Cold weather WSM use

[SoEzzy]

Wind is the biggest temperature killer on the WSM, well rain and wind is worse, but as a single factor I rate the wind the worst.

You might make yourself a two fold wind break, basically three sheets of ply hinged like a folding screen, if you make them long enough you can make a triangle out of it to surround your pit.

They only need to come level with the top of the lid, you don't need massive height.

If you can only open the vent away from the direct wind, that helps keep temperatures stable, as the cooker isn't having a pressurized air forced fire one moment, and not the next.

 

[Greg Rempe]

I have cooked in cold weather for years with the WSM...aside from a few more lit coals on start up I do nothing different. Works like a champ!

 

[Bruce B]

I have cooked in cold weather for years with the WSM...aside from a few more lit coals on start up I do nothing different. Works like a champ!

You fire up the WSM in the attic during the winter? :roll:

 

[Griff]

I've been using the WSM in Alaskan winters for about 5 years. I did an overnight brisket cook in the Frozen Few contest last year at -20* with no problem. You may need a little more charcoal. Like the other have said wind is the big problem.

 

[Woodman1]

Start in the WSM, get a smoke ring and flavor. Finish in the oven.

 

[bigwheel]

Well us po white Texas oil field trash boys can't be affording no fancy WSM of course..we uses whuts called ECB's (El Cheapo Brinkmanns) which work on the same principle but not much air control cept for the size and number of holes in the firepan. Whut works great on those should also work on a WSM which is to invert a 55 gallon barrell over the top. Set the bottom of the barrell on some bricks or cinder blocks to hold it up off the ground and be able to draw air from the bottom and enable it to be able to set up taller than the cooker. I think them WSM's is fairly tall so it might take cinder blocks set up on end to raise it up enough. Drill some 1/8" holes about 2" around the solid end of the barrell make a complete ring of small holes..that just to keep rainwater from collecting and let out a little smoke. Also put some handles on the barrell...cuz it do get hot. Mount them just below the top ring of the barrell. When it is coming a tornado or blizzard just get your fire lit and water pan filled and set the barrell down over the top. It will be total unaffected by whut is going on around it. Fully double walled air insulated. When you get ready to stow the pit after the cook...remove the top grate and turn the lid upside down inside the pit. Put the barrell over the top. Makes a great place to store the cooker when you aint using it. An Aggie Injuneer taught me how to do it and he is still cooking on an ECB which is 35 years old. He gets his stoked up..puts on the meat..sits the barrell down over the pit and comes back tomorrow to find bbq. I guess with a WSM a person could fiddle with the vents or something. Choke em down to not draw much. Sorry this is so windy and redundant

bigwheel

 

[WildFireEric]

Start in the WSM, get a smoke ring and flavor. Finish in the oven.

Now you tell me! Ha!. I started some butts a week ago at 5am in a blizzard. I fought all day with my WSM losing temp (stable for the first few hours and then a losing battle). Shielding from the wind and adding lump helped. Once the wind died around 8pm, my temps soared and turned into a grill (400 degrees - decided to do some chicken breasts while pulling the pork). Luckily, I had foiled my butts and they finished quite nicely.

 

[WildFireEric]

Well us po white Texas oil field trash boys can't be affording no fancy WSM of course..we uses whuts called ECB's (El Cheapo Brinkmanns) which work on the same principle but not much air control cept for the size and number of holes in the firepan. Whut works great on those should also work on a WSM which is to invert a 55 gallon barrell over the top. Set the bottom of the barrell on some bricks or cinder blocks to hold it up off the ground and be able to draw air from the bottom and enable it to be able to set up taller than the cooker. I think them WSM's is fairly tall so it might take cinder blocks set up on end to raise it up enough. Drill some 1/8" holes about 2" around the solid end of the barrell make a complete ring of small holes..that just to keep rainwater from collecting and let out a little smoke. Also put some handles on the barrell...cuz it do get hot. Mount them just below the top ring of the barrell. When it is coming a tornado or blizzard just get your fire lit and water pan filled and set the barrell down over the top. It will be total unaffected by whut is going on around it. Fully double walled air insulated. When you get ready to stow the pit after the cook...remove the top grate and turn the lid upside down inside the pit. Put the barrell over the top. Makes a great place to store the cooker when you aint using it. An Aggie Injuneer taught me how to do it and he is still cooking on an ECB which is 35 years old. He gets his stoked up..puts on the meat..sits the barrell down over the pit and comes back tomorrow to find bbq. I guess with a WSM a person could fiddle with the vents or something. Choke em down to not draw much. Sorry this is so windy and redundant

bigwheel

I like the part about this holds up well in a tornado. I wonder how many of you have actually cooked within 10 miles of an actual tornado and decided to keep cooking and pop another beer or actually get your family and farm animals in the car and go for a drive until all clear.

 

[Kloset BBQR]

You need to get the WSM Smoking Jacket!

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-BBQ-Guru-Silver ... .m20.l1116

 

[Dan - 3EyzBBQ]

Hey Eric-

Where was the blizzard? BTW - the smoker jacket is awesome.

 

[ronbeaux50]

Well us po white Texas oil field trash boys can't be affording no fancy WSM of course..we uses whuts called ECB's (El Cheapo Brinkmanns) which work on the same principle but not much air control cept for the size and number of holes in the firepan. Whut works great on those should also work on a WSM which is to invert a 55 gallon barrell over the top. Set the bottom of the barrell on some bricks or cinder blocks to hold it up off the ground and be able to draw air from the bottom and enable it to be able to set up taller than the cooker. I think them WSM's is fairly tall so it might take cinder blocks set up on end to raise it up enough. Drill some 1/8" holes about 2" around the solid end of the barrell make a complete ring of small holes..that just to keep rainwater from collecting and let out a little smoke. Also put some handles on the barrell...cuz it do get hot. Mount them just below the top ring of the barrell. When it is coming a tornado or blizzard just get your fire lit and water pan filled and set the barrell down over the top. It will be total unaffected by whut is going on around it. Fully double walled air insulated. When you get ready to stow the pit after the cook...remove the top grate and turn the lid upside down inside the pit. Put the barrell over the top. Makes a great place to store the cooker when you aint using it. An Aggie Injuneer taught me how to do it and he is still cooking on an ECB which is 35 years old. He gets his stoked up..puts on the meat..sits the barrell down over the pit and comes back tomorrow to find bbq. I guess with a WSM a person could fiddle with the vents or something. Choke em down to not draw much. Sorry this is so windy and redundant

bigwheel

I like the part about this holds up well in a tornado. I wonder how many of you have actually cooked within 10 miles of an actual tornado and decided to keep cooking and pop another beer or actually get your family and farm animals in the car and go for a drive until all clear.

Well since you asked.

I didn't have the family with me so I knew they were safe. But I'd say I was closer to 10ft than 10 miles from this one. Yes we did scramble into the bathroom and hunker down while it went by, but we were back at it and finished the cook and served 1039 plates for a cancer patient.

WSM or not, covered with a barrel or what ever. I would not recommend cooking in a tornado

 

[WildFireEric]

Thanks for sharing. I figured someone in Texas or Oklahoma may have jumped in the basement until the storm blew over. That's amazing. Glad all worked out (except for the truck damage). 1039 plates is a lot to have a pesky distraction like that

 

[WildFireEric]

Hey Eric-

Where was the blizzard? BTW - the smoker jacket is awesome.

at my house (5am on 12/7). Not much snow fall, but lots of little flakes and wind. For about 10-15 minutes it looked like a blizzard. Doesn't compare to anything the people up north get. but considering I ran out there in flip flops and shorts (first thing I could grab) so I could get my charcoal lit within a few minutes of my alarm going off, so I don't waste time making this an all day thing...My neighbor grabbed his newspaper at 4:30am and it was nice then. I guess we got a small patch of nasty weather when I got up.and then the wind just kept blowing all day. most of the snow melted once the sun came out.

 

[Shawn White]

if you're having trouble gettin/keepin temp up ditch the water, ya don't need the heat sink.

use foil balls covered with foil, air gap helps keep the drippins from burnin

could use sand covered with foil ... or a clay pot saucer stuck in the pan covered with foil

ditchin water was the best thing I've done .. .I shoulda listened to Rempe years ago

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

You need to get the WSM Smoking Jacket!

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-BBQ-Guru-Silver ... .m20.l1116

That thing ROCKS!
Thanks Dallas!

 

[bigwheel]

Well I like to be around rich folks such as you'uns and her'uns. I just seen the Smoker Jacket for over a hundred wheras a thrifty person can get a food grade empty barrell at the Feed Store for 12 bucks or whutever and which is about a thousand times mo betta might I add. Yeppers I have cooked in Tornadoes. Now closest to a blizzard was freezing rain coming in sideways at about 40 mph. N. Wind. That happend down in Sommerville County. Now it was real purty in time for judging. That was odd. Made me think maybe the Space Aliens was messing around with the weather again. I meant to call Art Bell and axe him about that. I did put on my aluminum foil head gear just to be on the safe side. Now as far as the Tornadoes give me a clue on which one you want to talk about..how far back you want to go etc? Thanks.

bigwheel

 

[ronbeaux50]

if you're having trouble gettin/keepin temp up ditch the water, ya don't need the heat sink.

use foil balls covered with foil, air gap helps keep the drippins from burnin

could use sand covered with foil ... or a clay pot saucer stuck in the pan covered with foil

ditchin water was the best thing I've done .. .I shoulda listened to Rempe years ago

That foil ball covered in foil trick on the Backwoods Chubby works great.

 

[bigwheel]

Hey..try digging out the Owners Manuel and follow the directions. That should work.

bigwheel

 

[ronbeaux50]

I did partner. It said pour in the charcoal and light it. Using lighter fluid no less.

 

[bigwheel]

Good Lawdy Miz Claudie..I cant believe anybody give somebody out a dumb owners manuel like that. Guessing either the boy has sold out to yankmes or the dumbasses really are located on the E. side of the Sabine. Uncle bigwheel will guide you through this deal. Now you got a prickley pear burner? This is have to know type stuff. Kindly do not listen to any retards who talk about lighting newspapers under a Weber Charcoal Chimney. Only folks who do that kinda nonsense is from up North. I mean who would even buy one of them liberal rags let alone have some sheets of it laying around in the Crib? We can proceed as soon as it becomes evident if you got a flame thrower or not. My Uncle Jim used to make the Japs come outta the hidey holes on Guadacanal ya know using a gizmo not too far removed. If you aint got one snag it at Harbor Freight and kindly repoat back. Thanks.

bigwheel