How to smoke your hot grill in cold weather
As the Autumn season approaches, smoking your charcoal grill in colder temperatures may prove quite a challenge. When you use a charcoal or wood fired smoker, the weather is a factor you should observe carefully. This article will explain how different factors affect the ability to smoke and what you can do to use your smoker effectively in cold weather.
Temperature
The main factor which will affect your smoker is temperature. For example, say your desired temperature is around 220℉. In the summer, air temperature may vary at around 100℉ while a cold day may drop down to as low as 50℉. This just means that on a summer day, you will need a fire which will increase the smoker temperature by 120℉ while on a cold day, you will need a fire which will increase your smoker temperature by 170℉. This means you will need efficient temperature control and a warmer fire to make up for the loss in initial fire temperature.
Wind
Another factor which affects your smoker is wind. Both the intensity and direction of the wind will affect your smoker’s ability. For example, some smokers have a defined airflow path. If the wind is blowing in the direction of the airflow path then this will cause your fuel to burn faster and cause random temperature spikes. You can adjust the vent of your smoker when you experience a variation in wind intensity and direction.
Precipitation
It is unlikely that you will be barbecuing on a rain day but cold weather can bring light showers and snow. When raindrops hit your smoker, it will evaporate. The evaporation will take some heat with it which results in a heat loss. If you ever find yourself in a situation when there is a sudden shower or snowfall, open up your vent and increase the fire temperature to make up for the heat loss.