By Mike Stines, Ph.B.

Recipes:

Smoked Brisket with Grilled Dijon New Potatoes

Cajun-Style Roast Chicken

Grilled Vermont Mustard Pork Chops

Honey-Mustard Glazed Pork Medallions

Roast Pork Sirloin

For those of us in the northern climes, as I am here in often-frigid and snow-covered New England, a lot of folks pack up their grills and smokers in October and leave them forsaken until March or April when temperatures begin their slow climb above freezing.

Enthusiastic—or fanatical, depending on your viewpoint—backyard cooks use their grills throughout the year, regardless of the weather.

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association reported nearly 60 percent of charcoal grill owners and 69 percent of gas grill owners in a recent survey cook out year-round, showing outdoor cooking is no longer limited to the warmer months. But grilling and cooking barbecue during the winter does require a bit of extra preparation and work.

First of all, the cook needs to be properly attired for frosty weather: insulated socks (or battery operated hunter's socks), thermal boots, a warm jacket or insulated parka and a knit cap make cold-weather cooking almost bearable. Having a propane-fired patio heater, an outdoor fireplace or a well-stoked chiminea in the grilling area also helps moderate very cold temperatures.

Having the right equipment also helps. Ceramic cookers such as the Grill Dome, Big Green Egg, or Primo have thick walls that retain heat much better than a kettle-style steel charcoal grill. High BTU natural or propane gas grills with heavy cast iron grates and heavy cast aluminum bodies such as the Broilmaster line also hold their temperature well in cold weather. If you're using a bullet-style smoker, fashion an insulating blanket from foil-backed insulation available at your local home center or a welding blanket to wrap the smoker. Just be sure to leave the vents uncovered.

Here are some tips for cooking in less than ideal weather:

• The grill or smoker will take longer to preheat when the temperature drops below 50 degrees F. Figure at least 30 minutes for a charcoal grill or smoker and 20 minutes for a gas-fired grill to come up to cooking temperature.

• Add about 20 minutes of cooking time for every five degrees below 45 degrees F ambient temperature.

• Add another 15 minutes of cooking time every time you open the lid to add more fuel or wood.

• Shield the grill or smoker from the wind but don't use it in an enclosed area or under a porch overhang. Wind has a greater impact on cold weather cooking than actual ambient temperature. The set-up I use works well year-round as my three primary cookers-a Grill Dome ET ceramic cooker, a Weber Smoky Mountain bullet smoker, and a Broilmaster P3 propane grill-are on a brick patio right outside of the kitchen. The patio is surrounded by a five-foot hedge on two sides and the kitchen and an enclosed sunroom on the other sides. Although the hedge loses its greenery during the fall, it still provides protection from winter's wind.

• Putting a disposable turkey-size roasting pan inverted over the cooking grates will lessen the time needed to preheat a grill in cold weather. Be careful removing the pan, as it will be hot.

• If you're using a drip pan for indirect cooking or a water pan for smoking, fill it with boiling water. The hot water will help raise the grill temperature and help stabilize the temperature. Put the empty drip pan in the grill and then add water from a teakettle instead of trying to carry a tray filled with hot water to the grill.

• The best foods to cook during the winter months are ones that don't need much attention: roasts, whole chickens, ribs, pork shoulders, and briskets. That being said, use all of the grill area by cooking side dishes along with the entrée. After all, you've already fired up the grill; you might as well use all of it!

• Make sure the meat is properly cooked. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Poultry should be cooked until the thigh meat is 175 degrees F. and beef to a minimum of 125 degrees F. for rare, 145 degrees F. for medium and 155 degrees F. for well done. Pork should be cooked to 150 degrees F. (Remember, the internal temperature will rise five to ten degrees as the meat rests before carving.)

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