Cold weather may seem threatening but certainly preparing a lump of smoking meat in cold weather is not a pie in the sky. Instead, having your favorite dish on the table becomes a more pressing vocation in the snow.
When you eye to serve your guests with smoking meat in the winter, a lot depends on the smoker’s wall thickness as thinner walls lose temperature much faster and the proper insulation which prevents things from cooling down fast.
Therefore, if you have the right tools in place and insightful tips discussed below, you can make smoking meat in the cold weather and have it too.
7 Tips for Smoking Meat in Cold Weather
1. Choose the Right Smoker
Smoking meat in snow leaves you in constant labor to keep the optimum temperature at par. Poor smoker models are not a right fit as they have thinner walls which tend to lose temperature abruptly. In the winter, such smoker simply loses heat much faster which is why it’s better to use something good at insulating heat.
The truth is, you will be exploiting a lot of time and energy, already, to maintain the temperature in the cooking chamber and anything which does not have good insulation would make things tough for you.
Therefore, you need to choose the right smoker with thick walls to smoke meat in the snow.
Kamado grills works best at insulating heat and provides a good option for smoking meat in the winter. But if you are not using kamado, then you need to find a right insulation for your regular smoker to prevent quick loss of heat in winter conditions.
Pellet smoker is another viable option as it does not require special effort to maintain the temperature. Once you have selected temperature, it keeps, automatically, feeding pellets to the fire.
Contrary to what many think, gas smoker is also one pertinent alternative. The reason most of the people do not consider gas smoker is that they believe gas does not flow at lower temperature which is simply not true. The gas shall run smooth in the winter. The pressure drops as the air temperature falls, but gas smokers has regulators between tank and the cooker to regulate the flow.
Electric smoker extends your range of available options as steady heat produced by them is good to maintain the temperature.
In short, you need to mind the thickness of the smoker’s walls if you want things to go your way.
2. Put the Smoker in the Right Position
Constant showering of snow makes it harder to find the right position for the smoker. You need to protect the smoker from winds and rains as well as have to keep it in the out. You shall never keep the smoker inside any closed space.
Bear in mind to remove the snow from the smoker if several days are gone by. See if something isn’t frozen and wait to let the ice thaw. You can make it faster with a hot air hairdryer.
3. Create Insulation for Your Smoker
Optimum temperature is your best friend when you choose to smoke meat in the snow. Anything which slows down the flow of temperature, you shall consider it. That way you will use much less fuel and it will be much easier to maintain a fixed temperature.
Though insulation isn’t mandatory, it certainly assists you by increasing the effectiveness of smoker and gives vibes of a summer cooking.
If you can afford, you may use the ready-made insulation for your model of a smoker or else you can resolve to make it with your skilled hands.
Of course there are many methods of insulation, you can get store-bought insulation created specifically for your type of smoker, but this is an expensive option. You may use a special welding blanket, furnace insulation, aluminium foil insulation or any other material with insulating properties and resistance against high temperatures.
YouTube has many videos available to teach you how to make insulation. So checking them out would not be a bad idea.
4. Keep the Lid Closed
You might be intrigued by the idea of checking what’s going on inside, opening the lid goes against you.
Lifting a lid in the old jut for five minutes is likely to increase the quarter-hour of your work. And even if you choose to open the lid for a couple of minutes, it will require more time for the cooking chamber to reach the desired temperature again.
Therefore, checking in again and again in the cold weather is not a good instinct to follow.
In case you are tempted to open the lid in the rain or snow, make sure to use the umbrella and better ask someone to hold it above while you do your job.
You may use the remote thermometer which means you can keep an eye on the temperature without lifting the lid or heading out into the cold yourself.
5. Stock up on Fuel
The last check you need to consider before starting the smoker is to keep enough quantity of fuel available.
This is particularly important in the cold weather. It takes more time to achieve a particular temperature, and it also takes more fuel to maintain a fixed temperature in the cold. You can make it efficient with good insulation but still, it would not cut the minimum required time.
So, it is recommended to store fuel, beforehand, to make the process smooth for yourself.
6. Grill Smaller Cuts of Meat
When you have sorted out all the essential matters relevant to smoking meat in winter, why taking pain in something that does not steal the flavor, anyway. Look, the idea is to reduce the effort and energy as the weather already has its own demand for both.
So, keeping small and same-sized cuts of meat means you will be able to get away with some mouth-watering dish without losing the subtle savor.
7. Use a Cold Weather Jacket
Cold weather jacket is one more added layer of protection to keep the temperature intact. We reach out for the jacket when it is chill, the same way, your smoker requires one.
Depending on your model of the smoker, you may be able to buy one specifically from the market.
Do make sure that the cold weather jacket you purchase has allowed for adequate airflow, ease of access and fire resistance.
Another benefit of the cold weather jacket is that you can keep your machine cover and thus clean when you are not using it.
Therefore, it is pretty good to have for those who love to smoke meat and do it very often even in the winter.
Final thoughts
People always seek interesting ways to brave the cold weather in style and to smoke meat is one proven sport among many. Without denying the fact that difficult conditions in the winter are good at making smoking difficult for us but that shall not dictate you to put our ambition on the ice as well.
If you get properly prepared by incorporating these tips, then smoking meat in the winter will most certainly be possible.