Cooking in the Cold

[Cap'nPat]

I'm going to be smoking a couple pork butt's for a New Years Party I'm having and the forecast calls for temperatures in the 30's the whole week. I use a COS (exact model below) and this past spring I had some issues on days when the temperature would dip. Overtime I opened the door the internal temp would plummet and it would take a while to get it back up, this stretched out my cook times and both the ribs and the wings were much drier than when I cooked them on warmer days. Does anyone have any tips on how to combat the cold?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dyna-Glo...53398&wl11=online&wl12=23505326&wl13=&veh=sem

 

[smoke ninja]

Yup. Get a different pit. That thing is junk, overpriced junk.

Im not trying to be harsh, just keeping it real. Id also like to prevent as many as possible from making the mistake of try to cook on one.

My buddy fell in love with it when he seen it. Warned him but it was what he could afford and wanted.

It looks like a stick burner but isn't really. It doesn't draft well, problem is it also doesn't run well on charcoal.

We ran it several times. Best way to keep it up to temp and burn clean was a small fire made from chunks. Still had to crack the door. The flames lick up to the cook chamber so a water pan helped.

In the end no matter what was done it chewed threw fuel like a hungry beast. So much so that the cost of wood means its cheaper to just buy a better cooker, heck any other cooker.

I consider an unmodded ECB superior to the dynaglo.

So use a kettle, build a drum, heck I'd rather see ya cook on a pile of cinder blocks.

 

[aawa]

The walls of that cooker are thin. Ways to combat the cold but i won't help much is to setup a wind break as well as use welding blanks on the cooker to maintain heat.

I'm with the ninja on this one. There are some good budget cookers that do a much better job and cost less than the dynaglo.

If you want a cooker that is efficient and low cost, look into building a WSM Mini out of a smokey joe, 32qt tamale pot, and some nuts and bolts. All you need is a drill. It will use much less fuel than the dynaglo and probably last much longer. I still have mine and will use it from time to time. If you do 2 racks in it (will have to purchase another cooking rack) you can do 2 pork butts at the same time.

 

[smoke ninja]

Ok here is the thread on the dynaglo.

Maybe it can help.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227960

And yes, wind is your enemy. Wind screen and a welding blanket could help

 

[Cap'nPat]

I have found that keeping the door to the firebox has made a big difference in the past. One technique I had considered that I haven't tried myself was moving the pork butt to the oven at the time when I normally would wrap it in foil. Any one who's done this have any feedback on how that turns out?

 

[dadsr4]

I have found that keeping the door to the firebox has made a big difference in the past. One technique I had considered that I haven't tried myself was moving the pork butt to the oven at the time when I normally would wrap it in foil. Any one who's done this have any feedback on how that turns out?

It's actually quite common to do this after wrapping, especially during bad weather or to get some sleep on overnight cooks.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Build a Small Smoker Hut.......

 

[SmittyJonz]

Or a UDS.....