Cooking Q in the cold, what do you need to know?

[thOMpson]

I am going to be up north for the holidays and would like to cook a little Q for the inlaws and such. Of course it will be December in CT, so it will likely be very cold (I'm from Souith Florida). Probably be using a cheaper water smoker, will it be possible?

[DawgPhan]

sure all things are possible with que...you just might have to work a litte harder to maintain the fire...Try to find somewhere where you can limit the wind exposure and I also think that you can buy a thermal blanket like those that they put around water heaters...I would say build a slightly larger fire than you normally would and add hot coals more often than you normally would and you should be fine...unless you are in 2 foot of snow..then you might have problems..

[krazylegs]

my advise would be checking the thickness of the smoker because if it is thin metal, your blanket might catch on fire. I dont know to much about water smokers, as far as the thickness, but, if it does have some thickness, then that blanket would help allot.

[DawgPhan]

[icu8bbq]

That's a good idea DawgPhan. I've been trying to think of a suitable material for that same purpose, and never thought of that. Thanks man!!
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If God did not want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?

[redray]

I started out using a small water smoker, I found a smoker blanket from Cabelas that worked great. The blanket fit all of the Brinkman/Charbroil bullet/R2D2 type of cookers. It really kept the wind off of the smoker and helped keep the temp up. Had to be a little more diligent about monitoring the fire though. Couldn't imagine trying to do a winter cook on a small cooker without the blanket. I would like to find something similar for my pit, sure would make things easier when it is cold.

[doogie494]

[Rosco]

Good question! We live in the underarm of the "City of Big Shoulders,"and winters can get kinda frosty. I have used a sheet of styrofoam insulation, cut into quarters, and taped together to make a windbreak. Just make sure to leave clearance between the foam and the smoker, both for airflow and to keep the insulation from melting. The kind with one side covered with reflective foil works best, put the shiny side in. Then, it's just a matter of temperature control. I tend to use more fuel, but it is well worth the extra effort. Good luck, and have a great time with the relatives. Rosco
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When they say "Do not use Gas to start grill"...They mean it!

[BBQMAN]

We are in Florida too, and will be in Maine for the holidays. Never thought of "Q"ing in the snow! Might be fun to try it out!
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BBQMAN
"I Turned A Hobby Into A Business".
Providing "IMHO" Since 2005.

[doogie494]

living in vermont i can offer you a bit of advice. take precautions so that your beer does not freeze. i cannot stress this enough.

[thOMpson]

[doogie494]

Yeah, MINE!! i have heard Curtis All American Bbq is pretty good. ive never been there but know of a few people that have. it is located in putney which is down near brattleboro on rt 5. i think he is only open until mid fall. i will have to check. im about an hour from londondary, just north of rutland.

[Steve-O]

RedRay: Is this the blanket you bought at Cabela's? The web site ad does not say it will work with a brinkman. Looks fireproof though!


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0005854516219a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&%2Fcabelas%2Fcommerce%2FCabelasCatalogNumberFinder.giftCertificateURL=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Ftemplates%2Fgiftcertificate%2Fgiftcertificate.jsp%3Fid%3D0005586990011a%26podId%3D0005586%26catalogCode%3DIB%26navAction%3Djump%26indexId%3D&_D%3A%2Fcabelas%2Fcommerce%2FCabelasCatalogNumberFinder.giftCertificateURL=+&QueryText=smoker+blanket&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form9&Go.x=27&Go.y=10&_requestid=23360&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=smoker+blanket&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp
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"BBQ may not be a religion in Texas, but the two institutions are closely associated."
- Robb Walsh "Legends of Texas Barbeque Cookbook"

[OkieJay]

You can pickup a "welder's blanket" and use that as the bottom layer. They are not thick, so you may want to put something over it, but they are very flame retardent.
Jay
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OkieJay
Founder of the seldom seen Touch Of Smoke BBQ team.