# What happens after "summer"?



## bamber (Aug 4, 2015)

As this is my first "summer" of BBQ'ing and smoking, I'm not too sure what to expect when it's officially end of summer in the UK.

Is it too cold to Q or smoke?
Will the cold temperatures/rain/snow stop me from using a Weber Kettle or UDS for smoking?

Just wondered how my fellow UK'ers get on, or is it a case of cooking in the kitchen until warmer weather comes around next year?

Cheers

Bam


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## wade (Aug 4, 2015)

Hi Bam

Many of us BBQ all year round but it does take some preparation. Come the 31st August most of the DIY stores assume that the BBQs are put away for the winter and it is almost impossible to buy much in the way of BBQ supplies from them. You can get the odd end-of-season BBQ bargain though as they are clearing shelf space for their Christmas stock.

All is not lost though as stocks of quality charcoal are now  readily available all year round online. I BBQ at least a couple of times a month throughout the winter and my Christmas turkey has been cooked on the Weber each year for over 15 years. Hot roasting is fine in the winter but you need to pick your days carefully for anything low-and-slow as the wind, rain and snow will play havoc with your fine temperature control.

Get your sweater on and put up that umbrella and join the rest of us out there


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## kc5tpy (Aug 4, 2015)

Hello   What ya got against smoking with snow on the ground?  I am with Wade!  If I want BBQ I make it!  The rain has to be taking into consideration but GO FOR IT!  The posts on the Group page seems to die which frustrates me.  I n the U.K. folks equate  BBQ with eating outside.  So in winter they tend not to BBQ.  Well in Texas it is too da** hot to eat outside!    We BBQ and then move into the house where the air conditioner is running!  SO! Why can't the reverse work??  TOO cold to eat outside so move inside.  A good smoker well sealed does not require you to sit by it  every second.  Once you can trust it walk out every 30 minutes or so.  Better yet get a good digital therm. and you can sit on the couch and see the temp..  Open a tin of beer of course!  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## pc farmer (Aug 4, 2015)

I have smoked in -0 temps, snowing and windy.  The winter is my busy time to smoke.

Wind is the biggest killer of heat lose.

Protect your smokers from wind.


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## kettlecooker (Aug 4, 2015)

hey bamber, i only use kettles so for me, its simply a move into the shed, with the door open wide and the bbq in the doorway, if i'm grilling i'm there anyway so dont have any worries about it being a fire hazard, if i'm doing low and slow, i check every half hour or so that things are going ok.

if its really bad out and i'm on a low n slow, i will close the door half way and keep it like that using a couple of bricks, that way i control temp from severe weather but can also see things from the window.

once finished, i obviously make sure everything is out and safe before shutting the shed, works for me and its actually pretty cool to be playin with fire in the snow.

kc.


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## ianplant (Aug 5, 2015)

Hi everyone, This is my first year also. I was pondering the same problem as well and have decided to convert my old greenhouse (10x8) into a BBQ shack I have a piece of 6in pipe that i'm going to use as a chimney, just have to figure out how to attach it :-) also will replace some of the glass for wood i dont want the glass shattering on me

Ian


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## wade (Aug 5, 2015)

The important thing is to shelter it from the wind and cover it if it rains. These are the main factors that will affect your temperature control. If you are roasting something like a chicken or pork joint, then it is not so important as they will probably be at around 180 C (355 F). Slight variations here are not so important. It is when you are trying to maintain temperatures around 110 C (230 F) for slow smoking that the temperature fluctuations will become more of a problem. 

Sometimes we cannot help sudden changes in weather, but if needed we simply adjust our cooking times to compensate. We should be cooking by temperature anyway so the meat just takes a little longer to get there...


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## kiska95 (Aug 5, 2015)

Hi 

Your glass wont shatter unless you poke it, it was made with heat in the first place and your Q wont be any where near the temps to cause a problem to your glass. Use a roofing adapter to take your exhaust pipe out. You can get metal ones that they use for stench pipe exits.

Winter is the time for cold smoking and curing!!!


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## resurrected (Aug 5, 2015)

What a bargain for a bit of cold smoking if you're in the UK :wife:

:welcome1:













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## kiska95 (Aug 5, 2015)

Ho ho get me 2


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## smokin monkey (Aug 5, 2015)

I had one of those, but looks like Wades got it now [emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji]


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## resurrected (Aug 5, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> I had one of those, but looks like Wades got it now [emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji]



I hope you never paid $399.00 postage!


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## smokin monkey (Aug 5, 2015)

No, certainly did not pay that for postage!


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## bamber (Aug 5, 2015)

Well perhaps I'll give it a shot in a months time when the snow hits =p

Moving house soon so will be looking at a way of building a little BBQ shack


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## wade (Aug 5, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> I had one of those, but looks like Wades got it now [emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji][emoji]128554[/emoji]


Hehe - What do they say about possession being 9/10s of the law


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## wade (Aug 5, 2015)

resurrected said:


> I hope you never paid $399.00 postage!


Shucks! do you mean that you can get one without having to pay that? Why do you think I nabbed Steve's one at the weekend ???


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## resurrected (Aug 5, 2015)

Wade said:


> Shucks! do you mean that you can get one without having to pay that? Why do you think I nabbed Steve's one at the weekend ???



Because, sir, you are a wiley Southerner ;)


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## smokin monkey (Aug 5, 2015)

Going to send the Boys down!


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## wade (Aug 5, 2015)

Make sure their passports and visas are up to date for when they try to pass Watford


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## smokin monkey (Aug 5, 2015)

No their coming from the South on the back of a lorry!


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## resurrected (Aug 5, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> No their coming from the South on the back of a lorry!



Seen if they can pick some horse meat up on the way.  Lovely sweet meat [emoji]127830[/emoji]


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## kiska95 (Aug 6, 2015)

Autumn????? just keeping the post clean and answering the lads original question!


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## smokin monkey (Aug 6, 2015)

Yes, need to get some sort of shelter erected myself, so I can continue cooking through out the winter.


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## mummel (Aug 6, 2015)

It will be a first time for me too.  We get brutal winters here in New England so I doubt I will be able to smoke.  What worries me more is my LCD freezing and getting damaged.  Come Thanksgiving, its clearly below freezing and by Feb, we are talking -20 to -30C temps on a bad week.  It will be too much to keep my smoker in the cold.  It will be missed, but at least my waistline will appreciate it.


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## tombirmingham (Aug 6, 2015)

I am really blessed with a north facing back garden which does ok with growing vegetables but can be a little damp in the winter. However, as I live in a mid terrace my house has a small 'alley' type section split by the neighbours fence and my log store for the burner, it sounds like a wind tunnel but isnt, the other good things is that our old outside bog is north facing so can be used in the colder months to be a drying area to for curing, I can see some salmon/smoked bacon being hung in there, apparently north facing outhouses are perfect for that !


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## resurrected (Aug 6, 2015)

We are on the edge of Cannock Chase and when the wind blows it just whips right across the garden.


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## bamber (Aug 6, 2015)

If anyone comes up with any interesting idea's please share them?

Still undecided what I'm going to do.


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## mike w (Aug 6, 2015)

Cheese, lox, salmon, and a bunch of bacon, canadian bacon, christmas hams and Bearcarvers beef snack sticks will all be on my smoker throughout the winter! I have alot of catching up to do when I get back to the UK.


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## foamheart (Aug 6, 2015)

FOOTBALL!!!   Tailgate!!  Hunting Camp!!!  Andouille, sausage, hocks & Trotters, hams, turkeys, bacon, etc etc etc......

Less Mosquitos, fishing, cleaning the garage, cleaning out the barn, etc etc etc.....


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## tombirmingham (Aug 7, 2015)

Mike W said:


> Cheese, lox, salmon, and a bunch of bacon, canadian bacon, christmas hams and Bearcarvers beef snack sticks will all be on my smoker throughout the winter! I have alot of catching up to do when I get back to the UK.


Awesome !!!


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## joker smoker (Aug 9, 2015)

I have an indoor kitchen with extraction unit and several gravity fed smokers, offsets. open grills. Tandoor and much commercial kitchen equipment such as 6 ring stove, wok burners, pizza ovens and more. This is in Nottingham area and can be used for private parties, demonstrations,master classes, practices etc or as a prep kitchen for catering events. Fully registered with local EHO [5 stars]. There is also an outside area and caravan[ if you need to lie down] within this fully secure gated compound.Interested? Send me a PM.


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## kc5tpy (Aug 12, 2015)

MIKE!!  Good to have you posting again even if you are still in the U.S.!

Do we stop smoking during he U.K. winter?  Well the question has been answered hasn't it?  I mean no disrespect but this info can not be used; or should not be used as "guide" to a business decision.  I know it wasn't asked but I "felt" the was there.  May be wrong.  Have been before.  Can you sell the British public on BBQ in December?  That was the question I asked 15 years ago.  YES!  I looked into opening a BBQ place 15 yrs. ago.  I MAY have been a millionaire by now but I wasn't convinced I could sell the British public.Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## wade (Aug 13, 2015)

Mike W said:


> Cheese, lox, salmon, and a bunch of bacon, canadian bacon, christmas hams and Bearcarvers beef snack sticks will all be on my smoker throughout the winter! I have alot of catching up to do when I get back to the UK.


Cold smoking is good in the winter providing it does not get too cold. You don't want the food you are smoking to chill too much and especially not freeze. The smoke generator should help keep the temperatures up a little but I also use a couple of ceramic reptile heaters on a thermostat to keep things from getting too cold.













Smoker Heater.jpg



__ wade
__ Aug 13, 2015


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## resurrected (Aug 21, 2015)

We live right on the edge of an AONB called Cannock Chase and due to this even during summer we tend to get wind blowing across the garden.













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I don't want to stop Qing come the autumn and winter so wondered if just pinning down a gazebo and placing the ProQ in there would be sufficient to stop any issues with cooling.

Thoughts?


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## molove (Aug 21, 2015)

I often thought of buying a hot water cylinder jacket for my cheapo offset, though I never actually got round to it. You'd need to figure out what temperature they were safe too, but most are flame retardant. eg the one from Screwfix http://www.screwfix.com/p/hot-water-cylinder-jacket-18-x-48/43483 I did use to drape it with a fire blanket at times to try to keep the heat in.

I have also been known to wrap my El Cheapo Brinkman electric in towels to keep the temperature up.


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## smokin monkey (Aug 21, 2015)

Welding Blanket is what you need to insulate your smoker


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## joker smoker (Aug 21, 2015)

The thermal jackets for the Green Mountain Grills work very well.They help to maintain a more even, consistent temperature with fewer spikes. As well as reducing cooking times they reduce the cost of cooking as less pellets are needed.


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## resurrected (Aug 21, 2015)

OY! 

What about me gazebo :biggrin:


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## smokin monkey (Aug 21, 2015)

It would melt if you wrapped around your Smoker![emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji]


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## molove (Aug 21, 2015)

resurrected said:


> OY!
> 
> What about me gazebo


Obvs, you need one of those as well!


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## smokin monkey (Aug 21, 2015)

joker smoker said:


> The thermal jackets for the Green Mountain Grills work very well.They help to maintain a more even, consistent temperature with fewer spikes. As well as reducing cooking times they reduce the cost of cooking as less pellets are needed.


 Do you have a Jacket for GMG? are they worth the money?


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## joker smoker (Aug 21, 2015)

If you intend to cook on a GMG over the winter more than 4 or 5 times they will probably save you money.


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## resurrected (Aug 21, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> It would melt if you wrapped around your Smoker![emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji][emoji]128293[/emoji]






molove said:


> Obvs, you need one of those as well!



Everyone's a bloody comedian :icon_lol::devil:


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## smokin monkey (Aug 22, 2015)

resurrected said:


> OY!
> 
> What about me gazebo :biggrin:


 Hi Paul, they only way your Gazebo will offer protection, is from the rain, if it has sides then that could shield the wind. [emoji]9748[/emoji]️[emoji]10052[/emoji]️[emoji]9729[/emoji]️[emoji]9889[/emoji]️


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## resurrected (Aug 22, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> Hi Paul, they only way your Gazebo will offer protection, is from the rain, if it has sides then that could shield the wind. [emoji]9748[/emoji]️[emoji]10052[/emoji]️[emoji]9729[/emoji]️[emoji]9889[/emoji]️



I'm thinking something along these lines, but with guy ropes to secure it.













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## smokin monkey (Aug 22, 2015)

Yes that would help. You would not believe the temperature difference we get in our Hog Roast Ovens, due to the time of year. Our ovens are always in the trailer while cooking, so no wind etc. The same gas setting, one burner on full, winter 125-130'C, summer 190-200'C


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## molove (Aug 22, 2015)

Do be aware that a gazebo with sides is going to be very susceptible to wind and has the potential to turn into a kite and blow away very easily, I have had this happen to me on a few occasions even when guy roped down. These days I just buy a cheap £17 one from Argos, don't bother about the sides and screw it to my fence, and when it does get trashed by the wind, buy another one.

I wasn't being a joker when I said get a gazebo, having one means you can bbq in rain or shine. IMO I wouldn't rely on one for wind protection or heat insulation though.













2015-08-22 11.03.27.jpg



__ molove
__ Aug 22, 2015


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## resurrected (Aug 22, 2015)

molove said:


> Do be aware that a gazebo with sides is going to be very susceptible to wind and has the potential to turn into a kite and blow away very easily, I have had this happen to me on a few occasions even when guy roped down. These days I just buy a cheap £17 one from Argos, don't bother about the sides and screw it to my fence, and when it does get trashed by the wind, buy another one.
> 
> I wasn't being a joker when I said get a gazebo, having one means you can bbq in rain or shine. IMO I wouldn't rely on one for wind protection or heat insulation though.
> 
> ...



Oh, I'm aware of flying gazebos. Seen many of them at various festivals over the years (non mine). It would be well pegged if I went down that route. Living right on the edge of that expanse of countryside does give me a lot of wind (Carry on jokes opportunity) but as this will be the first year with the Q,I'll see what temperature difference I get.


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## resurrected (Aug 22, 2015)

Smokin Monkey said:


> Yes that would help. You would not believe the temperature difference we get in our Hog Roast Ovens, due to the time of year. Our ovens are always in the trailer while cooking, so no wind etc. The same gas setting, one burner on full, winter 125-130'C, summer 190-200'C



That's just nuts.


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## molove (Aug 22, 2015)

Have a look here at what some WSM users do for insulation

https://www.google.com/search?q=wsm...ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI_OTy9r28xwIVCccUCh1sTAgs

It might give you a few ideas


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## molove (Aug 22, 2015)

Found this for you too

http://virtualweberbullet.com/coldtemp.html


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