Although grilling seems to be a viable option in winter, pellet grills do work in cold weather. It is just they require extra fuel, insulation, and patience.
Pellet grills are one of the best inventions and hottest trends in the past few decades. By setting the temperature and pressing the start button and it starts grilling a delicious meal for you. Being highly convenient and creating lesser messes makes them a favorable choice. However, there is also a most-asked question do pellet grills work in cold weather?
The answer is yes, they do. It’s just you have to understand how they work in winter. Pellet grills have simple functioning in which wooden pellets are used as fuel to grill food for you.
When it comes to grilling in winter, keep in mind that the amount of fuel required to heat the grill increases, and the oxygen that is required for combustion decreases, making it harder for your grill to continue burning.
DO PELLET GRILLS WORK IN COLD WEATHER?
Let’s take a look at the factors that will affect pellet grilling in cold weather and their solutions.
1: Extra fuel for combustion
With the decrease in temperature outside, you have to increase the temperature of the grill inside. For this purpose, you will entail additional fuel. If you live in a place with a temperature below 35°F the amount of fuel required will increase to double. Moreover, when it is cold outside, your grill will also cool down and it will take more time to grill your food.
To maintain the combustion, it will require some more oxygen. But since the air outside is also cold you will still need more fuel.
When you will open and close the grill, it results in the loss of heat, and with the weather cold outside, the grill loses its heat faster.
Along with that, your grill needs to sustain the temperature inside the grill therefore you must assume that you will need two times more fuel as compared to your summer grilling session.
Use high-quality pellets
To increase the temperature and avoid the loss of heat inside the grill, you will need stack-on high-quality wood pellets that last longer. The low-quality wood pellets may have extraneous wood materials or chemical fillers and burn faster than high-quality wood pellets. Therefore, go for pellets that last longer. Using 100% virgin wood pellets will burn faster, more efficiently, and will stay longer.
2: Open the grill less frequently
With the patience to grill food during winter, you will also require the tolerance to resist your hands from opening the grill again and again. Opening the lid more frequently or keeping it open for longer will allow the heat to escape extremely quickly and it will become harder for you to maintain the right temperature for your grill.
Along with that, you will disturb the balance of oxygen inside and outside the grill and there will be no sufficient oxygen for the pellets to burn. This will hurt your cooking.
Use thermometer
Hence to avoid this situation instead of opening and closing the grill more often, go for the advanced digital thermometer. These thermometers will help you to know the exact temperature inside the grill while keeping the lid closed.
3: Maintain the heat
Adding heat-resistant padding is critical for your grill to be able to maintain a reliable amount of temperature that is high enough to thoroughly cook the food inside.
To retain the heat inside the grill and avoid its escape, you have to add heat-resistant insulation. It is critical to maintaining a consistent temperature, especially when the weather is cold outside.
Use an insulation blanket
Among different options, the top recommendation is insulation blankets that are specifically designed to secure heat and ensure its lesser escape.
The other alternative is a welding blanket made up of fiberglass and placing it as insulation on your grill. You can also add insulation to the pan in which you are going to add meat. This will also help in locking up the heat.
4: More time to cook
When grilling in cold weather, do not plan how long you will need to cook your food. During summers you require a reasonable time to cook but in winter your grill has a tough time fighting the cold weather and maintains enough internal heat to grill your food. Since your grill is working harder, you also have to show some patience in cooking your food.
Be patient
Because your grill is working extra hard during the cold weather, be sure to expect higher cooking times for your food. This is important for two main reasons. In some grills, the pellets take longer to burn. That is why you need to expect more cooking time in winter as compared to summer.
Here are a few tips that will do wonders to add convenience to your winter grilling session.
- You need to have a pellet grill cover! This is the best practice to keep your grill safe from dust and debris and in the winter, you want to keep the snow off by always using a grill cover.
- Like, clean your grill from dust and debris during summer. Keep the snow room on your pellet grill using a grill cover.
- Use 100% hardwood pellets for stable temperature as they are more reliable than cheaper wood pellets.
- Keep the standing area and the path to the grill clear. Clearing the path to your grill whenever you shovel will keep you motivated and require lesser work whenever you want to use your grill. If you need more information please visit this blog post.
FAQ’s
How do I keep my pellet grill warm in cold weather?
It can be doable by just laying up your grill with an insulated blanket.. it will help to keep your pellet grill warm in the cold weather.
How cold is too cold for a pellet grill?
Cold weather can affect your grilling to some extent but you can use your pellet grill even below 0°C.when it gets really too cold you may face a problem getting it started and fuel consumption will be increased.
Do pit boss smokers work in cold weather?
Yes, you can use pit boss smokers in cold weather. copperhead series unit is excellent for use in cold weather due to its heavy-duty double-walled construction. The Copperhead vertical smoker of Pit Boss is top selling smoker that is easy to operate in cold weather
Can Traeger be left outside in winter?
It is not recommended to leave your grill outside. Traeger grills are designed to be weather resistant but there are few risks for leaving the Traeger grill outside in cold weather.