Cold Weather Cooking Tips for Grilling pt. 1

It’s always the season to cook outside or grill. So let’s go over some top tips I have for y’all when grilling or cooking in a Dutch oven when it’s cold outside – let’s get the fire hot!

Grilling Tip #1:

Preheat your grill longer. Allow for more time when you preheat your grill because the cold weather is going to stel your heat. If you have a temperature gauge let it get up to a good 400 degrees F.  Also allow for a slightly longer cooking time as well.

Grilling Tip #2:

Use a hotter fire. When using a wood or charcoal, you’ll want to get your food a little closer to the coals. and use a few more coals than when cooking in warmer weather. Now you folks out there with a gas controlled stove, you’re not going to have as much trouble as we are with a live fire controlling the heat.

Grilling Tip #3:

Ventilation.  A lot of grills have those ventilation deals on the side to allow for airflow.  In the summer time, sure I’m going to open them up, because I’m going to get me some fire going and some smoke rolling. In cooler weather, I’m going to leave the vent open just a little until l I get the coals good and hot, but then I’m going to choke it down to nearly nothing. You don’t want that cold air circulating through there.

Grilling Tip #4

Alright, most of the grills you’ve got have a lid, but if yours doesn’t you’ll need something to help keep some heat in. Grab a dishpan, washtub or my favorite is a cast iron skillet. I’ll preheat this skillet a little then turn it upside down over the meat or food I’m grilling. This will trap some of the heat and also give me a little radiant heat.  So if you don’t have a lid you may have to fabricate one. But remember when you get done the skillet may have gotten hot enough that you need to give it a little re-seasoning.

Watch the How-To Video