Cold and windy


 

PAT K

New member
So I'm planning on cooking a beef brisket on my WSM tomorrow night so I have it ready for my fantasy football award party on saturday. The weather for Osage, IA is suppose to be -8 with wind at 23mph. I do have the cooking area fairly enclosed but there are some cracks that wind can get through. Think this could be a problem?
 
The cold is immaterial, the wind is not. If your can rig up a wind break like any shown on the site it would be best, otherwise, just keep a closer eye. Definitely do-able.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PAT K:
I do have the cooking area fairly enclosed but there are some cracks that wind can get through. Think this could be a problem? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Cold is a non-issue as said. A few cracks? depends what you consider a crack. An inch, no biggie, a few inches/half a foot, might pose some problems with fuel consumption. FYI, Wind sucks all the heat out of the WSM.
 
I would try to get that wind as blocked as absolutely possible. I ended up finally making a windbreak last winter out of two sheets of plywood and some barn door hinges that works really nicely. The wind is a KILLER for temps, either way too hot, or it just takes the heat right out on you and your fuel gets burned up in no time. I use everything I have around, grabage cans, vehicles, old lumber, anything that I can find to block the wind. Now that I have my windbreak though, it doesn't look like the Clampetts in the driveway, which is a plus. I made it about 6" taller than my WSM, and I have one piece that I can use to put over the top too if it gets real windy or super cold.
 
Thanks guys. I'm still pretty new at this and its my first time trying to cook in the wind. I have cardboard stapled all around my deck so hopefully that helps.
 
Pat, this took me only an hour to put together.
A 4x8 sheet of plywood cut in 3rds, 4 hinges, a hand full of nuts and bolts and two cold Miller High Lifes.
While your brisket is marinating....

Have fun out there
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Are you doing an overnight cook? The winds tonight will drop and shouldn't be an issue if you have smaller leaks. If cooking before the evening though, I would seal as much as possible. Use snow, should have plenty of that. There's a pick recently of someone doing a 3/4 "igloo" with snow, I did something similar the last couple of years, using a single sheet of plywood to block the front and a smaller piece for the top if I needed.

Enjoy the warm evening, looks like its going to get close to -30 here tonight.
 
I did just read that the winds are suppose to die down to 5-10 mph tonight which is good because I'm not putting the brisket on til about 10 or 11, but instead of shoveling all of the snow off my deck I moved it around and packed it in on the sides. Might have to build something like what Jim has when I move in a couple weeks 'cause the deck at my new house will be bigger, only I'll have to substitute the High Life for some Leinie's Creamy Dark though.
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Thanks again guys!
 
Creamy Dark, ymmmmm. Almost as good as Big Butts.

Good luck with the cook tonight. Going out myself in about an hour to smoke some cheese, should be about -10 by then, looking to hit -27 or lower tonight.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ron "Rondo" hanson:
Check out Don Cashs' windbreak ..... Barbecuing section; Wild Card Pulled Pork
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...Walmart $30
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good luck finding one, can't find them around here and out of stock online the last time I checked.
 
Good luck Pat with your cold and windy cook. I had planned to do my second cook this weekend after the sucsess I had with my new years pheasants. But, a rarity in South Louisiana, it will get down to 18 degrees this tonight and tomorrow night with a wind chill in single digits. Too cold for this old southern boy who gets a chill when the temp dips belos 80.
 

 

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