What is your limit?


 
JSaus

JSaus

TVWBB Wizard
Woke up this morning. Way to cold for me to grill. What is your cut off or the coldest day you cooked out?
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Haha....nothing better to prompt a Canadian in January to comment!

We grill regularly at your current temps (5F)...have no choice here half the year! Cook or go without!

-28C (about -18F) was my coldest cook so far this winter....one of my coldest ever actually I guess. We had a long cold snap over Christmas/New Years (over two weeks consistently below -30C as daytime HIGH temperatures) and we were dying for a steak! We went for it once it warmed up to -28. The Summit Kamado had no issues at all dealing with it.

I posted about it in here: https://tvwbb.com/threads/no-bbq-today.89709/

I have cooked once at -30C on my previous cooker (Broil King Keg) which was so well insulated for a grill, it didn't care at all...

We have many outdoor cafes that are open year round and you'll see people out having a coffee/snack regularly at those temps. Once it gets closer to the freezing point, they actually get very busy! Nothing like telling old man winter to F U.
 
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I have hunted at -2, so I guess I would grill down to that. Not with winds though, that makes it miserable, as far as I'm concerned. Thing is, though, I generally hate the cold, but doing my hobbies in it is a fun challenge.
 
Nothing like a warm grill to heat cold bones in weather like that. We used to go to western NC pretty regularly and remember grilling in the snow a good bit. Don't know my limit but it would have to be pretty darn cold.
 
No limit with the gas grill. It only goes as low as zero where I am. No smoking just grilling

Same here. I will gas grill in anything but a full on blizzard or monsoon. Just pop in and out of the warm house and let the gasser do its thing. Up at the mountain house, it is frequently well below zero.

The WSM has a much more limited use-able window. Can't be too cold. Can't be too windy. Can't be during fire restriction. So as a practical matter, it is more often unavailable than available.
 
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I smoked some jerky at 20 degrees in December and would be willing to go down another 10-12 degrees. My Memphis Pro smoker doesn’t care. It’s double insulated so temp has little to no effect on it.
 
Actually.... LP has an effective limit of around -20 F, below that, it won't evaporate in the tank (unless you're warming the tank somehow.) Natural gas, shouldn't be an issue.

I'll smoke well below 0 F, but I have a fully insulated gravity fed charcoal smoker. Grilling? Pretty much the same, but I have a much lower wind tolerance than when I'm smoking.

I won't even try to compete with @GrantT :)
 
I've set my grill in front of the shed and sat just inside the door with a winter coat on at 2 or 3 above zero F. That was 10 or more years ago. Now, if it isn't above 40, I usually don't go outside unless it's absolutely necessary.
 
I’ve said it before, I grilled in the depth of the polar vortex a couple of years ago, just added extra time. It’s about 16 right now and I’m really just considering which kettle to use not, whether or not I will use one.
I think I’ll go with the 18! Time to touch that off, two lovely center cut pork chops which have brined since ten AM. water, salt sugar, star anise, black peppercorns and sliced orange.
I’m losing light, better get to it!
 
I smoked a brisket on the MAK last week, overnight low close to zero, high next day of like 12 and it was off the grill and wrapped in the oven before we probably hit 5. Usually, I’ll cook in anything above single digits without thinking a ton about it unless it’s super windy. However, when it gets below 20, it’s usually the pellet grill and things with little tending. Below 0, rarely.
 
Older I get the higher that limit gets. Especially if strong wind and snow/ice. But I always have my garage queen to use, though even that one the limits change as I have to then move a car.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
No limit with the gas grill. It only goes as low as zero where I am. No smoking just grilling

Same here. I will gas grill in anything but a full on blizzard or monsoon. Just pop in and out of the warm house and let the gasser do its thing. Up at the mountain house, it is frequently well below zero.

The WSM has a much more limited use-able window. Can't be too cold. Can't be too windy. Can't be during fire restriction. So as a practical matter, it is more often unavailable than available.
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This!
 
I fired up a WSM a few years back at -9.
That will be tough for me to beat when you
factor in the variables.... it rarely gets much
colder than that here and when it does it
would be really early in the AM, when I would
not likely be cooking. Would have to be on
a weekend morning... etc.
 
-4f/-20c is my limit and that is with no wind and only a couple of times a winter. I routinely cook at 14f/-10c though, but I admit, it is getting less enjoyable the older I get. Takes too long to warm up after!
 
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