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Cooking In
The Wind, Rain & Cold |
Originally
posted: 10/20/1999
Last updated:
02/24/2008 |
In this topic:
Everyone knows that the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is easy to operate on
a warm summer day, but what about on a cold, windy day in the dead of
winter? Here's what I've learned from people that are experts in running
the WSM in the most extreme weather conditions.
As always...click on any
of the pictures to
view a larger image.
Wind Is
The Enemy
Wind—not
cold—is
the biggest problem when it comes to maintaining temperature in the Weber
Bullet. Wind sucks the heat out of the cooker, or it forces its way
into the air vents and ignites more fuel, actually driving up the cooker temperature.
Cold air temperatures affect the amount of fuel consumed by the cooker,
but don't have much affect on temperature control.
Your best
approach is to move the cooker to
a sheltered location that still offers adequate ventilation. If you can do
this, there's usually no need to undertake any of the methods illustrated
below.
Before
proceeding with a wind screen, insulation or enclosure, see the
Warnings From Weber at the end of this article.
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Building A Wind Screen
If you can't move
the WSM to a sheltered location, then a wind
screen is a simple way to protect your cooker from wind.
A wind screen
is made of wood or metal and wraps around the cooker on 3
sides. It should be taller than the cooker and heavy enough (or anchored to the ground)
so that it will not blow over. When making a wind screen
from wood, it's very important to provide adequate clearance between the
cooker and the wind screen so that it does not catch fire.
Picture
1 from Wayne Sizemore illustrates the construction of a three-sided
plywood wind screen. Hinges connect the three pieces so the unit can
be folded for easy storage.
Picture 2
was submitted by Tormod Eikill of Stavanger, Norway. Tormod writes, "I
asked a local workshop to custom build a windshield in galvanized steel.
A little bit expensive and heavy, but very good. You can fold it
together after use and easily carry it under your arm."
Picture 3 shows a hinged metal barrel used as
a wind screen from Dan N. of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Dan says,
"I use hinges with pins that I can pull out so the halves
fit inside each other for storage or transport. I also added
handles on the front to help in opening and closing. Also, I
added a bracket on top into which I can insert an old
umbrella to ward off precipitation."
Picture 4 was
submitted by Buzz and shows unhinged metal barrels used as
wind screens with some blankets draped over one side for
additional insulation.
Wind screens
can also be fashioned in a "V" shape, or even single-sided.
Imagine a sheet of plywood standing on edge and anchored securely to the
ground. In a pinch, other large, sturdy objects will do. For example,
place your WSM behind a gas grill, or behind a patio umbrella laid on the ground
on its side.
If you don't
have a wind screen and a mild breeze is driving up the cooker temp, close
the two bottom vents on the upwind side and control temperature using
the single vent on the downwind side. The top vent may be partially closed
until temperature is brought back under control, then fully opened again.
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Insulating The Cooker
An alternative to
a wind screen is to wrap insulation around the cooker.
The folks at The
BBQ Guru
sell a product
called the Silver Bullet Smoker Jacket.
It is made of 1000°F aluminized Fiberglas, is designed specifically to fit the
WSM, and costs about $99. Picture 1 shows a
Silver Bullet Smoker Jacket on a WSM owned by Bill Hays.
If you want, you
can make your own insulated jacket for the WSM. A popular material to use is
3/8" fiber tech insulation with a reflective aluminum face. Some home
improvement stores sell hot water heater jackets made of this material, or it
can be ordered by the roll as "heat shield insulation" or "fiber tech padding"
from automotive suppliers like J.C. Whitney.
Some folks use a single layer of material wrapped around the cooker, while
others put two pieces of insulation together with the aluminum sides facing out,
sealing the edges with aluminum foil tape.
Picture 2 shows
two WSMs wrapped in high tech hot water heater jacket material by Keri Cathey.
Picture 3 shows a
WSM wrapped in fiber tech insulation by Lee Reiser.
Another material
that's sometimes used is called Reflectix, an aluminized bubble wrap sold in rolls
and fitted to the WSM like the fiber tech insulation shown above. Picture 4
shows a Reflectix jacket made by Mike A.
After cutting the insulation to size, the edges can be sealed using
aluminum foil tape for a neat appearance, also available where these insulation
products are sold.
To keep the
jacket fastened around the cooker, use tape or Velcro fasteners in several locations,
or run a bungee cord around the cooker, or clip a clothes pin on the top edge of the jacket where the two ends overlap.
Fiberglas hot
water blankets have fallen out of favor for insulating Weber Bullets, primarily
because they are bulkier than the high-tech materials now available, and because
fibers can get loose from the blanket and make a mess, getting into your cooker
and potentially your food.
No matter which
insulation you choose, to service the
fuel and water pan, simply remove the insulation and set it aside, go about your business, then replace the insulation.
For more
insulation ideas, search the posts in the WSM Modifications Forum of
The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.
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Side view
Top view
Interior view
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Building A Styrofoam Enclosure
If wind
screens or insulation aren't your thing, try sheltering the WSM with a
removable enclosure. A large cardboard or plastic barrel with the top
and bottom cut out will work, or you can build a custom enclosure.
These
three photos show an enclosure built by
Harry Jiles. I
learned about Harry years ago on
The BBQ Forum. Harry
is a hard-working farmer from central Illinois who's not going
to let something like
a little cold weather stand between him and some mighty fine barbecue. Harry was kind enough to share
his method for building an enclosure with The Virtual Weber Bullet.
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Chris,
I finally got a little
break and a chance to take the exact measurements of the cold weather cover that
I use on my WSM. Basically, it is a rectangular box which is 30" x
30" and 48" high. It is constructed of Styrofoam blue board that
can be purchased at any lumber yard. I simply cut the panels to size with
a utility knife and taped them together with duct tape. I also lined the
inside of the foam box with foil by using a spray adhesive and gluing heavy duty
aluminum foil on one side of the foam panels before assembling the box. I
put the foil lined side on the inside when I taped the box together. One
might be able to find foam sheeting that already has one side lined with a
reflective foil surface and save the step of gluing on the aluminum foil. I have seen such foam sheeting before, but my local lumber yard didn't have any
when I decide to construct my box.
The box is 48" high
because the foam sheeting comes in 4' x 8' sheets and I didn't bother to cut the
height down any from the 48". This 48" height gives about
9" clearance over the top of the handle on the lid of the WSM so one might
possibly be able to make the box a little shorter if they wished to cut down on
the bulk, although the foam is very light and the box doesn't weigh much at all.
However, it is rather bulky and could be a little awkward for a short
person to handle, especially if it is very windy. The 30" x 30"
size of the box gives about 6" of clearance around the WSM, which seems to
be plenty.
I cut a 3" square hole on
the bottom edge of two opposite sides of the box to allow fresh air in and I cut
a 3" round hole in the center of the top for the exhaust. These holes
are more than adequate for proper draft through the WSM. Using the box
makes it necessary for one to use a Polder thermometer for monitoring
the temperature. I tape a piece of string to the top of the box that goes
though the top hole and is long enough to tie to the end of the probe cable
while the box is sitting beside the WSM. After I place the box on the WSM,
I pull the end of the probe cable up through the top hole, plug it in to the
Polder and set the Polder on top of the box. You then unplug the cable and
drop it back through the top hole, with the string attached, to remove the box
and tend to the WSM.
I have attached 3 pictures that
should help to visualize the box and understand the construction details.
- Harry Jiles
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Building A Wooden Enclosure
This enclosure
belongs to Bren Hickey of Dublin, Ireland, and was built with the help of a
carpenter friend. Bren wanted to shelter the WSM both during use and when stored
between uses.
It consists of a
frame mounted to the wall of the house and three hinged sides that swing out to
reveal the cooker. The tongue & groove siding is lined with an aluminum-faced
insulation. Each side is 39-41" tall and 24-28" wide.
The lid measures
31"x28" and slopes 2" from back to front so the rain will run off. The lid is
fitted with a vent, so smoke can escape, and a viewing portal so the lid
thermometer can be read from inside the house.
Bren writes, "I
have used the WSM a lot in the last couple of months since building the
enclosure, and it works very well and saves me a lot of fuel. Most of the time I
can do an entire cook with the vents only 1/4 open. If the WSM starts to run
hot, I just prop the lid of the enclosure open slightly and it will bring the
temp down."
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Here's another
enclosure from Bob Hunter of Orange, CA. It has a work
surface and storage cabinet for supplies on the left, and
holds a WSM on the right.
Folding doors
open up to service the WSM. Close the doors and prop open
the lid and the WSM is protected from the elements while
cooking. Note the openings below the WSM to allow air for
combustion into the enclosure. And the whole thing
rolls around on wheels!
You'll find
the details of this project on
Bob Hunter's photo gallery. |
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Building A Metal Enclosure
This enclosure
was built by Todd Randall. The framing is 1" x 1" composite
decking material, the skin is aluminum, and the hardware is
galvanized/zinc plated. The roof is angled to shed rain.
The enclosure
breaks down for easy storage. The roof is held in place with
pins that fit into holes in the wall frame. The walls are
basically two bi-fold panels connected with hinges.
You can read
all about Todd's project on
The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board. |
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Adjustments
For Cold Weather Cooking
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Use more
fuel than you normally would. The cooker will use more
fuel to cook the same amount of meat on a cold day than on a warm one.
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If using
the Minion Method to fire the cooker:
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Light
at least twice as much charcoal as you normally would on a
warm day. On freezing cold days, you may want to start with a full chimney of
hot coals, especially if using a smallish chimney starter.
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Let
the cooker come up to 200°F before adding meat.
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If using
water in the water pan, start with hot water, boiling if possible. On
freezing cold days, eliminate the water altogether.
What
About Rain?
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Interestingly, rain does not
have much impact on the performance of the WSM unless the rainfall is very
heavy.
It is usually the wind accompanying the rain that negatively affects
cooker temperature. |
Folks
living in the Pacific Northwest report that they operate the WSM in
light rain without any overhead protection, and they use the
techniques described on the Firing Up Your Weber
Bullet page without modification. Some water can enter the cooker where the lid meets the cooking section
and will collect in the bottom of the
charcoal bowl with the spent ashes, but this has no impact on the cooker's performance--unless
the rain is extremely heavy and fills the bowl with water.
To protect
the WSM from rain, move it to a sheltered location, or place it under a patio
umbrella or E-Z Up shelter.
Here are some other ingenious
methods from WSM owners:
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Mark Stevens
attaches a clamp-on umbrella to the lid handle.
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Alan Bosch
and Jim Morrissey have placed
ladders covered with plastic tarps over the cooker.
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Theo B.
places a plastic garbage can lid over the WSM lid. "The indent in the lid
fits into the WSM handle & doesn't block the top vent," says Theo.
Warnings
From Weber
Weber
recommends that the Smokey Mountain Cooker never be used in the
following conditions or locations due to the risk of fire and toxic fumes:
How Low
Can You Go?
Send in a
photo of you using your WSM in sub-freezing temperatures and I'll post
it here for the world to see! A readable thermometer must be included in
the photo as proof.
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 Paul
McKeen, Winnepeg, Manitoba
"The coldest weather I have
smoked in was approximately -28°C (-19°F). I am hoping to use the smoker when
the temperature gets to -40°C (-40°F).
"I have provided a
picture of today's smoke: -20°C (-4°F) with wind chill of
approximately -31°C (-24°F).
"In case anyone is
wondering if I stayed outside for the whole process...no, I was
inside watching the Buick Classic, dreaming of summer on the golf
course and smokin' some good food outside." |
Photo of plywood wind screen: 2004 by Wayne Sizemore.
Photo of galvanized steel wind screen: 2007 by Tormod Eikill.
Photo of hinged metal barrel: 2007 by Dan N.
Photo of unhinged metal barrels: 2004 by Buzz.
Photo of Silver Bullet Smoker Jacket: 2004 by Bill Hays.
Photo of high tech hot water heater jacket material: 2005 by Keri Cathey.
Photo of Fiber tech smoker jacket: 2005 by Lee Reiser.
Photo of Reflectix smoker jacket: 2008 by Mike A.
Photos
of Styrofoam enclosure: 1999 by Harry Jiles.
Photos of wooden enclosure: 2005 by Bren Hickey.
Photos of wooden storage/WSM cabinet: 2008 by Bob Hunter.
Photo of metal enclosure: 2007 by Todd Randall.
Photo of WSM under patio umbrella: 2007 by Eleazar Guerra.
Photo of Paul McKeen: 2007 by Paul McKeen.
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