Tips for cooking in single digit temps?

Move to warmer climate !!!

My thoughts to your questions:
1. I've never thought about this but I definitely see your point.  I always use the ceramic cap to snuff it out even after 500+ degree cooks in -15F degree cooks.  I do try to bring the plate setter up to temp with the egg to avoid shocking it with high heat. 

2.  I start up the same way all the time and when I shut down in the winter I do put foil around the gasket. 

3.  Just fill the charcoal all the way up and cook at your normal temperatures.  

Welcome!

1) It shouldn't be a problem.  If you don't have a warranty on it and you're worried, then cut a plywood circle that will fit into the daisy wheel and cover the opening. Lift ugly daisy, lay the circle over the exit hole, and drop ugly daisy back on top of it and the dome.  The wood will not burn.

2) The seal seems to freeze up more when going from just above freezing with rain to below freezing.  A new, spongy seal seems to absorb the rain water and then freeze up.  I've had my OEM seal freeze with aluminum foil covering the seal ... so, that's not the answer.  Some folks have fessed up that their Rutland seal froze ... so, that's not the ultimate answer, although it does seem to yield a higher probability of success.  A small object used to prop the dome open a little bit seems to be the "works every time" answer ... although you have to remember to prop the lid up after the fire goes out ... many hours after the cook has ended.  The best insurance is to leave some lump in the egg and light it off via the bottom vent when/it freezes up.

3) The temp inside the egg is what the thermometer reads ... irrespective of outside temps.  You will burn a little more lump ... so, do fill at least enough to make the fire bowl-to-fire ring seam disappear.  Better to have extra lump in the egg than in the bag.  The colder the weather, the more lump you burn ... wish someone would quantify that value.  The cold air has to be heated for the fuel to burn and the cold air will suck more heat out through the ceramics ... wind will also contribute to more heat energy being sucked out of the egg.

4) Yes, you have to dress warmer ... but really, you're concerned with cold in Southern Connecticut?  The Canadians would probably be wearing shorts while cooking there!

Happy cooking ... pics and a post would be great!

 I just pull the egg close to the sliding glass door so I don't have to step outside.  :-) On this day I smoked a whole chicken as I usually do.  Same vent settings to maintain same dome temp even if it was 85 degrees outside, cook time was the same.  I am inside with door closed while taking this video.  -25 F windchill.  35 - 45 mph winds

Oh and it wasn't snowing. . . just picking snow off the field...

I have had the dome freeze to the base as I had no gasket for a while.  I just use the mapp gas torch to light the lump from the bottom vent and wait a half hour for it to come up to temperature.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alR0S83qrWo&feature=youtu.be

I have always used the ceramic cap to snuff out the fire. No issues.
I never have worried about gaskets . . . ran without for a while, now have a rutland.
As stated above.  The egg doesn't care what temp it is.  It cooks the same.  Now if your vent was facing an incoming breeze, you may need to turn the egg so its "back" is to the wind.  

chadpsualum said:

Thinking about the first question:  When it's 70F out, you wouldn't think twice about snuffing a dome that is reading 650F after a pizza cook, right?  That's a 580F delta.

When it's -15F out we question things because it's cold.  However, if the cap can be used at a 580F delta, it would be no different than capping a 565F dome right? 

Now, that 580F delta is probably not the highest the ceramic can handle.  Therefore the conclusion is what @Darby_Crenshaw said...the egg has no idea what temp it is.

Isn't the egg made out of the same stuff that NASA uses to build space shuttles?  What is the delta of being in outer space and re-entering the earths atmosphere?

kl8ton said:

Isn't the egg made out of the same stuff that NASA uses to build space shuttles? 

nope

@jeepster the dimples are an affectation.  they pay homage (NB! it's "hommidge", not "oh-madj") to the way these used to be made by hand.

larger earthenware vessels like these were made in halves, stuck together with slip before firing.  to cover up the joint and surface imperfections, the maker would pat the surface with slip, making a random spattery pattern.

HERE is an example which is sponge-applied.

these things(domes and bases, separately)  are molded in one piece now, and the easiest shaped to form (the dimple) is also the one which doesn't wear out the mold (no sharp edges, etc.)

the older BGE pattern was more random, in keeping with the traditional hand applied slip

the new one is more cartoonish, and a little "gold-ballish" if you ask me

frankly, although the shape of the egg is something that probably couldn't have been patented, the dimple pattern is totally new and separate from  the traditional patterns.  it is actually one of the signature visual elements of the BGE, and probably should have been trademarked.  alas, every egg on the larket copies this non-functional design element (mostly). 

has nothing to do with the performance.  other kamado dealers have smooth surfaces.  these likely require a little more finishing to get smooth.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/StructuresMaterials/Ceramics/research_structural.html

High Temperature Ceramics for Hypersonic Applications

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTC), such as ZrB2, HfB2, TaC, ZrC, HfC, and HfN, are a unique class of materials that have extremely high melting temperatures (>3000°C), high hardness, and physically and chemically stable in reactive environments (e.g. in monatomic oxygen) at high temperatures. The unique properties of UHTCs make them useful for reusable atmospheric re-entry vehicles, hypersonic flight vehicles with sharp leading edges, rocket propulsion, etc. Other possible applications of UHTCs are as molten metal crucibles, thermowell tubes for steel refining and as parts for electrical devices such as heaters and igniters. 

Probably not the same grade of ceramics though.

After 8 years of sub zero Canadian egging I don't worry about any of it. I do snuff my egg by closing the daisy wheel which works fine if you're worried about the cap but it won't matter. I just don't remember where I left the cap. 

Cook temps in the egg are the same. May need a touch more air to get there but the ribs don't know how cold it is outside the egg. 

When my gaskets have frozen, I light some paper in the bottom vent to get the old coals going and that will melt the gasket ice. Don't yank it open frozen because that does peel off the felt. 

Best at thing is your beer doesn't warm up when you're egging. 

kl8ton said:

@Darby_Crenshaw

Maybe not on a space shuttle, but I was in the ballpark with my thinking/memory.

"Company engineers incorporated new types of ceramics, based on materials initially developed by NASA for the space program, and worked tirelessly to find ways to improve the design, often in small, incremental steps"

From: http://www.biggreenegg.com/about-us/

you were in line with your memory of BGE marketing, yes.

but let's be clear... when you hear "space shuttle tiles", you think the ones on the bottom.  these are essentially 100% silica glass, and 90% air.

this is unrelated in every way to the refractory ceramics used in the BGE.

there are ceramics used elsewhere on the shuttle, where temps are lower, where ceramics may be used that are the same as the BGE stuff, but which and where? dunno.

sure ain't those iconic tiles though.

i'm sure NASA tested all sorts of refractory ceramic formulas, and the BGE may certainly be an offshoot

kl8ton said:

 I just pull the egg close to the sliding glass door so I don't have to step outside. 

This is not a good idea. You should never use a grill (or a generator) near windows or doors. I seem to recall 20' is the suggested minimum distance. Carbon monoxide.

I sure don't. Maybe 10' max. 

ive tossed a hot plate setter in a snow bank, no problems, that's what warranty is for. Put your toque on and just giver, lol

kl8ton said:

@Carolina Q 
Well my deck is smaller than 20 x 20 so I can't really move it that far away unless i go to the lawn. Carbon monoxide is nothing to mess with.

Who has their egg more than 20 feet away from their house windows/doors?

You also need to factor in ventilation as well.  If you have the egg in an area that gets a consistent breeze, you can set up the grill so the prevailing wind vents emissions away from the structure.

This might call for @tarheelmatt to post his "Challenge Yourself " pic..