Grilling in the Snow - Polar Bear Barbecue Club - Join Us

Yes! We do grill in the snow. In fact, last year I grilled almost every night all winter to test grills for Consumers Digest. But, I always did some cold weather grilling and smoking, and today was no exception.

The coals were super easy to get started with a chimney starter. If you don't own one, I strongly suggest it. You never have to buy lighter fluid again, and the coals are hot and even in 15 minutes or under. A chimney starter is a simple but great invention for charcoal grillers.


We went with steaks tonight, since it was my son's first day back from college for the Christmas break. We had no fatted calf for his homecoming, but that steak the meat man sold me off the truck worked fine. It was a little thin cut for grilling, but I watched close and nailed it. Normally I would suggest about 3/4 inch on the steak cut (or a little thicker). These were probably less than 1/4 inch New York Strip Steak. It worked out, but you have to be really good at eye-balling for doneness to do thin cuts of steak on the grill.


We used Wild n Mild for our marinade and barbecue sauce mop. That helps on thinner cuts, as Wild n Mild adds moisture as the steak is grilling. Wild n Mild is not tomato based, so it can be slathered on all during the grilling. And, it adds an excellent flavor. I love Wild n Mild.


Grilling out in cold weather is not must different than grilling in the summer. You do want to warm the grill up well with the lid on, and you likely want to use the lid on part of the time to contain the heat when the temps outside are below freezing.


You also want to bundle up good - of course. I go with layers in case it gets hot next to the grill. I also like loose clothes, so it's easy to move around which means that I often grab some of the boys' sweat shirts and jackets. So - I do want to note that I am not XXX Large from Sports Illustrated like it says on that shirt. It must be a guy thing, because the shirt is actually a small large. I guess guys like to think big huh? Trust me. Girls would never want the size, especially a large one, printed on the front of a sweat shirt. But, it's a nice thick and warm one, so I can't complain.

Oh yeah, please leave a message if you too are a Polar Bear BBQer! We need to unite.