Winter storage

Unknown · September 2005

I live in Maine, and the winter can be quite cold. I plan to cover the BGE with a regular BBQ cover, but how cold can the weather be before I have to bring it inside. This BGE is very heavy and I hope that I can just store it outside.
Please help
Thanks
Regards
Jean Dubois

Bobby-Q · September 2005

Jean Dubois,
Why would you want to store it? If you can take the cold for as long as it takes to light and load, the egg will be there to cook it for you.[p]

Fire in the Hole · September 2005

Jean Dubois,[p]Mine sits outside year round. I cooked last year's Christmas dinner pulled pork for two sides of the family over a two night session. The low temp on the coldest night was 4 degrees. Started the first night's cook with 3 inches of snow covering the egg dome. (That didn't last long!) Never even phased the egg.[p]Cook on!![p]:)

Unknown · September 2005

Jean Dubois,[p]No worry [p]I live in Boston,
Grew up in Maine
last winter (winter of 2004 ) was tough in either state[p]I cooked every week on the egg ( medium ) [p]The BGE could care less about an ambient temp of 0 degrees [p]( PS: Winter in New England it is the best time for a cook to prepare & "quick freeze" soup stocks ; I always remember to prepare a few big batches (e.g. chicken stock ) in February to take advantage of the quick chill feature of 1-10 degrees on my back deck ( to chill the stock before i put the stock in my refrigerator ) [p][p]

RRP · September 2005

Jean Dubois,
I may sound like an echo here - but there's no reason to not egg in the deadest of winter. While we may not get as cold as you do I've egged once at -5° and many many times in the teens. Hey, as long as I can shovel the snow to make a path I'm egging. There's several eggers in Canada and Alaska who probably will scoff at our mild winters, but they keep on smokin! The only concern is to make sure you have a sufficient stockpile of lump etc cauz that may be hard to find in the winter months.

DobieDad · September 2005

Jean Dubois,[p]Spent the last 17 years in S. Florida cooking on a gasser. A corporate move took us to Chicago. Accustomed to grilling 4 or 5 days/week, I kept trying thru our first winter. It was tough. The gasser lost heat faster than it could produce it, and my attempts were sad.[p]Bought the Large at the start of our second winter, and have never looked back. Was ready for the neighbors to have me committed when I did my first ribs on a snowy 10*F afternoon. They were superb, and the Egg just did it's thing. No cracks, no problems. I kept going thru the winter, and anticipate cooking outdoors thru our third.[p]I do watch that the daisy wheel doesn't sit with water on it, because it rusts easily. Otherwise, my BGE stays out all winter, under a vinyl cover, ready and waiting for another cook.[p]You've a lifetime warrantee on the ceramic. I think the Mothership is serious about the ability of the Egg to withstand large temp fluctuations (I've taken mine from -2*F to searing temps and let it fall to whatever temp the night brought on). Keep it handy thru the winter and use it often. There is nothin' like the smell of a searing steak or roasting pork drifting across the snow, especially after a day of xcountry skiing.[p]Enjoy the winter with your Egg.[p]DD

DobieDad · September 2005

joe in boston ,[p]What a great tip! [p]Well, this fair-weather-boy-moved-to-Chicago would never have thought of it.[p]Thanks![p]It's soup stock this winter![p]DD

BobinFla · September 2005

Jean Dubois,
Where is that picture of Nature Boy's camping in the snow with a Large and a small (I think...)?[p]
[ul][li]Here it is![/ul]

Eggecutioner · September 2005

<p />Jean Dubois,[p]I find that I actually have more time to BBQ in the winter. No baseball, soccer, camping...etc. I purchased mine in Jan or Feb this year. I have used it more when there is snow...I wouldn't store mine. Although I do think I need a cover.[p]Eggecutioner[p]

Feb 16, 2005 First snow on my Egg

Big Ribeyes...cold snow

Poor Quality---taken through the window screen You can see that the snow is 14-16 inches deep...what am I nuts?

Really cold here the deck is covered in ice...

dhuffjr · September 2005

Eggecutioner,
Man with his priorities right, I appreciate that. Clear the path to the Egg then the driveway.

WooDoggies · September 2005

<p />Mine stays out year round uncovered with no problems..... in fact, it laughs at the elements.... it says, heeeeee![p][p]Chugging away.[p]John[p]

stike · September 2005

Jean Dubois,
you will use it as much if not more in the winter.
trulty the biggest concern you have about winter is that you better keep the egg close to the house, or the path you have to shovel will only get longer and higher.[p]
i did an overnight lo-and-slo in the 30-inch storm we had here in the boston area about 2 years ago. went to bed at 10:30, egg pegged to 225 degrees. snow starting to fall.
woke at 6:30 am (i have kids...), the snow had fallen all around the egg, but not within 2 inches because the warm ceramic kept the snow from covering the egg.[p]there was a drift approaching the draft door, which i kicked away, and the egg continued for about another 6 or 7 hours til i pulled it for the patriots game (which they won, of course).[p]the ceramic versus cold is a non-issue, and i think i might actually believe the folk-lore that colder temps somehow help the egg perform in lo-and-slo mode. but that's likely just myth-making.[p]lastly, the cold has virtually no effect on altered cook-temps or cook times (length of cook). fyi.[p]the egg doesn't know what the weather is like, it just keeps cruising.[p][p]

fishlessman · September 2005

<p />Jean Dubois,
at home i move the egg close to the door so that i can check on things without walking outside. it needs to be close enough to the door to read the temp gage. its better to be able to reach the egg from inside the doorway so that you dont have to step outside. my egg at camp in maine will probabably go under the lean-to attached to the garage as i plow the walkway very close to the front door.

Charbon · September 2005

Jean Dubois, I live in Maine also. If you are near the coast you will find you need to make sure it is covered as soon as it cools down: otherwise it will freeze tight because of all the moisture in air. Use it all winter or at least until snow gets to 6 foot mark.

fishlessman · September 2005

Charbon,
are you using felt gaskets, when i went with the rutland on just the lower section, that problem went away. i think the felt must wick the moisture in and causes the freezing.

RRP · September 2005

fishlessman, you said, "it needs to be close enough to the door to read the temp gage" - that's the perfect time to use the "race car positioning" of your guage. You know where you turn it in the hole so that whatever your desired temp is on the dial it is at 12:00 so I quick glance out the window is all that's needed to see if temp is copacetic and no need to squint and try to actually read it.

Dos Huevos · September 2005

RRP,[p]that's what I do whenever I'm cooking now. Target temp is high noon so from either the kitchen or the master bedroom window upstairs, I can see if all is okay.[p]With the BGE it usually is, and if it's not, it is my fault anyway, but still...

fishlessman · September 2005

RRP,
i like the arrow up system too, but up here on the lake you dont want more than one foot out the door to check on things. i keep my house between 85 to 90 degrees in the winter heated with coal so as not to freeze the pipes. last winter was so windy and cold that the icicles hanging from the house went down about a foot then bent horizontaly and started forming at a slight angle up, almost like an upsidedown candy cane with the wind coming up from the lake.

Unknown · September 2005

Eggecutioner,[p]Works for me. When I was in denver I was cooking on my smoker all year. Snowing like a banshee, hot as heck. I am in Washington now and plan to do the same. WOOHOO, barbeque!!!

Charbon · September 2005

fishlessman, Still with felt. Wish I had gone with the Rutland when replacing in June. Will next time I hope not for several more years. I don't do the 1000 degree stuff anymore since I hate the smell of burning felt.

MickeyT · September 2005

<p />WooDoggies,[p]I thought snow was a winterizer??????[p]

WooDoggies · September 2005

MickeyT,[p]Snow: a protective coating.[p]john

Winter storage

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