British BBQ Society Forums

Having received a nice smoker for Xmas, I'm desperate to use it.
However the weather is a bit rubbish and I guess I should wait a few months until I give it a go.

Can you successfully use a smoker in the winter months?

I use my gas bbq all year but I'm not so sure about the smoker.

you can use the smoker year round, infact quite a few people have used their smokers for Christmas hams and turkeys. The biggest killer for a cook is the wind so try to keep the smoker in a sheltered area and you will be fine.

What Toby said ^

I worried about insulation, snow, rain etc, but you can overcome them all with fire control.

I smoke more in the winter than the summer, I enjoy it more (gives me a reason to get out of the house and into the garden!).

You absolutely can use these beautiful machines all year around. I smoked my Turkey for Christmas and had a boys night on the 3rd with 6 big racks of ribs all from my WSM - and it was a raging storm.

Last Feb I even cooked in the snow with only a few temp problems - as Rob says it about fire control (and good coals)

I take it this is a normal picture in smokers gardens in the winter

slatts wrote::lol: I take it this is a normal picture in smokers gardens in the winter

Right down to the RediChek

Pretty much!

Our patio, in winter, has a tarp tied high over it (soon to be replaced with a lean to) and a beach wind break round it, shielding 8 barbecues from the elements.

Sadly, Mrs G made me go to the tip today and now I only have two kettles, one open grill and two smokers.

I got mine before xmas and started smoking I put it in the garage just behind the doors

I've got to get a T-shirt with " Real Smokers do it in the Rain"

After the last few years of hard winters, I'd go for "Real smokers do it in -7C"

Being "tough northerners" I have a few friends who love doing their "winter bbqs", but this being a traditional UK bbq, parrafin tainted burgers and undercooked chicken. I need to shame them into doing it properly!