Cold Weather Cooking

[BloomHybrid]

I have lived in the PNW for a little over a year. I haven't grilled much since I got here. I'm from Phoenix, AZ, so the weather here is a new experience. I have been having trouble maintaining Temps over night. Not used to colder whether cooking. I have a Kamado Joe Big Joe. From my experiences it takes longer to heat up, burns more charcoal, and loses temp over night. Any suggestions for more efficient cooking?

[STEbbq]

That should be an excellent cold-weather smoker. The first thing that comes to mind is to shield it from any wind.

[Skip]

I agree. Being from Minnesota and cooking in all sorts of weather my experience is the wind is more of a problem than the cold itself. My suggestion would be a full load of charcoal and a temp controller for those long and overnight cooks.

[hoovarmin]

What kind of temps are we talking about?

[BloomHybrid]

Not super cold but 30's overnight.

[hoovarmin]

I have a Big Joe and that kind of weather never made any difference for me. Of course, 30's is rare here in Florida, but it does happen and I've cooked in it plenty. This is quite a mystery.

[xaugievike]

that thing should have no trouble in any conditions. Yes it'll use more fuel just to overcome the cooler ambient. Keep using it...you'll learn what she wants in terms of vent settings. Consider a controller for overnights.

[BloomHybrid]

Thanks, that is what I was afraid is I will have to get a controller. I used to have a BBQ Guru many years ago but it went out on me and I never replaced it. Any suggestions on a good controller?

[xaugievike]

I use thermoworks stuff and I like it. There are obviously numerous other options. Your rig is probably fine, you just need to adjust to using it in a new environment. I like controllers for overnighters because I'm lazy and I like to sleep.

[JCBBQ]

Yeah man! I’ve literally bbqed in a blizzard w my kamado. Once the ceramics heat up - 45 mins or so- it’ll stay locked in during cold weather.