Barbecuing during the "winter" months?
 

I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
e.t.c? Thanks.

Even in Houston I have to insulate my WSM or I can't hold temperature
easily.

Todd K.

"mikehende" > wrote in
lkaboutcooking.com:

> I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter?

You eat in the winter, right?

> If so, what do I
> need to know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in
> the first place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a
> certain degree e.t.c? Thanks.

It helps to get out of the wind, and your grill will lose a lot more heat,
so it helps to have a larger grill, which will allow you to have a larger
fire, but still use indirect heat.

mikehende wrote:
> I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I
> need to know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in
> the first place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a
> certain degree e.t.c? Thanks.

So long as the snow isn't too deep to shovel a path to the smoker,
there is no reason not to use it all year round.
I have actually piled up some snow as a wind break to help.
I also use my gas grill year round.

--
Darryl, in the people's republik of Ontario, Canada.

mikehende wrote:
> I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I
> need to
> know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the
> first
> place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain
> degree
> e.t.c? Thanks.

I BBQ and grill almost all year. I start about January 1 and go 'til
about December 30. I *do* live in Florida, but several times when
I've been cooking an over-nighter, it has been colder here that where
Harry D. is in Calgary. Harry doesn't let cold weather stop him way
up there in the "Great White North" very often unless he has to shovel
the path to his cookers.

Get a good insulated cooker and go for it.

BOB

--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List

BOB wrote:

> mikehende wrote:
> > I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter?

> I BBQ and grill almost all year. I start about January 1 and go 'til
> about December 30.


What, you busy on New Year's Eve?




Brian

I'm sorry i did not add this bit of info everyone but I use strictly
"coals" and will not ever use "Gas" [just my personal preference] which is
why I need input on using coals during the winter months?

On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:03:23 -0400, "mikehende" >
wrote:

>I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
>know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
>place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
>e.t.c? Thanks.

Many folks barbecue in the winter. Some insulate their cookers with
hot water heater blankets or shield their cookers from the wind.
Another option is to use a ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg, Primo,
Kamado, Grill Dome. They are pretty much immune to the cold.
Charcoal will light at any reasonable temperature.

TNW
www.lump-charcoal.com (The Lump Charcoal Database)
www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm (Ceramic Charcoal Cooking)

I'm sorry i did not add this bit of info everyone but I use strictly
"coals" and will not ever use "Gas" [just my personal preference]
which is
why I need input on using coals during the winter months?


I use lump in my WSM all winter. I think my coldest cook was 6 above
zero F.

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"mikehende" > wrote in message
lkaboutcooking.com...
>I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
> know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
> place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
> e.t.c? Thanks.
>

Somewhere on the internet are pics floating of my wsm's cooking away when
the temp was double digit below zero and the snow was deep!!! Main concern
is blocking the wind--

Buzz

2fatbbq wrote:
> "mikehende" > wrote in message
> lkaboutcooking.com...
>
>>I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
>>know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
>>place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
>>e.t.c? Thanks.
>>
>
>
> Somewhere on the internet are pics floating of my wsm's cooking away when
> the temp was double digit below zero and the snow was deep!!! Main concern
> is blocking the wind--
>
> Buzz
>
>

I grill and cue all year in mid NY state. Snow, cold, doesn't matter. I
use both the Weber Silver B as well as the WSM, depends on what I'm
doin'. As most everyone else has said, wind is not your friend. It
probably doesn't affect the ceramics as much

--
Steve
Ever notice that putting the and IRS together makes "theirs"?

On Mon, 1 Aug 2005 16:59:22 -0400, " BOB" > wrote:

>mikehende wrote:
>> I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I
>> need to
>> know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the
>> first
>> place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain
>> degree
>> e.t.c? Thanks.
>
>I BBQ and grill almost all year. I start about January 1 and go 'til
>about December 30. I *do* live in Florida, but several times when
>I've been cooking an over-nighter, it has been colder here that where
>Harry D. is in Calgary. Harry doesn't let cold weather stop him way
>up there in the "Great White North" very often unless he has to shovel
>the path to his cookers.
>
>Get a good insulated cooker and go for it.
>
>BOB

We don't need to shovel too often, Bob. The wind does that for us . .
But yes, the Ks got the year-round.

Harry

On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:41:23 GMT, The Naked Whiz
> wrote:

>On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:03:23 -0400, "mikehende" >
>wrote:
>
>>I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
>>know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
>>place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
>>e.t.c? Thanks.
>
>Many folks barbecue in the winter. Some insulate their cookers with
>hot water heater blankets or shield their cookers from the wind.
>Another option is to use a ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg, Primo,
>Kamado, Grill Dome. They are pretty much immune to the cold.
>Charcoal will light at any reasonable temperature.
>
>TNW
>www.lump-charcoal.com (The Lump Charcoal Database)
>www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm (Ceramic Charcoal Cooking)

Carefull, Naked. They need to be shut down very carefully in below
freezing Weather. It's just about worth it to leave them running
until the fuel is totally gone. I've begun to do that. Prevents
condensation and icing up when you go to choke off the coals.

Harry

On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 00:04:18 GMT, Harry Demidavicius
> wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:41:23 GMT, The Naked Whiz
> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:03:23 -0400, "mikehende" >
>>wrote:
>>
>>>I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter? If so, what do I need to
>>>know about this please? For example, is this a good idea in the first
>>>place? Will the coals light when the temperature is below a certain degree
>>>e.t.c? Thanks.
>>
>>Many folks barbecue in the winter. Some insulate their cookers with
>>hot water heater blankets or shield their cookers from the wind.
>>Another option is to use a ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg, Primo,
>>Kamado, Grill Dome. They are pretty much immune to the cold.
>>Charcoal will light at any reasonable temperature.
>>
>>TNW
>>www.lump-charcoal.com (The Lump Charcoal Database)
>>www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm (Ceramic Charcoal Cooking)
>
>Carefull, Naked. They need to be shut down very carefully in below
>freezing Weather. It's just about worth it to leave them running
>until the fuel is totally gone. I've begun to do that. Prevents
>condensation and icing up when you go to choke off the coals.
>
>Harry

I've only heard that about K's. I've never seen a Primo or Egg owner
say they had that problem. But you are right, that is something to
keep in mind.

TNW

This is precisely why I bought a Kamado #7, Ceramic cookers just laugh
the weather off.

I've done pork butt, ribs and brisket in the middle of January during
subzero temperatures in Upstate, NY. I have a job where I can work
from home (bad weather, expecting deliverys...). The kamado sending up
hickory smoke while snow is coming down is just avout the prettiest my
patio gets.

One does have to be careful even with a ceramic cooker that the draft
door is pointed away from the wind. Hard driving wind can force air to
the coals and drive the temperature up.

I think if one can manage to keep the wind blocked and take care to
keep the temperature constant, this would be possible in WSM types of
smokers but if you want to Q in the middle of the winter up North,
you've got it bad enough that you'll eventually end up with a K.

Default User wrote:
> BOB wrote:
>
>> mikehende wrote:
>>> I was wondering if people barbecue in the winter?
>
>> I BBQ and grill almost all year. I start about January 1 and go
>> 'til
>> about December 30.
>
>
> What, you busy on New Year's Eve?
>

Yes. Getting ready for Mew Year's DAY!

What I don't understand here with this topic is, it seems to me that is not
really the "Temperature" that is the burden here but the "wind", so why
can't you rig up 2 or more pieces of simple "plywood" or fiberglass or
anything windproof to block the wind from blowing over the coals?

mikehende wrote:
> What I don't understand here with this topic is, it seems to me that is not
> really the "Temperature" that is the burden here but the "wind", so why
> can't you rig up 2 or more pieces of simple "plywood" or fiberglass or
> anything windproof to block the wind from blowing over the coals?
>

There are any number of schemes that can work. The one that works best
for me is a ceramic cooker that can hold enough charcoal to burn
overnight when it is -15F.

--
Matthew

I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion, I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?

Matthew L. Martin wrote:

> There are any number of schemes that can work. The one that works best
> for me is a ceramic cooker that can hold enough charcoal to burn
> overnight when it is -15F.

Yup!!!

--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/

ok, let me make this short and be done with this topic, I will not be
bbq-ing often, if even "at all" during the winter and since I am not
"wealthy", I don't wish to buy a special [ceramic] pit just to have around
in case I should feel like using it. If I should decide to barbecue on any
day during the winter just to cook a little bit, say 8 pieces of meat and
some Hot dogs and burgers, I would like to use my regular coal grill and
block off the wind by using Tarp or plywood or whatever I can find around
the home, will this work or not? Thanks.

mikehende wrote:
> ok, let me make this short and be done with this topic, I will not be
> bbq-ing often, if even "at all" during the winter and since I am not
> "wealthy", I don't wish to buy a special [ceramic] pit just to have around
> in case I should feel like using it. If I should decide to barbecue on any
> day during the winter just to cook a little bit, say 8 pieces of meat and
> some Hot dogs and burgers, I would like to use my regular coal grill and
> block off the wind by using Tarp or plywood or whatever I can find around
> the home, will this work or not? Thanks.
>

Well first of all, it sounds like you're looking to grill, not barbecue.
When I grill in the winter I don't really worry too much about the
weather. But I don't grill during a blizzard either. ;-) I just fire
that sucker up as hot as I can get it and go to town. No problem.

Now cueing is a different story, then I do spend time considering the wind.

--
Steve
Ever notice that putting the and IRS together makes "theirs"?

mikehende wrote:
> ok, let me make this short and be done with this topic, I will not be
> bbq-ing often, if even "at all" during the winter and since I am not
> "wealthy", I don't wish to buy a special [ceramic] pit just to have around
> in case I should feel like using it. If I should decide to barbecue on any
> day during the winter just to cook a little bit, say 8 pieces of meat and
> some Hot dogs and burgers, I would like to use my regular coal grill and
> block off the wind by using Tarp or plywood or whatever I can find around
> the home, will this work or not? Thanks.
>

It sounds like it will work to me. Grilling is an entirely different
sport than BBQ, though.

Matthew

What I do, is to place burgers, hot dogs and regular beef, pork, fish and
chicken on the gril, spread Barbecue sauce ob them a few times turning
them over and when the meat is cooked, eat! I did not know that there is a
difference between barbecueing and grilling. So, what I am doing, is this
grilling or barbecueing?

mikehende wrote:
> What I do, is to place burgers, hot dogs and regular beef, pork, fish and
> chicken on the gril, spread Barbecue sauce ob them a few times turning
> them over and when the meat is cooked, eat! I did not know that there is a
> difference between barbecueing and grilling. So, what I am doing, is this
> grilling or barbecueing?
>

What you describe is, for the purposes of this newsgroup, grilling.
Barbecue is a food, not a process. Most of us make barbecue on smokers,
some on grills and a few over a bed of coals. The major feature of
barbecue cooking is low temperatures and wood smoke. For a lot more
information on the topic go to:

<http://www.eaglequest.com/%7Ebbq/faq2/toc.html>

--
Matthew

I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion, I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?

ok, so I am "grilling", great news, so now I can rest easy and do my
grilling during the winter with my regular coal grill if I feel like it,
thanks a million everyone for all of the help!

mikehende wrote:

> ok, so I am "grilling", great news, so now I can rest easy and do my
> grilling during the winter with my regular coal grill if I feel like
> it, thanks a million everyone for all of the help!

Try adding a bit of the text to which you are replying. For most usenet
readers, once the previous post has been read it is then deleted, so we have
no idea as to what your reply is refering to.

Glad we could be of help. Here's the FAQ for more help.
http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/toc.html

--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/

Matthew L. Martin wrote:


> What you describe is, for the purposes of this newsgroup, grilling.

Correct.

> Barbecue is a food, not a process. Most of us make barbecue on
> smokers, some on grills and a few over a bed of coals. The major
> feature of barbecue cooking is low temperatures and wood smoke. For a
> lot more information on the topic go to:


Not correct, in my vernacular. I don't make "barbecue", that's a
realtively meaningless word in this context. I use barbecue methods (or
barbecue) to produce various barbecued products, such as pulled pork or
smoked corn beef.



Brian

"Default User" > wrote in message
> Not correct, in my vernacular. I don't make "barbecue", that's a
> realtively meaningless word in this context. I use barbecue methods (or
> barbecue) to produce various barbecued products, such as pulled pork or
> smoked corn beef.

In North Carolina, pulled pork IS barbecue. Period. No beef, no nothing
else.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

>
> "Default User" > wrote in message
> > Not correct, in my vernacular. I don't make "barbecue", that's a
> > realtively meaningless word in this context. I use barbecue methods
> > (or barbecue) to produce various barbecued products, such as pulled
> > pork or smoked corn beef.
>
> In North Carolina, pulled pork IS barbecue. Period. No beef, no
> nothing else.

If I ever move to North Carolina, I'll keep that in mind :)




Brian

On 18-Aug-2005, "mikehende" > wrote:

> ok, so I am "grilling", great news, so now I can rest easy and do my
> grilling during the winter with my regular coal grill if I feel like it,
> thanks a million everyone for all of the help!

It may be a surprise, but the usenet BBQ police are not likely to get
a warrant to raid your property, therefore feel free to grill or slow cook
as you damn well please. If your kids come back for seconds and your
dog keeps the floor cleaned up, what else matters?
--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed my mind.)

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On 18-Aug-2005, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:

> mikehende wrote:
>
> > ok, so I am "grilling", great news, so now I can rest easy and do my
> > grilling during the winter with my regular coal grill if I feel like
> > it, thanks a million everyone for all of the help!
>
> Try adding a bit of the text to which you are replying. For most usenet
> readers, once the previous post has been read it is then deleted, so we have
> no idea as to what your reply is refering to.
>
> Glad we could be of help. Here's the FAQ for more help.
> http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/toc.html
>
> --
> Dave

I represent Dave's remarks. I delete all read messages. I don't advocate
that posters quote the entire original thread, but I'd like to see the thought
they are replying to.

--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed my mind.)

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