I cook year round. Most of my cookers are under cover so that surely helps.
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I find that cooking when it is cold makes the smoker (you) work harder to keep the temperatures. With the fires running harder to make temperature, there is less chance of producing a bad quality smoke or creosotes . I never restrict the fire's air flow or insulate a smoker because I so not want the fire to smolder (= creosotes). The cold weather makes this easier and uses more fuel, but the results are worth it.Comment
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Try it out! I bought a welders blanket, wrapped around my pit barrel and pretty much cooked all winter last year. The downside was I had to shovel the patio as well as the driveway.
not sure I’ll be able to cook out as much this year, only because I has scored 13 bags of KBB for $3 each. Running low on fuel this year, so have to pick my battles.
the PBC did pretty well with that blanket. Cook times were extended slightly, maybe by a half hour or so.Comment
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Just speaking for myself, because I know a lot of you old farts keep at it anyhow: it was a lot easier just 4 years or so ago. I was smoking outdoors up until about then, and griddling just a couple years ago. But now I look out the window and think, “Nope. I’ll just make something else tonight.”
The griddle, that isn’t such a big deal, because its whole allure is transplanting work outdoors; when outdoors isn’t appealing, it doesn’t have a purpose. The Kettle and the BGE, they’re covered in snow and probably going to stay that way for a bit yet. I’ll forego the smoke.
The coldest I ever bbq’d outside was 4°. The BGE was frozen shut, I had to run a heat gun down the top of it to warm it up. I did a brisket, started around 5PM, it was done the next morning around 9. I took it in to work at noon. One of the best briskets I’ve ever made.Comment
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I'm like that in recent years. I am still working, and it is dark before 5pm most of the winter here in the leading edge of central time, and while our "cold" is usually not that cold, it is often accompanied by cold rain or drizzle. Dark, cold and wet just doesn't attract me to go outside and cook.
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Meathead has an article on the subject, which, in addition the everyone's advice above, may help.
And to go along with that Clint has a simplified one that's 8 tips with some humor.
From my own personal experience I have some tips:- Rain, well rain's the single worst thing to affect your cooker's temps. Rain sucks. Pouring cold rain is even sucksier. Shield your cooker from rain above all else, then focus on the rest.
- Cold air doesn't hurt anything. You'll use more fuel when it's cold obviously, but once you're up to temp it's not as hard as you think to keep it going.
- Snow doesn't hurt much, if anything, unless of course it's really coming down and constantly melting on your cooker and therefore acting like rain.
- Wind, eh, depends on your setup. Wind can be good unless you're using a gas grill, and in the case of a gas grill, every single thing affects your temps! For a wood-fired cooker wind can stoke the flames in the firebox, if positioned right, and be helpful.
- Lastly, cold weather should not affect your cook times. Remember, cook time is related to the temp the meat is getting, it's as simple as that. As long as you stoke up your cooker to the right temp, you're good because 225 deg is 225 deg, regardless of what's happening outside of that layer of steel. It may take some fiddling and more fuel, sure, but keep your temps where they need to be and your cook time will be the same, minus your 'fiddling' time.
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To Duanessmokedmeat... Now that's just showing off.. 😁Comment
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A few winters ago my gift to myself was a carbon steel wok from The Wok Shop, and if it just felt too cold or wet outside, then playing with the wok on the stove was my alternative to grilling... and the cast iron skillet does a great job with the steaks in winter.
I don't always get the extreme cold down here in Alabama, but it is 14 degrees at the moment. We will be back to highs of 50 and raining soon enough though. That is our usual winter. Cold blowing rain, but not snow.Comment
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I cook all year round in MN. No problems if you have a heavy steel unit or a Kamado. Even the Weber Kettle does just fine, although a welding or fire blanket certainly helps it maintain temps. I have found that pellet rigs really struggle in those real cold temps. Other than that, you should be just fine. Wind can be a factor, but not much as long as you are sealed well.Comment
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What we are dealing with here. Saturday night the prediction was 1”-3”, with a very small possibility of 5”. We actually got 7”, on top of the 6” that was already on the ground. The temperature dropped steadily throughout the day Sunday, bottoming out at 9° last night.
I know folks around the country, and around the globe, get colder temps and more snow. But this is a lot of snow for NEPA in December, and 9° is about 25° below normal. I’m just too old now. I just don’t feel like saying “Screw it, I’m making brisket!” when it’s like this.Comment
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1. Kamado
2. Just do it
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I live in central MN, and use my PBC year-round although not as much in the winter. If it is too cold outside, or too windy, I move the PBC into my garage. I open up the big door about 6-12 inches and open up the back door a little also. Keeps some fresh air moving through. As an added benefit, my garage smells heavenly for a week or two afterward!Comment
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This is exactly why I am so happy I built my smoke shack. Path shoveled/snowblowed from the garage service door to the smoke shack.Comment
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I used to try and smoke - grill outside all winter. Not anymore, my Weber kettles, wsm never seemed to need blankets, to me it just seemed I had to make the fire for a colder environment.
But I’m pretty much done with grilling or cooking outside in the winter. Wheeling food in and out of the house going up and down ramps, opening doors, etc with all the food & needs etc on your lap is over rated, getting stuck in your driveway with an inch of snow is stupid. I’ve definitely become a wimp.
Last year I smoked 200 plus lbs of venison for my neighbor in like - 10 temps over 2 days using three Webers. This year he asked, I said no, not up for a winter cook anymore.
If the weather is awesome I might think of it, I enjoy cooking indoors though during the winter just as much.Comment
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Just the opposite here. The summer is so hot, it’s like cooking in a sauna, and it rains mostly right around dinner time. No fun. Winters are the time for me in St Pete. -
Johnny Booth no doubt, and I’m also now less inclined to do a lot of cooking July - August if the weather is hot and humid. Although I will do 6 plus hour smokes no problem as I do not need to sit by them. I enjoy sitting and hanging out around my grills when cooking, so if it’s not comfortable… why do it, is kind of my approach anymore.Last edited by Richard Chrz; December 21, 2025, 03:52 PM.
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Any of you pellet heads having trouble in the winter?
I am testing a rig right now, and I am having issues with it keeping up with the cold. (It is not even that cold out at 37 F for MN in January...that is a damn heat wave, boys) I preheated the grill to 300 F and loaded the firepot with pellets, the auger was primed, and I have the P-Setting at "0". I let it settle in at 300 F, which is 25 F over my desired cook temp. I added 10 lbs of pork belly and even after an hour it has not returned to my set temp of 275 F.
I added a welding blanket from the start, yet it seems to do little.
This is a little frustrating, but maybe I just need to wait an hour or so for it to recover. I am just not used to that kinda recovery time.
Anything I might be missing? Help a brother out..........Comment
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MAK 2 star here. In winter, typically set it 5 to 10 degrees over. Zero issues.
And pellet consumption strikes me as parsimonious.Comment
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