Cold Weather BBQ: How to Smoke When It’s Chilly Outside

Some folks — the rank amateurs, as I like to call them — talk about the “end of barbecue season” when the weather turns. Let me tell you: cold weather doesn’t mean an end to your barbecue. In fact, it’s one of the best times to do it. But smoking in the cold requires a different mindset than summertime cooking: more patience, and more prep and planning in advance. Here’s what changes and how to handle it.

How Cold Weather Affects Your Smoker

Reduced fuel efficiency. More fuel is required to maintain your target temps because your smoker has to work harder to offset heat loss to the cold air around it. Lump charcoal, hardwood splits, and propane all burn faster in the cold, and a pellet grill’s auger will feed pellets far more frequently. Expect to go through 25 to 50 percent more fuel on a really cold day — especially if it’s also windy or damp.

The tip: Stock up on more fuel than you’d normally use for the same cook in warm weather. And keep an eye out for deals — hardware stores run good fuel sales around the barbecue holidays, and right after Christmas into early January you can find serious closeout deals on fuel, grills, and floor-model smokers.

Longer cook times. The colder the environment, the longer it takes your meat to reach temp. Big cuts like brisket and pork butt will stall longer, and bark formation takes more time when chamber temps are low and humidity is high.

The tip: Start earlier than you normally would, and plan for your rest and hold to happen later than you’d expect.

Unstable temperatures. Sudden gusts of wind can cause sharp drops — or spikes, when a gust forces extra oxygen into the firebox. Uninsulated cookers like kettles and drum smokers are most vulnerable, and thin-metal pits are prone to heat loss and big swings. (Side note: if you’re thinking of graduating to an offset smoker, save up for a high-quality one with quarter-inch steel. A cheap, thin-walled offset will give you wild temperature swings and sour you on the whole experience.)

The tip: Use a windbreak — plywood, welding blankets, or a patio wall — and minimize opening the lid. You know the saying: if you’re peeking, you ain’t cooking.

Longer preheat times. It can take double the usual time to get your pit up to temperature in cold conditions, especially thick-walled cookers like offsets and kamados that need time to absorb and retain heat.

The tip: Let your cooker run longer before adding food so you’re working with stable, radiant heat inside the chamber.

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