Winter Outdoor Grilling

[Chris Amirault]

Over in the Burger/Meat Loaf Cook-Off, Sandy throws down the gauntlet:

I know this is *way* belated, but in San Diego it being 'winter' is usually not an impediment to grilling:

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'Scuse me?

Winter an impediment to grilling?

As long as you can make a clear path to the grill, what's a little sub-freezing weather?

Lack of outdoor space--now that's an impediment to grilling.

Don't get me wrong--I love my countertop grill. But it's not quite the same thing, and besides, you can't barbecue on it.

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Sandy's right, of course: we should accept no impediments to grilling year-round. But I'll confess to being a wuss about it. My feeble logic? It's too cold to get the proper grilling effects.

Do you grill outdoors in the winter? What special things do you do to make it work? And Sandy, we'll expect photos of you flippin' burgers with the snow falling, dude.

[snowangel]

We grill (and I smoke meat) year round. No need to let a little cold or snow hinder grilling!

My best friend when I am grilling is my timer, so I don't get waylaid, and the biggest difference about grilling in the cold is that perhaps things will need an extra minute on each side.

In fact, I recall one memorable grilling experience when it was 30 below (zero, that is, F). The steaks took about 8 minutes longer. It was so cold that our martinis were turning to slush in the glasses.

I've had a hankering for a burger, so you just might see us in action later this week!

[MarketStEl]

I'm gonna have to check the forecast and then give my friend Mike LaMonaca a call before I can post my bona fides.

Unless I can convince the landlord to let me haul a grill into the building's parking lot for a photo op on the right day.

For I happen to have that other, serious impediment to grilling: No outdoor space--not even a balcony.

Mike lives three blocks away and has a back terrace in his apartment with a Weber kettle. Last night, at his Christmas party, he had a couple of logs in it with a roaring fire going.

[fannus]

Over in the Burger/Meat Loaf Cook-Off, Sandy throws down the gauntlet:

I know this is *way* belated, but in San Diego it being 'winter' is usually not an impediment to grilling:

←

'Scuse me?

Winter an impediment to grilling?

As long as you can make a clear path to the grill, what's a little sub-freezing weather?

Lack of outdoor space--now that's an impediment to grilling.

Don't get me wrong--I love my countertop grill. But it's not quite the same thing, and besides, you can't barbecue on it.

←

Sandy's right, of course: we should accept no impediments to grilling year-round. But I'll confess to being a wuss about it. My feeble logic? It's too cold to get the proper grilling effects.

Do you grill outdoors in the winter? What special things do you do to make it work? And Sandy, we'll expect photos of you flippin' burgers with the snow falling, dude.

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Well, in many places in the US (I know maybe not a lot of the East Coast), Winter means a significant increase in precipitation levels (read 8-10in/mo). Snow may not be a deterrent to outdoor cooking, but wind and pelting rain every week will squelch the inner flame of almost any grill enthusiast.

In more tropical areas, a storm can hit pretty quick. I know there has been more than one time that I've stocked up on grilling supplies and been rained out the next day (or even afternoon). Anyone have any heroic stories of grilling in the rain? The best advice I can offer is to make sure your grill is well covered, nothing worse than a sunny day and a waterlogged grill!

[woodburner]

Yeah, I agree about grilling in the rain, pretty much the worst of all scenario's, including wind and snow.

woodburner

[purplewiz]

I grill year round, even though we do have winter here. The things that stop me: freezing rain, 50+ mph winds, more than a foot of snow to tromp through to the grill (comes over the tops of my boots). I grilled the steak we had with the truffled sherry sauce last Friday.

We have a natural gas grill that is uglier than sin but which I know inside out and backwards. We'll have to get rid of it if we ever move, but until then, I'm sticking with it.

Winter things to look out for:

1. The grill takes longer to preheat. Usually I can have the grill hot enough to cook on in the time it takes to defrost tonight's entree. Add 5 minutes when the temperatures are below 20F.

2. The control knobs get frozen and hard to turn. If you can turn one, you can light the grill and the problem takes care of itself.

3. I usually turn off the gas behind the grill for the reason above, just in case I can't get the gas turned off all the way via the control knobs. Remembering to turn it back on before attempting to light the grill becomes an issue.

4. In the summer, I grill with only half the burners lit (there's only two of us), but because of the temperatures, I often have to turn on the other side of the grill at least on low to help maintain temperature.

5. Tongs and plates left on the shelf at the side of the grill become VERY cold. Use gloves, or take them inside with you. Remember to take them back outside when you need to turn the food or remove it from the grill.

6. It gets dark early. I use visual cues a lot when I grill. I carry a flashlight and have asked for a grill light for Christmas (don't think I'm getting it, though).

Marcia.

[jsolomon]

The kettle grill I used to have would perform admirably until about 10F, so that's usually when I stop grilling. Tonight it was 14F when I started grilling. I put on a butterflied pork loin that I had brined last night and a bread pudding.

With a full load from the chimney, I had the thermometer reading 500F. I haven't checked the accuracy of the thermometer, but once it gets above 350 or so, it is good and hot and working nicely as a grill. 32 minutes and the pork was cooked through and delicious. 35 minutes on a far side of the grill for the bread pudding.

Oh, the grill is an offset smoker. I put the charcoal just under the chimney in the main barrel for the grilling today. Worked like a charm.

edit to add: grilling was done shirtless and shoeless, too.

Edited December 19, 2005 by jsolomon (log)

[snowangel]

I've had luck with Kettle grilling sub-zero.

The big thing to be careful about when grilling sub-zero is to get the grilled items in the house mui pronto -- before freezer burn sets in.

Up here in these parts, we call those who won't grill in the winter wimps.

[Pam R]

Up here in these parts, we call those who won't grill in the winter wimps.

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We just had grilled rib-eye a few nights ago. I don't know how cold it was that night, but it's hovering at -17 to -25 C these days. It used to be that we would keep the grill in the garage, open up the door and grill in the garage. The gas bbq has now been moved to the deck off the kitchen - a little less protection from the elements, but still in use.

[bobmac]

This time of year, I grill in the fireplace.

[Chris Amirault]

This time of year, I grill in the fireplace.

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Cool! Photos??

[Abra]

I just did a spatchcocked turkey on the offset smoker yesterday. Although it was only in the low 40s, the damned thing took forever. I really had a hard time keeping the temp up, and that was with a fire absolutely roaring in the firebox. The turkey took close to three hours to get up to temp, when I would have expected under two. Used up a lot of wood, too. It tastes pretty good, but even though I brined it, I think it would have been jucier if it hadn't been on the smoker for so long.

[Richard Kilgore]

It's tough in the winter here, but any time it gets under 65 F, we just get tougher. Pull on a sweater, heavy duty hiking shorts and boots that will handle the weather. We always have to allow for an extra 15 seconds on the grill for steaks when it breaks 50 F. You just do whatever you have to do.

[lesfen]

I have a huge covered porch (covered, but not screened) so I grill out there. I always grill up pork tenderloins on the day after Christmas, but other than that I probably only light it up one or two times until spring. Sometimes a hankering will grab hold and you gotta just go out and grill it up.

[jsolomon]

It's tough in the winter here, but any time it gets under 65 F, we just get tougher. Pull on a sweater, heavy duty hiking shorts and boots that will handle the weather. We always have to allow for an extra 15 seconds on the grill for steaks when it breaks 50 F. You just do whatever you have to do.

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Real winter grillers grill like this.

[Chris Amirault]

It's tough in the winter here, but any time it gets under 65 F, we just get tougher. Pull on a sweater, heavy duty hiking shorts and boots that will handle the weather. We always have to allow for an extra 15 seconds on the grill for steaks when it breaks 50 F. You just do whatever you have to do.

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What's the wind chill factor?

[lancastermike]

I use the WSM no matter what the temps. However, grilling is different than smoking. On the Weber Virtual Bullet site there is a whole section of rigs guys have built for cold weather. Many involving water heater wraps. Wind is a much bigger problem than cold for me. For grilling I use a gas grill and like above it takes a lot longer to get up to temp when it is cold, but I have not yet been stopped.

[racheld]

It's tough in the winter here, but any time it gets under 65 F, we just get tougher. Pull on a sweater, heavy duty hiking shorts and boots that will handle the weather. We always have to allow for an extra 15 seconds on the grill for steaks when it breaks 50 F. You just do whatever you have to do.

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What's the wind chill factor?

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Wind chill: 70---- add bluster: -100.

[FatTony]

Isn't it tricky to get charcoal this time of year? Or do you stockpile it year round?

[Daddy-A]

I just did a spatchcocked turkey on the offset smoker yesterday.  Although it was only in the low 40s, the damned thing took forever.  I really had a hard time keeping the temp up, and that was with a fire absolutely roaring in the firebox.  The turkey took close to three hours to get up to temp, when I would have expected under two.  Used up a lot of wood, too.  It tastes pretty good, but even though I brined it, I think it would have been jucier if it hadn't been on the smoker for so long.

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Cool! I'm doing a turkey on New Year's Day. Don't know if a spatchcocked bird will fit on one grill in the Bullet ... so I'll likely halve it and do half on each level. It's starting to warm up a bit around here ... 8C/46F ... so hopefully I won't have too much of a problem.

How big was the turkey Abra, how long and at what temperature did you smoke it?

A.

[lancastermike]

Isn't it tricky to get charcoal this time of year? Or do you stockpile it year round?

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Around here Costco has Kingsford year round.

[I_call_the_duck]

We were in the Home Depot on Saturday, and I was surprised to find not only charcoal, but also a whole bunch of grills on display. I'm just a big wimp, so my grill is under the cover until the temp hits about 70 degrees again.

[fifi]

. . . . .

In more tropical areas, a storm can hit pretty quick.  I know there has been more than one time that I've stocked up on grilling supplies and been rained out the next day (or even afternoon).  Anyone have any heroic stories of grilling in the rain?  The best advice I can offer is to make sure your grill is  well covered, nothing worse than a sunny day and a waterlogged grill!

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You mean like this?

[Abra]

Daddy-A, it was a 14 lb turkey. I wanted to get it up to about 350-375 and keep it there, but alas, it insisted on hovering below 300 most of the time. It ended up being almost 3 hours, which I thought was too long. I've done whole turkeys on the Weber in less than 2 1/2, and this one was spatchcocked, because otherwise it didn't fit under the upper warming shelf on my smoker, so it should have cooked faster.

However, I have to say that the fact that two huge bald eagles came and perched at the very top of a nearby tree, sunning themselves for at least 15 minutes and watching me, did make it all less peevesome. We brought out the telescope and were able to have a good look at the "eagle eye" gleaming golden in the winter sun. They were posing, for sure, but I didn't have a camera capable of capturing them, so believe me when I tell you they were majorly impressive. I think they wanted the turkey.

[rooftop1000]

Yeah, I agree about grilling in the rain, pretty much the worst of all scenario's, including wind and snow.

woodburner

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I cant remember what I was going to grill but I had fired up the webber kettle, went back in to get the meat and POW its raining, no its freekin pouring. Must have been steak or I wouldnt have ....dragged the flaming grill up the stone path through the mud around the cars and across the lawn just to get it near the the covered porch where it still stands since this summer. Ya see we live in a lake front house (oooh aaah) well lakefront means your back/kitchen door is on the street side, so to grill on usuall side of the property is as far from the kitchen as possible. My neighbors dont care that I now have the Webber and an offset smoker on the front I mean back or front or...whatever Lawn...

going to smoke butt on Saturday

tracey