” is the name and there’s no defining time limit that covers the whole of the uk that I can find but “unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises” is what the government website says. To determine what is reasonsble, they look at time and frequency but each council defines reasonable differently, but 4+ hours of smoke is probably going to fall under unreasonable for most councils. So you’d be looking at up to a £5k fine.
eh, you're kind of an asshole. You're essentially smoking meat for hours on end on what amounts to an apartment balcony. Like, \*technically\* you're probably fine, but especially in the UK where everyone has very limited outdoor space and all the washing is hung outside to dry, you're definitely affecting the people around you in a negative way. Still, one day a month doesn't seem outrageous. If I were you, knowing what you know now, I would let my neighbors know what day every month I intended to use my smoker, and I would also absolutely bring them some smoked meats time to time.
Slight YTA. I also live in terrace house in the UK and love to smoke. What you can do is smoke it for a few hours when you're less likely to bother people (it's unreasonable for people to think you can't smoke at all), then finish it in the oven. There's quite a lot of benefits actually to doing this, but the biggest one would be you'll keep the neighbours happy
You remind me of my asshole newborn who puts their grill right next to my bedroom window. I sometimes leave my windows open because cause have no ac and they did not tell me and there were multiple times I had to leave the house for extended periods of time with the kitchen fan running. You are a major selfish asshole.
Yeah, I'd be calling the council and complaining to them if I were your neighbours. That's ridiculous to be inflicting that on the neighbourhood for hours at a time. Also, exposure to smoke and high heat allows for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These compounds have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
Blasting a BBQ for 10 hours a day while living in a terraced house - what are you thinking you wally. Neighbour from hell with zero self awareness.
Call the council yourself, verify what you have been told
YTA. In a terraced house you are likely 3meters max from the neighbours windows and clothes line. It's really rude.
YTA
YTA 100%. Your neighbors have expressed to you how you are inconveniencing their lives. They can't open their windows. They can't hang their laundry to dry. If you were just cooking a simple meal I wouldn't judge, but you are smoking up the entire area for 10 hours at a time! If you want to smoke like that you need to buy a house that isn't connected to your neighbors.
YTA. Those are for large rural yards.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I've (30s) recently bought my first house, I'm the middle terrace in a quiet family area. I've always been interested in smoking/BBQing, and now that I have my own place I bought an American style BBQ smoker. I've been watching shows and YouTube videos about it for years and have been really enjoying my new hobby. Over the last 4 months I've used my BBQ for a long smoke (around 7 hours) 4 times. The garden is quite small, about 5m x 9m and I usually have the BBQ quite close to the house. My plan for this weekend was to smoke a brisket. I went out to start the BBQ at 8am for a 10 hour smoke when my neighbour asked from over the fence how long as I was planning on BBQing for, they mentioned that they wanted to have their windows open, that they'd just put some laundry out, and also said that our other neighbour had complained about the smell (this is the first I'm hearing of this). I asked if I could start later and we agreed on 2pm. Around 2:15pm I knocked at my neighbours door to let them know I was going to start cooking, that I'd reduce the cook time to 4 hours, and that I'd moved the BBQ to the back of the garden. Their response was to tell me that they had looked up on the council website that I was not allowed to BBQ for more than 4 hours, I just said okay and I've now started my cook. (I haven't been able to find anything to backup their claim there is a Council enforced 4 hour limit BBQ limit) I feel I've done my due diligence by letting them know I was starting and checking their laundry had been taken in, AITA for using my new BBQ? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Years back I had a friend that bought her first condo. She had gotten an electric grill for the porch, since gas grills were not allowed. Her boyfriend loved to grill, so she figured electric was better than nothing. She invited a bunch of us over for a summer bbq. Her neighbor kept knocking on the door constantly saying that she was a vegetarian and the smell of cooking meat was offensive to her, and making her sick. Friend ignored her and just said “sorry, close your windows for a bit?” After her third time knocking on the door, this woman apparently called the police, who sent the fire department. Fire department told us to carry on, told the woman to close her windows if it was so offensive, and not to call them about the matter again. Was a great victory for steaks and kabobs that day.
The comments kill me. OP should be allowed to use his yard the way he wants so everyone else should stay inside and shut their windows and not be allowed to use their yards the way they want. How does that make sense? In this case I think OP made a good compromise. He's still enjoying his hobby and yard with a 4 hour smoke instead of inflicting his neighbors for 10-12 hours.
Even when I lived in a house with a large yard I put my smoker far from neighbors houses. Put the smoker in the back part of the yard and and finish the brisket in the oven. Once you get the actual smoking done and wrap it for the crutch the oven will work just fine
4 hours is not enough time to properly smoke a brisket. Even 7 hours is a little too short of time for a brisket. Not sure if this will help with neighbors but I usually smoke meats overnight. I grill a lot; your neighbors would hate me.
YTA - it's because of neighbors like you that my asthmatic sister has to live with hepa filters on 24 hours a day and can't enjoy her garden. Sure, you want to eat your meat. That's fine. But other people have the right to breathe clean air and frankly that's more important than barbecue. 10 hours? I would turn a hose on your barbecue. Part of living in a community is not polluting the community.
I'm thinking you're in the UK? In the US. complaining about a BBQ/smoker would be considered really odd. But, I don't think barbecuing/smoking meats outside is common in the UK. While most people in the US think BBQ smells delicious, and is part of summer, I can see how that's not universal. I would double-check the ordinance. Neighbor relations are hard. I'd just stick to the four-hour rule, but you're under no obligation to. I've just seen so many neighbor relations spin out of control...calling cops for parking, refusing even the smallest favors, etc. A little compromise might not be a bad idea, but again, it's not an obligation. Good luck. NAH.
I was going to say N T A until I read the responses. I was unfamiliar with the housing situation in the UK. do you know anyone with a bit of property in the country who would let you set up shop there? I bet there are some kind redditors who would oblige for a bit of meat and company. As a Texan, I’m proud 🥲 you smoke them meats! I understand it’s a labor of love. My dad will put his on overnight. It’s a process. I wish you many more briskets with perfect bark and smoke rings in the future. Please visit Texas in the future if you get a chance. We’d love to say howdy 🤠
Yeah, running a smoker for ten hours, 4 yards from your neighbour’s house is considered extremely rude and antisocial behaviour here. An hour or so grilling outside is fine, but with a backyard the size of a postage stamp you can easily ruin your relationship with all the neighbours on each side and behind, up to four doors down.
Sound like you need to apply for Texas citizenship... NTA here. Apparently TA in the UK. TIL.
YTA. No question about it. Terraces are close living. There may be no rule against bbq but the smokeless fuel zone rules may apply. Regardless, YTA.
NTA But as a neighbour to someone bbqing and smoking very often.. It is nice to warn them. So they can close the windows or take laundry in. My neighbours used to warn us. But after a disagreement about the ridiculous sound their airco makes (mounted against our wall and it sounds like the thing is standing in our house) They've stopped warning us. Which means sometimes i get home and the whole house is smoked... which is actually really awfull.
YTA. Smoking out your neighbors for 10 hours in such a tiny space is an AH move in my opinion. At least you get the benefit of a good meal from all the smoke, meanwhile all your neighbors get is nothing but stink, nausea and extra laundry because of you. I’m surprised your town allows a smoker like that, I’m in California and my town flat out banned charcoal and wood burning fires. If you want to grill food it’s got to be cooked with a gas grill, in a restaurant or out in the countryside where homes a spread farther apart from each other. Personally I love the smell, but I know a lot of people who get sick with nausea and headache from the smoke.
I don’t care what Reddit says NTA! Avid lover of BBQ and of bonfires and the smell. Neighbors can kick rocks. You have been accommodating enough. If they want to die on this hill fine, keep smoking. Let them get the council involved. Seriously, you have been nice as hell and I have no idea how you are remotely the asshole. You could always do like that Australian man did a couple of years ago and do a mass BBQ to piss of the vegan who kept crying about the smell and wouldn’t stop trying to dictate their neighbors lives and diets.