Charcoal Grilling in Winter

What cold actually changes

Ambient air temperature has a modest effect on the fire itself and a large effect on how quickly the cooker loses heat. Thin steel loses heat fastest, which is why a kettle is more affected than a ceramic kamado, and why an offset smoker in January is a genuinely different proposition from the same cooker in July.

Wind matters far more than temperature. Wind forces air through the bottom vent regardless of your setting, and it strips heat from the outside of the cooker. A still -5°C (20°F) day is easier than a gusty 5°C (45°F) one.

The adjustments

• Use around 25 percent more charcoal than you would in summer, and more again for a long cook.
• Allow longer for the cooker to come up to temperature, and longer for the food, typically 15 to 25 percent on a long cook.
• Position the grill so the bottom vent faces away from the prevailing wind, and use a wall or a fence as a windbreak. Never cook in an enclosed space.
• Preheat the cooker for longer before food goes on. Cold steel absorbs a lot of energy before it starts radiating any back.
• Keep the lid closed. In cold weather the cost of opening it goes up sharply.
• Use hot water in a water pan rather than cold, which otherwise costs you an hour.

Why bother

Cold air is dry air, which means better bark formation and crisper skin. There is no queue at the butcher, brisket is cheaper out of season, and a cooker running for ten hours in the cold is a pleasant thing to stand near. Slow cooking suits winter cooking in a way it never quite does in August.