Ahh…those dog days of summer, hosting outdoor bbq parties and enjoying a grilled burger with the family-there’s nothing like it, is there? Really, there isn’t. For many of us who live in colder regions; however. When summer fades to autumn, we trade in our love of grilling for indoor cooking. Why? Mostly, because we think we have to; but really, you don’t have to! You can still grill outdoors in the snow and bluster, and enjoy charbroiled burgers, planked salmon, grilled veggies and the like; without being a diehard bbq-er. You just need to know how to do it by taking more precautions for you and your grill, than you normally would when the temperature was warmer. Below, we offer a great list of helpful tips on just how to extend your grilling season to all year long, and enjoy foods that will always taste better right off the grill.

While the following tips will work well for any bbq grill that you decide to enlist in your cooking needs, it should be noted that-if you know that you want to grill year round prior to purchasing your grill, you should always look for a gas grill that has a higher amount of BTUs-as this will offer more power to warm up quicker-even when it’s very cold outside. If a charcoal grill is your grill of choice, this won’t matter.

Step 1

If you have decided to take grilling through the colder months, you have to ensure that you have prepared your grill for grilling in colder temps. The first step-and this applies to any time you use your grill, but especially in the winter months-is to check all of its exterior and interior parts to see if any outdoor debris, insects, snow, and/or dust have been removed to prevent fires but also to keep your grilling as quality and clean as possible, for your grilled foods. Moreover, make sure to keep a path to your grill properly shoveled and salted for convenient and safe travel back and forth.

Step 2

Ensure that all parts to your grill are in perfect working order prior to setting yourself for cold weather grilling. This means checking the most common grill parts that regularly need replacing, such as: gas burners, jets, grates, and heating plates. If you are unable to determine it for yourself, do a little research online for what to look for and/or have your grill serviced by a specialist-before the snow flies. While it is a good rule of thumb to do this in any season, the more possible issue that you can sidestep prior to having to deal with the inconveniences of cold winds, frost, and piles of snow; the better. Just imagine yourself trudging out to your grill-after buying a delectable cut of steak-and realizing that you have to either replace one of its necessary parts yourself or have it serviced by a grill specialist; and in either event, you won’t be having that steak you have been looking forward to.

Step 3

Though your grill is probably already in a fireproof area-away from your house-and not close to anything that could cause a fire issue-such as foliage or a shed etc; you may have moved it during fall cleanup or just to get ready for winter. This is when you have to reevaluate its location and if it is now in a safe enough location for winter long burning, or if it should be moved. It should be noted that you cannot take the seemingly easy way out and choose an enclosed area-as this is a fire hazard waiting to happen. This means your garage, shed, etc. Though you may think it is unlikely that you will encounter a problem, even the safest of locales and grillers have had incident. So, make sure that your bbq is at least ten feet away from anything and everything, prior to using. Also, in choosing your optimum location for grilling, choose one that is as windproof as possible, while still being safe; so that a fire can properly ignite and keep lit for your grilling specialties.

Step 4

Set up grilling supplies in a convenient location. This is a must have, though something you probably never think twice about in the warmer months. This is an example of one of the must-dos to make your life better and grilling most convenient when it’s cold outside. So, keep all supplies that you might need for grilling in one easy to get to location-perhaps the garage-such as: lighters, paper, utensils, and grilling pans and accessories-so that you are hunting through the cold for your must have grilling accessories in a snowstorm or dastardly cold temps.

Once these most simple of necessary preparation and prevention tips have been attended to, it’s time to actually start grilling; but you need to heed a few words to the wise to make for the most successful of barbecuing experiences.

– Though it’s cold outside, avoid wearing loose clothing-such as scarves, hats, or oversized jackets-to prevent your clothes from catching fire. Especially where most often the wind will be blowing, fire is more likely to move accordingly, and you have to make sure you have nothing near it on your person when you are checking your food.

– This said, you need to still dress warm in order to be safe from frostbite or windburn during winter grilling, but in a more fitted way. Instead of loose or oversized jackets, try donning more fitted fleece jackets, gloves, cap, and a neck warmer.

– Get help for carrying a lot of foods to and/or from the grill. Though you may think that you can do it all-and in one trip-in the winter, you are much more prone to slipping and falling; so ask for someone to help, and avoid this problem waiting to happen.

– As regards grilling in cold temps, there are two things that should always be considered-no matter how much experience you have grilling. First, make sure that you allow for more time cooking that usual, as though it is a covered grill, cold air is still getting in; and delaying your grilled foods from cooking as fast. Second, try your very best to keep checking-opening and closing the lid-to a minimum, as the cold air is able to get in more often and slow down grilling times.

Author Bio: At Grill-Repair.com we not only repair barbecues and stock gas grill replacement parts — we love barbecuing and enjoying our home resorts. Our grilling and barbecuing blog has information about receipes and grilling tips to help you eat well and love being home.

Category: Family Concerns
Keywords: winter,grilling,barbecuing,barbeque,grill,gas,island,infrared