Cold Weather Smokin??

LOUMAFF3 · Jan 3, 2009

I have family in town from Ohio. The rest of my family has been bragging about the BBQ I made over the summer. Now the question came up can you smoke in the winter?

I said I will give it a shot. So, I am planning to smoke a couple of shoulders tonight for dinner tomorrow. Along with some snacks for the overnight. I have an older NB Bandera (Thicker steel walls). It will be about 20 to 30 degrees outside. I will be tending to the fire all night or as long as I can. I don’t want to have to oven it if I can holdout. :wink:

Is there any advice to help maintain the temp? Or other advice.

This should be interesting! :?:

Thanks,
Lou

igolf2 · Jan 3, 2009

I live in the snowbelt (Chardon Ohio area) and only have a thin walled propane cabinet smoker and as long as I protect it from the wind I have had no problem with even colder temps (teens) - my remote thermometer helps also

Kevin · Jan 3, 2009

Yep. Find some type of wind protection and make sure you have plenty of fuel.

Coz · Jan 3, 2009

As stated wind is hard on winter cooking.If you can protect the cooker from the wind then you just have to deal with the increased fuel usage.Being in central Wisconsin we dont get much break its always windy and cold.If you can get your hands on a welding blanket to help insulate the cooker helps.allow a little extra time to get to temp and recover for opening the door etc.That said I cook almost every weekend here and you just learn to adapt.

TN_BBQ · Jan 3, 2009

It'll take more fuel and more time, but it's do-able. I've got 6 racks of ribs on the smoker right now and it's not what I'd call warm outside (about 48 degrees and raining).

The wind break is a good idea. You also might want to try to wrap your smoker in some type of fireproof blanket. Keep the door shut as much as possible.

BRBBQ · Jan 3, 2009

Put welding blanket around the cooking chamber, not on the fire box. I stacked concreate blocks around fire box and put cookie sheets over top of fire box. That helped me.

LOUMAFF3 · Jan 3, 2009

Thanks for the help. I will move my rig to the down windside of the garage and keep the fuel loaded. I just checked out my remote thermo and the wire seems to have a break, its intermittent. I will post some pron later or tomorrow.

Thanks again,
Lou

watertowerbbq · Jan 3, 2009

I don't have a Bandera, but I do cook with my WSM in the winter. It has a water pan and I make sure it's hot water from the tap and I cook with the Minion method and I increase the number of coals I start with. Hope it helps. Good luck!!

Kevin · Jan 3, 2009

watertowerbbq said:
I make sure it's hot water, Good luck!!

Very important, I forgot that part. I keep a tea kettle filled with water sitting on top of the smoke box for adding water also.

bigabyte · Jan 3, 2009

I cook in the winter, but I don't have a Bandera, and live further south too.

Meat Burner · Jan 3, 2009

Kevin said:
Very important, I forgot that part. I keep a tea kettle filled with water sitting on top of the smoke box for adding water also.

BIG ADVISE!!!! I cook on my NB year round and yes the colder weather is more of a challenge but you can do it just fine. Any wind break or some type of blanket around the smoke box will help. Especially the wind break. Dera's are made to tinker with the fire so enjoy the cook. Your guests will appreciate it for sure. Keep that water as hot as possible!!!! Good luck and keep us posted brother.

LMAJ · Jan 3, 2009

Oh yeah - no reason not to cook in the winter - especially since you will be cooking for family - they will surely appreciate it.

LOUMAFF3 · Jan 4, 2009

This worked out better than expected.:biggrin: I kept the fire a bit hotter than normal, use hot tap water and it seemed to work out well. Here is some pron. I will post more later.

Thanks for the help.

Check out the dusting of snow. It was cold, but not much wind.

All prepped and ready to go on.

After about 1-½ hours.

After 7 hours it was about 1:30am. I through in the towel, they came off and went in the oven. I was worried I would not getting up to feed the fire. I would have like to finish them in the smoker.:icon_pissed

BBQ_Mayor · Jan 4, 2009

30 degrees? That just as well be summer

.
Got 2 butts on right now and It's below 0.

Like the the others say. No reason not to cook.
Good luck

hav · Jan 4, 2009

Mighty fine looking pork you got there.

I remember reading somewhere that after 6 hours or so, the meat isn't absorbing much more smoke anyway...

I could be wrong, but the they do look good anyway.

Did your family like it?

jestridge · Jan 4, 2009

Actually I like winter cooking cook Dec21 it was 6 degree

BigAl · Jan 4, 2009

jestridge said:
Actually I like winter cooking cook Dec21 it was 6 degree

Yea, you don't have to worry about your beer getting warm....:icon_sleepy

However, I don't know what warm beer tastes like anyway:!:

bbqfans · Jan 4, 2009

loumaff3 and heat...;}-

loumaff,I have a small thicker wall RedRiver by NB along with outers and my way of holding heat(I live near Toledo) is my burn barrel... keeps embers going and helps warm you too...:mrgreen:

I place a wind-brake up and set my pit and pre-burn barrel on the down wind side and go to smoking...Of course I use sticks(I hate the taste of starter)...
I don't get to do it as much as I did as the COPD causes me to get Respiratory ailments easier, but that should help you:icon_cool

enjoy and I'll be back in form in a little warmer weather...

Cold Weather Smokin??

LOUMAFF3

Knows what a fatty is.

igolf2

is one Smokin' Farker

Kevin

Quintessential Chatty Farker

Coz

is Blowin Smoke!

TN_BBQ

is Blowin Smoke!

BRBBQ

Babbling Farker

LOUMAFF3

Knows what a fatty is.

watertowerbbq

is Blowin Smoke!

Kevin

Quintessential Chatty Farker

bigabyte

somebody shut me the fark up.

Meat Burner

Quintessential Chatty Farker

LMAJ

somebody shut me the fark up.

LOUMAFF3

Knows what a fatty is.

BBQ_Mayor

is Blowin Smoke!

hav

is one Smokin' Farker

jestridge

somebody shut me the fark up.

BigAl

is One Chatty Farker

bbqfans

Guest

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