Pbc in the winter

[customtrim]

Can anyone who owns one tell me how they do if outside temps are in the 20s. Thank you

[bep35]

20 would be a good day in South Dakota right now. Just keep good air flow to the coals and you should meet temperature. Maybe not 275 where the PBC likes to perform on a hot summer day but 225 for sure.

[Jeff_Carley]

Fact! I live on the west side, this only works if I am only hanging on one bar. I cross the bar, instead of the usual parallel two bar set up, and run it with only one bar. I have found this gives me a little more air draw through the top and it helps keep in the 225-250 range

[lschweig]

I see only a slight difference in mine with maybe a little more paying attention to temps and thus fiddling.

[carolts]

Works great, but might run a bit lower in temp than the summer. Was still above 225 the entire cook, although the snow definitely cleared out.

[customtrim]

Sweet picture that would be good for advertising

[jecucolo]

WTH is that stuff?

[MBMorgan]

Works great when it's cold here in Colorado. For best results, just remember to keep the bottom vent on the downwind side when it's blowing.

[Rfhd69]

Works pretty well in the cold in my experience. Doesn't run in the 275 range like usual but still produces great BBQ (i.e. Ribs). Just takes a little bit longer. Good luck!

[fzxdoc]

No probs for me in the wintertime. My PBC is on a covered deck, so unless the wind is blowing wickedly, it perks along pretty well, even if there is snow on the ground.

Kathryn

[Spinaker]

I rip mine in weather colder than that. No problems, it does burn more fuel and your cook times might be slightly longer.

I had wrapped it in a welding blanket when it was -15 F and it seemed to help insulate the barrel but I don't even know if it was necessary.

There is a lot of energy in all those briquettes.

[abandonedbrain]

I agree with all of the above. I just got mine for Christmas, and it seems to run just as hot as most people advertise, but the coals don't seem to last as long as most say they should. I've only run shorter cooks so far (ribs, chicken). I picked up two 6.5lb bone-in pork butts today (on sale at Meijer for $1.19/lb), which will probably be cooked in the next week or two.

I'm in Michigan, temps have been mostly below 20F for the past week or two. If I see anything out of the ordinary, I'll post, but Jerod Broussard posted in another thread that he sees humidity having the most impact (compared to wind/ambient temp). We do have higher humidity levels in our area thanks to Lake Michigan (which then brings with it "lake effect" snows). We like to say that starting a career in meteorology in Michigan or New York will prepare even the worst meteorologists for a successful job anywhere in the world.

[Jeff_Carley]

how long do you light your coals in the chimney? that affects drastically how long they last on your cook. the longer they light the shorter the coals last for your cook. or so I have noticed

[abandonedbrain]

15 minutes using the short Char-Broil chimney. 11-13 if it's in the taller Weber one; for some reason, that one's faster for me. Sunday's smoke went 10-ish hours, no crutch, for two 6.5# butts. Crazy humid, 24-42F, windy. Added coals twice.

[abandonedbrain]

Oh, and I had a 3# beef tenderloin in there for the first 45-50 minutes.

[eddiecalder]

Just crack the lid. I cooked chicken last night at 350F with an ambient of 25F. I just light the coals with a turbo torch and never count anything out.

[dlisko]

I'm WI and did a great chicken in -20F windchill. It took about 15-20 minutes longer than usual. But since we all have learned to cook by temp not time, guests had to munch on veggies a bit longer. The only issue I had was trying to clean out the charcoal. The PBC generated so much moisture that the coals froze together in a couple of big lumps, so don't wait till the next day to clean out the coals.
David

[Livermoron]

It's terrible out here in California...in the dead of winter, I sometimes have to cook in the 50s-60s! >:[

Signed,
California Tourism Industry (outdoor cooking division)

[abandonedbrain]

{grumble grumble} can't see the dang UNLIKE button anywhere {grumble}