Cooking In The Wind, Rain & Cold	Originally posted: 10/20/1999 Last updated: 03/30/2010

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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.

Click on any of the photos 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.

Building A Wind Screen

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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 2 or more 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.

Photo 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.

Photo 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."

Photo 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."

Photo 4 was submitted by Buzz and shows unhinged metal barrels used as wind screens with some blankets draped over one side for additional insulation.

Photos 5-6 were submitted by Chuck R. He modified a portable dog enclosure and wrapped it with Reflectix insulation to create a folding, four-sided wind screen. You can read all the details on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.

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.

Insulating The Cooker

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As an alternative to a wind screen, you may want to wrap insulation around the cooker.

Photo 7 shows the Silver Bullet Smoker Jacket sold by The BBQ Guru. It is made of 1000°F aluminized Fiberglas, is designed specifically to fit the WSM, and costs about $99. Thanks to Bill Hays for the photo.

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.

Photo 8 shows two WSMs wrapped in high tech hot water heater jacket material by Keri Cathey.

Photo 9 shows a WSM wrapped in fiber tech insulation by Lee Reiser.

Another material used is called Reflectix, an aluminized bubble wrap sold in rolls and fitted to the WSM like the fiber tech insulation shown above.

Photo 10 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.

Building A Styrofoam Enclosure

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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 bottom cut out will work, or you can build a custom enclosure.

Photos 11-13 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.

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

Building A Wooden Enclosure

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Photos 14-16 show an enclosure belonging 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" x 28" 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."

Photos 17-19 show an 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.

Building A Metal Enclosure

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Photo 20 shows an enclosure 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.

You can read all about Todd's project on The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.

Adjustments For Cold Weather Cooking

• 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.
• If using the Minion Method to fire the cooker:
  • 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.
  • Let the cooker come up to 225-250°F before adding meat.
• 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:

• Mark Stevens attaches a clamp-on umbrella to the lid handle.
• Alan Bosch and Jim Morrissey have placed ladders covered with plastic tarps over the cooker.
• 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:

• High winds
• Indoors
• In a garage or other enclosed space
• Within five feet of combustible material

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.

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.
Photos of dog enclosure wind screen: 2009 by Chuck R.
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 Jr.
Photo of Paul McKeen: 2007 by Paul McKeen.

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