Winter Smoking?


 
A

Aaron Buys

TVWBB Member
So I got a Stoker for Christmas that I am itching to use. I live in Michigan but I'm not going to let that force me to wait until spring to try it out! For those of you that live in snowy states, where do you usually do winter cooks at? I'd like to get my WSM out of he wind but I'm not sure where I can set it up safely. Suggestions?
 
if it's windy, set up a wind-break, or use it where there's no wind.

I'm building my wind break out of some old cube-style wire shelves that i had laying in the garage.
 
Set it up in your garage with the door wide open and the cooker just inside the garage, most of the smoke will drift out of the garage unless it's really smoking. If you have an adjoining door to the house you might set off your smoke detectors. This method will also make everything in your garage smell like BBQ. I just leave mine on the back deck wind or no wind.
 
Thanks for the tips. In regards to leaving it on your deck...is there any concern about burning/melting/charring the deck directly beneath the cooker? I've always set mine up in the yard to avoid deck damage. Do you put anything between the deck and the cooker to reduce heat transfer?
 
There are several things you can put under your WSM. I use the thin metal 2'X3' oil change drip pans from Walmart in the automotive dept. Cheap enough and plenty of room for overspill or tools.
 
Aaron,

You can pickup a grill mat at lowes or home depot. It's made of concrete back board like material.

You could also grab a few ceramic tiles. It definitely puts of some heat as I put my older WSM (No heat shield) on some snow the other day and not only did it melt all of the snow, it dried the pavement underneath it.

As for a windbreak, some guys on this forum are using an empty plastic 55 gallon drum with the bottom cut out. It seems to be working really well.
 
Winds breaks are as simple or fancy as you'd like. Cooking in the Wind, Rain & Cold

Agree with Josh. For the deck, I would use a few 12x12 ceramic floor tiles with a grill mat underneath.

Awhile back someone posted the damage done to his deck by starting his chimney on the deck even though he had a grill mat. So you'll want to start the chimney out in the yard or on a nearby kettle.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aaron Buys:
So I got a Stoker for Christmas that I am itching to use. I live in Michigan but I'm not going to let that force me to wait until spring to try it out! For those of you that live in snowy states, where do you usually do winter cooks at? I'd like to get my WSM out of he wind but I'm not sure where I can set it up safely. Suggestions? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I live in Brooklyn, NY and my last smoke was two days ago when I smoked 6 racks of ribs for some co-workers. It was around 18 degrees out there when I started the smoke at 11a and it was around 22 degrees at 5 in the afternoon when I took the ribs off. I never opened the WSM and the temp stayed at 250 until the last hour when it dropped to about 235. I was using Lump Coal.

There was a slight wind but I have my Weber out in the open in my yard and I do not recall ever having a problem with the WSM and wind.

Get out there and smoke already!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aaron Buys:
Thanks for the tips. In regards to leaving it on your deck...is there any concern about burning/melting/charring the deck directly beneath the cooker? I've always set mine up in the yard to avoid deck damage. Do you put anything between the deck and the cooker to reduce heat transfer? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I use the bottom pan of a dog crate under it and I leave the snow around it. I do have a few scorch marks from small pieces of lump falling out of the chimney when transferring coals but when that happens I just kick some snow on them to put them out.
 
My WSMs are st up under the soffit of my garage on a low wooden table I built for them.

If it is windy, I have 2 hinged wind screens I use. Works really well, and the smoke goes into the garage via the vented soffit and makes it smell really good too!
 
I also live in Michigan and have had several sucessful cooks even in single digit temps @ night. I cook on my patio (Concrete floor)so my house makes a great wind shield.

Christmas Day was prime rib which was nearly perfect. (pics to follow soon)

Tim
 
I have posted this picture before, but I think it is good enough to show again.
Not a single digit cook, two digits, at minus fifteen degrees fahrenheit:

112086_s.jpg


No problem, the WSM behaved as it usually does, but with the vents full open. 225 degrees, no problem.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Geir Widar:
I have posted this picture before, but I think it is good enough to show again.
Not a single digit cook, two digits, at minus fifteen degrees fahrenheit:

112086_s.jpg

That pics good enough to frame & put on a wall!

No problem, the WSM behaved as it usually does, but with the vents full open. 225 degrees, no problem. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aaron Buys:
So I got a Stoker for Christmas that I am itching to use. I live in Michigan but I'm not going to let that force me to wait until spring to try it out! For those of you that live in snowy states, where do you usually do winter cooks at? I'd like to get my WSM out of he wind but I'm not sure where I can set it up safely. Suggestions? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Did a overnight brisket last weekend in -9.5f/-23c and it was no problems. Had it on my wooden deck with nothing under it and no damage done to the deck. These babies run like a dream in the cold, it's just the wind you need to somewhat protect them from. I have the 55G barrel for such occasions. Wasn't used for my frigid overnighter.

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...0069052/m/7091030006
 
Thanks for all the tips. I've got two pork shoulders on as we speak! I put down a nice "mat" of 1.5 inch thick concrete pavers underneath the cooker. I figure between the shield underneath, the air gap, and the pavers the deck isn't in any danger. My stoker is up and running via wireless bridge with all the components resting in a large cooler being warmed ever-so-gently by a heating pad. =)
 
A few years ago my wife went to a lumber yard to buy some metal sheeting to put under my WSM because she was upset at the damage to our deck. She told the guy that she needed something to protect the deck because her husband was a big smoker. Oh, he said, that's too bad. No, she answered, I really like it, it's just the damage it does to the deck.

When they finally realised what each was talking abut they had a good chuckle.
 
I smoked a couple of briskets few weekends back when it was -18 celsius out (0 fahrenheit) with a nasty -25 celsius windchill. I use BBQ Guru's silver bullet jacket and it works incredible. I should have taken a picture of it as it looked very similar to Geir's picture above (although mine had considerably more ice at the feet!).

The only part I dislike about cold winter cooks is having to put on layers of clothing each and every time you need to go out and check on things. Also, I have a lot of temperature probes going into my WSM so it's rather cumbersome doing anything, especially when it's that cold out.

Darryl
 
I keep an old cardboard box folded up where I store my WSM. When it is too windy, I unfold the box and fit it around the WSM to block the wind. It is a super easy solution.

Here's a smoke with the backyard hockey rink in the background. Cheers!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by patrick sullivan:
DSCF3326.JPG
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
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