Probably obvious to most of you guys. Last night was the first time cooking in cold mist with the WSM. Went through a ton of fuel and even with an empty water pan was hard to keep the temp at or above 225. I’ve cooked in colder weather that is dry. It was about 40F but I think the most played a large factor.
Its like the opposite of a deep fryer. The thermal storage of water took a lot of fire to overcome.
Hit up some marine supply stores. Or camp trailer supply stores. Try getting some thick fiberglass cloth. You don’t want the fuzzy insulation stuff. It has a higher R rating but it is also fuzzy and requires careful handling. But the cloth (used to make boat hills and trailer shells) is like...well...cloth. That doesn’t burn. Wrap a few layers around the cooker body and secure with copper wire that has the insulation stripped off. It will help hold in some heat, but more importantly it will act as a wind break, to keep cold wind from sucking out the heat. Don’t cover the vents, that is all. It will also be possible to cut out a hole to access the door, you can cover the door with a fiberglass cloth flap. It will look like a mess, but it will be functional.
A welding blanket will also work, but will require modification to ensure proper airflow. Can’t just cover the WSM with a blanket that blocks all vents. You will have to cut holes for the intake and exhaust.
Grill/Smoke/Roast = SnS Grills Kettle + SnS Deluxe Insert & Drip n' Griddle
Grill/Smoke/Roast = Hasty-Bake Gourmet Dual Finish with HB rotisserie and Grill Grates
Smoke = Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5"
Pizza = Blackstone Propane Pizza Oven (Stacy's, but she let's me use it sometimes)
Indoor Cooking = LG Studio 30" gas range
Camp Cooking = Coleman 2 burner white gas stove
Thermometer = FireBoard FBX2 with 2 ambient and 6 meat probes
Thermapen Mk IV = Light blue
Thermapen Mk IV = Black
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Auber 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 1 fan)
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Fireboard 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 2 fan)
Knives
Wusthof Classic Ikon set: 9" carving knive, 2X 8" Chef's Knife, 7" Santoku and three utility knives
Kamikoto Kuro set: 7" Santoku, 6.5" Nakiri, 5" Utility
Amazing Ribs Brazilian Steak knife set
Favorite wine = whatever is currently in the wine rack
Favorite beer = Sam Adams Boston Lager or Shiner Bock
Favorite whisky = Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 16 year old single malt
Best Cookbooks - Meathead's "The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", Chris Lilly's "Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book", Aaron Franklin's "Franklin BBQ"
Cookbooks to check out - Raichlen's "Brisket Chronicles" and anything by Adam Perry Lang.
Current fanboy cookbook - "Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant"
Strong cold wind has really only been the weather element I've found problematic. As long as it's under cover (not subjected to a torrential downpour or a blizzard) cold and misty temps shouldn't be a problem. A slightly bigger and hotter fire (vents more open than during warmer weather) does the trick. You'll burn through fuel more quickly, but that is workable.
I smoked a pork roast on my 22" WSM on Saturday in the same misty, 40* weather down here in Houston with no problems. Ran steady at 275*. One thing you may want to do is invest in a controller and a fan. I'm not sure I could have run that hot without it, the fan did seem to run a little more than normal. I highly recommend such a purchase, albeit a bit expensive, I found its something I can't cook without !!!
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