Winter is coming...

[BDAABAT]

Another year round outdoor cook here. Really nice having a covered spot for grilling and Q.

However, there are some dishes that do well in the slow cooker. One of my favorites for bringing along to pot luck dinners is Santa Fe chicken.

2 cans of black beans (rinse and drain well)
2 cans of corn
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Large container of salsa
Shredded cheese

Place rinsed beans and corn in bottom of slow cooker
Place chicken on top
Cover chicken with salsa (want to make sure the chicken is covered or else it can dry out)
Cook on high for 3 hours
Remove chicken and shred
Return shredded chicken to cooker and top with cheese. Mix and serve! Easy, fairly inexpensive, and tasty.

Serve with tortillas or rice. Top with more salsa, fresh cilantro and some chopped scallions. YUM!

Have also made this in a Dutch oven with charcoal...it's quite versatile.

Other cold weather favorites.... Red cooked pork, beef stew with water chestnuts. Ugh...I can feel my waist expanding just thinking about this stuff!

Bruce

 

[dwfisk]

We cook all year, especially now that the RF has a covered home in our new barn, but when it gets cooler/colder I do start using my Santa Maria Ranch Grill more, just something about an open fire on a cold day while finishing up farm chores. This year I'm really looking forward to some direct heat slow cooked spare ribs ala Cowgirl and a rotisserie pit beef fook or two.

 

[frognot]

Chili or gumbo here

 

[captndan]

The weather here is put on hold when I get the welders blanket out.

 

[dad2jsc]

This will be my first winter with a uds. Should I expect more fuel consumption cooking on it this winter.

 

[Kyle Serlington]

during the winter i tend to do cook more pizza or i'll get my fryer out. last winter i did a lot of desserts for some reason. the last couple years we had for the most part some pretty mild winters here, but last winter was one of the coldest we've had in a long time, at one point i thought about trying to turn my indoor fireplace into a smoker haha. i did end up trying out my WSM back in march while there was still snow out and it held its temp really well, i'm going to try to use it more this winter

 

[charrederhead]

I did fine w/ the WSM the last few winters, but I'm psyched to see how the Vision C kamado performs when the cold returns.

As for the indoor thing, my favorite is beef stew and biscuits.

Winter has its charm and I welcome it. (Last one was just a wee bit long though!)

 

[MartinM]

I have to travel to experience much winter so we cook outside year round.

I love making red beans and rice, chili, soupish,

I make a soup with ham hawks, ham leftovers and 13bean mix that's pretty good too.

Now that I have an outdoor kitchen I can do these all year round. I used to only make them in the winter because my house has no ac.

Been craving red beans.

 

[lennitt]

I bought a humphreys half pint for the insulated cabinet. Bring it on winter

 

[Mo-Dave]

I cook all year round, unless it is really sloppy or raining outside, because it makes such a mess indoors going in and out. In the winter I try to do more cold smoking, just works better when the weather is cooler.

If we are locked in because of bad weather, I like to make up a pot of beans using any kind of bean, with ham, chicken, ham hocks, or rib meat, served up with coleslaw, and cornbread on the side. After a meal of that, it tends to get a little noisy around here.:heh:
Dave

 

[RolandJT]

Charcoal does not know that it is -20 or -30. Keep the wind off of the WSM and cook away.

There is plenty of snow most winters here. If you have enough snow you can build a snow wall to shield your cooker--this works way better than fooling around with plywood, etc in 25 mph winds. It actually gets tolerably warm in the smoking igloo enclosure. Just make sure to build the wall where your worst wind comes from.

I will try to send a picture if we get enough snow this winter.

 

[cheeaa]

Charcoal does not know that it is -20 or -30. Keep the wind off of the WSM and cook away.

Hell yeah. I think it was last year I saw a post here from some dude in
Alaska I believe and he was smoking in like -50. lol.... now thats a winter. :laugh:

 

[cb25]

Funny, for me, BBQ season is just starting. I tend to cook less (well, grill more vs smoke, since it's faster) during the summers so I'm not stuck outdoors in the 110degree weather for too long.

As for slow cooking...I love a good hearty stew. Beef, or chicken, or whatever. Chop up some veggies and add to stock with meat, etc...let it simmer all day. We use lots of rutabagas in place of potatoes - little less starchy and good flavor. But we'll toss whatever looks good. We'll also add a can of rotelle (chopped tomatoes with chiles) on top of whatever stew we're doing. Adds a nice little zing of flavor.

 

[swbill]

I don't know about you, but slow cooking is what I constantly crave. The winter is coming soon here in the north. What are you favorite things to slow cook indoors off the cue?

You can make food INDOORS? Hmm never tried that :doh:

 

[Teleking]

Even when I lived in Buffalo, NY the weather never hindered me from BBQing/Smoking....

It makes the weekends more enjoyable when you are snowed in.

.

Yep hoarding the lump before it dissapears off the shelf. I'll have 300 pounds put up to get me through the winter. I also see it as cold smoking season.

 

[toymaster]

I grab the shovel and get to work. Nothing like the look on my neighbors face when they smell BBQ in January with a foot of snow on the ground :shocked:

 

[WineMaster]

Bring on winter, Brunswick Stew and Sweet Corn Bread !!!!!

 

[jeffjenkins1]

I cue just as much in the winter as in the summer, every time we have snow I cook on my smoker... I also slow cook in the summer as much as in the winter... wait, I may not be much help... Sorry!

Jeff

 

[Randy3269]

Gumbo here too and homemade chicken and noodles.
forgot to add.. venison stew

Jeanie,

This is a recipe that we would love to see. ray: At least I would....everything else you post is excellent, I can't image your gumbo being any different. :clap2: :clap2:

Thanks,
Randy

 

[robbq]

Of course you have to turn in your Man Card to use one.

Harsh! I cook outside all year and I STILL like the slow cooker, especially during the week when I have no time for cooking.

I like to do a lot of stew and pot roast. Whole chickens come out good, too.