Weber Kettle in Cold/Wet Weather

[coleman]

Hello from Canada,

I purchased a 22 inch Weber Performer in the spring time. Its been great cooking with it all summer. I can totally see why charcoal cooking has such a cult following. I have had a lot of fun so far making some great food.

Unfortunately living in Canada ( Northern AB) has its fair share of crappy weather. Today it was about 45 Farenheit out and raining lightly. I attempted to cook burgers which normally turn out great but took 2.5X longer to cook. They of course turned out dry. I had a hard time maintaining reasonable vent temperature and only burgers directly over the charcoal bins really cooked.

Anyways this leads me to a bit of an issue. I am not sure whether the rain or the cool temperature was worse. Either way I doubt charcoal cooking is going to work in the winter time. A breeze at 0 F and there is no way I am cooking on it.

So I am looking for advice from the cooler climate kettle users. What do you guys do?

I was thinking maybe some kind of high heat insulation like the stuff in engine compartments on the outside of the kettle. Has anybody tried this?

[Harleysmoker]

More charcoal. Light a full chimney and dump it on the cooking grates.

[Josh G]

There are a lot of guys on here that cook year round. A little snow is not too bad, not sure about cooking in zero degrees.  I actually prefer smoking when it gets cooler out.  45 degrees should not throw your cook off too much especially burgers, just make sure to start with hot coals and not let them ash over too much.

[SmokenJoe]

Welcome from Eugene, Oregon.   I've lived and L&S cooked in Colorado Springs, Colorado (snow & cold) and Eugene, Oregon (rain & cold) for many years.  Grilling in cold/wind is much like warm/fair, it just takes a little more charcoal AND attendance.  Yes, many have developed wind shields for cold weather cooking.  Rain on a hot kettle is a no-no in my book, I always cook under a shelter.  Wind can be a major temp problem for long cooks (ribs, etc.).  NEVER turn down a chance to cook in the cooler months  ...  the results usually tastes all that much better.

[Jon]

I don't think that temperature is an issue. I don't live in a cold winter climate, but even at 40F I don't notice a difference in cooking. Add a couple more briquettes and you are good.

On the other hand, I don't live in a cold winter climate.

What I have experienced, is that even a slow breeze can kill a cook in nice weather. I think that wind is the largest factor. I've had to construct aluminum foil nightmares to save food. (Lawn chairs + Foil = Windbreak)

[MacEggs]

Hey @coleman , welcome to the site.  I am in Ontario, and believe it or not, it gets cold here.  I use my kettles year-round.

As mentioned, wind is the menace in cold temperatures.  Try to have it sheltered somewhat from that if you can, or make something to protect from the wind.

Otherwise, grill away.  I rarely let the cold temperatures slow me down.  All the best!

[ramsfan]

Put some sort of wind break around the legs of the Performer cart, so it almost resembles a cabinet underneath. That should keep wind and cold out. Try some big flat sheets of cardboard on three sides of the underside of the cart around the legs. You could even line the sheets of cardboard that are nearest the kettle on the inside with aluminum foil to protect the cardboard from the heat of the kettle?

[CharliefromLI]

I would rather grill in 0°F then scrub pots and pans in a heated kitchen anyday

I learned a lot of my BBQ techniques in very cold weather last winter. I did the thanksgiving turkey on a kettle in flurrying snow and a very windy 35°F http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/first-kettle-turkey-14006/msg140010/#msg140010
and then I received my first WSM in February last year and the one day i had free to cook was legitimately -2°F. http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?57630-First-Run-on-new-WSM-in-Perfect-Weather! With ribs already rubbed and the WSM sliding on 3" of ice i went forward. TOTALLY WORTH IT! After those and other cooks like them,cooking this summer seemed easy.

Like the above posters said wind is likely a bigger culprit then temperature.  Were you cooking with the lid on or off? That could play a major role too.
Start with more charcoal, block wind as much as possible and adjust cooking expected times accordingly and you'll be fine.

There is a small silver lining for winter cooking: Once you close vents and kill the fire the kettle cools way faster so you can cover sooner.

[wyd]

I have grilled down in to the high teens before.  Not a huge problem but I do use a little more charcoal and since I have the Weber Platinum Kettle setup I do run a cardboard wind shield around 3 sides of my table, everything except the front and that keeps the wind from messing with my grilling.  I also grill off my porch so it gets a little more protection from the wind but only a little.

[coleman]

Okay cool,

I had two baskets of Kingsford charcoal going and had a hard time with both vents wide open. I still had a hard time keeping 300F vent temp.

I am thinking maybe rain is the big killer. I will experiment around with covering it and get back to you guys.

Thanks

[CharliefromLI]

One other thought I forgot to mention. If it was raining for a while, perhaps your coal was wet? Damp coal is often the explanation for a fire that just won't go if all other possibilities have been ruled out.

[coleman]

No the coal was not wet. The baskets were almost empty and I filled them up just before I used it.

Does anybody have any ideas for some kind of insulation I could fasten to the lid of my kettle? I am thinking an adhesive foil high temp kind of stuff.

[coleman]

Okay so I had an opportunity to test the Weber Kettle fairly extensively in a variety of weather. I have tried just about everything at this point.

-In rain you loose heat very quickly. It requires a cover in order to grill properly.
- The wind will also screw you up. You definitely need shelter in order to grill.
- In the cold the little Kettle simply cant maintain heat without using a butt load of charcoal. Ditch the baskets and use two large charcoal chimney of briquettes. You absolutely burn through the charcoal doing this. Also the difference in temperatures between the grate and the vent is huge. Don't expect to cook anything evenly. Its like cooking over on open fire in the wind.
- There really isn't any way of insulating it that is not a PITA or requires a lot of fabrication.

I really enjoyed the Weber in the summer but It is not intended for cold weather. Best thing to do is skip the Weber and get a Keg or a BGE. I since got a Keg and it is worlds better for up here.

[GregS]

i guess it's a ymmv type of thing, i grill year round in chicago and it's not much of an issue.  i'm on a semi-wind protected patio and we see some pretty foul temps too.  glad you got your situation worked out!  welcome to the site.

[restomike]

I was told (but have not tried) that wrapping a kettle in welding blankets secured with heat resistant clamps will help when cooking low and slow on the kettle in cold weather.