Wind Shields


 
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Brad W

TVWBB Super Fan
Winter is coming soon here in northern Iowa and that means cold and WIND. Okay, it's windy all the time but it will be a cold wind. Being new to the WSM this winter I'm wondering what people use for wind shields.

Also being a home brewer, I use a cut off galvanized garbage can for a wind shield for my propane burners. I'm thinking something similar would be helpful.

Any ideas?

On a similar note, listing any suggestions for cooking in colder weather would be beneficial. Thanks in advance
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I feel for you...winter where I live means you might have to wear long pants, or possibly socks if one can find them.

I have a tradition of 'quein up on New Years...haven't missed one in the last 13 we've been in our current house. There's been some difficult New Years parties where it was raining...but I always pull it off.

There was a pic in a thread recently where a guy had a small shed built around his WSM, looked like a great setup for what your speaking of...

EDIT: try this thread.

Here's a pic of Todd Randall's nice setup:

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Brad, It'll be alright. I broke my WSM teeth smoking in northern Iowa in the winter
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I have a pretty convienent setup using my screened in porch, its sheltered from the north and east.

I use a little L-shaped, ply wood encolosure in case of south, south western winds. If I was smoking out in the open I would consider getting a 55 gal drum (bottom cut out and cut in half) with hinges on one side, to shelter your wsm. Otherwise a 3 sided plywood enclosure would work. The cold is not so much a factor as you'd think, but you do need some kind of wind block for winter in Iowa. I considered getting the guru jacket, but couldent justify another $100 dollars.

You will end up using more fuel in the depths of winter, but if you keep smoking as the temp progresivly gets colder you wont notice it much. This summer I have been using 8-10 lit briq. last winter I was using about double, if I remember right, for the MM....

Another tip, I frequently check the 10-day forecast (from weather.com) when planing cooks, so I know what to expect (wind wise). I do remember a couple times scurrying out in full dress to get the smoker going, and when I put the meat on, it instantly freezes to the grate
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Have a good winter smoking, dont let the cold scare you off. And dont forget your stockin cap..


oh, and I have to ask, where abouts in northern IA?
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Brandon
 
Being located in Canada, we know a few things about winter too!! haha I lived on the praries for a winter and I've never experienced anything like it. When it's -35C BEFORE the windchill it makes that walk to your car in the morning even more dreadful. Especially in those extremes you realize the effect of the wind. At -35 you can surprisingly stay warm when dressed well... however you add ANY amount of wind and it just saps the heat right out of you. This is probably a good comparison to the effect of wind and cold on the WSM.

As for a wind break. I have looked into thermal blankets and such, but the cost is a little prohibitive. As backwoods as it will look, I plan on making a hinged plywood triangle that can fold up reasonably flat for storage. I guess I could paint it... but that's kind of like polishing a turd.

Just make sure that whatever you build has the strength (or weight) to withstand a decent wind. I would cry if i saw my WSM on its side with the contents on the ground... that would be like a murder scene!
 
That box I built works great, but not the cheapest of solutions. But, 1/2 the reason why I went to those lengths is I also needed something for cold long term storage, because I (my wife) only have a 1 car garage.

I've cooked in rain, snow, wind, it doesn't matter anymore. I never care about the forecast (for cooking), which is nice when life is busy enough as is. If get lazy and leave a puddle of grease in the empty water pan / clay pot, no animals can get to it or knock over the wsm. Cold storage has worked great. And talk about even more charcoal efficiency, cause that box heats up nice and helps insulate the wsm even more. Plus those are bi-folds and fold up for easy transportation.

So for the flexibility and benefits, it was worth it to me to spend the $$$ to make something permemnant and durable. If you are not as anal as I am, I've read many a post about all the other solutions mentioned working out just fine too.

Todd
 
I would think a sheet of plywood or tin roofing material would make for a nice wind block.

I've heard of folks using welding blankets too.
 
Brad, a plastic barrel, cut in half, top and bottom removed, and hinged (2 or 3), works for me. You can also put a latch on the open end to keep it closed. I've not insulated my barrel, but it is something that could be done.
 
here's my set up:
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its a pretty cost effective way to make a wind block and it folds flat for easy storage and transport. I have three that I clamp together for comp.

if you need specifics, let me know.
 
Alan-Thanks for the thread link, it has been helpful.

Brandon-Currently in the Storm Lake area, a ways from you, though a little more south. I always check the forecast, since I tend to bbq every Friday (my weekly day off from work) and homebrew every other Friday. The biggest issue I had brewing last year was the snow, brewed many times in the garage which I can't do with bbqing.

To all the others, thanks for your tips also. I know this winter will be a learning experience but will help in future years.

One advantage I have is that my house faces north and have a small area on the south side of the garage I can use for a wind block. Again the problem comes with snow, which blocks that spot ones the snow gets deep until late spring, so bbqing will happen on the north (cold, windy) side of the garage. That's where the wind shields will come in handy. Getting some ideas in my head from what I've seen so far.

Planning to put a deck in the back next spring and have in the plans for a "shed" for the smoker for winters just off the deck. Just needing to get through this winter.
 
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