The Philadelphia Eagles are in the playoffs with home field advantage! What a time to live in Bucks County, PA, and be a birds fan! But just because temperatures will likely be below freezing in Philadelphia throughout most of the NFL playoffs doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite tailgating rituals before the games.
Barbecuing with a propane grill is a staple of any tailgate and we want to help you keep grilling for the big games this winter with some useful tips.
So if you’re an Eagles fan that’s planning on heading down to Lincoln Financial Field for some festivities or one that will be entertaining fellow Philadelphia fanatics at your home, here’s how you can continue to use your propane grill in frigid cold weather.
Location, Location, Location: The first step to grilling in the winter is to find a good spot to do your barbecuing. You’ll want to shield yourself from wind as much as possible, but make sure that you absolutely never grill in the house or in an enclosed porch or patio.
Preparedness: Cold temperatures can affect the temperature inside of your grill, so you’ll want to head to your nearest propane refill station in Bucks County and make sure you get some extra propane to have on hand just in case you run out. Grilling in the winter months can typically use about 35-50 percent more fuel.
Adjust Pre-Heat Time: Pre-heating a grill is always important so that your food does not stick to the grates, but in the winter you’ll want to increase this pre-heat time to make up for the colder temperatures. You may have to double your normal pre-heat time.
Food Choice: When grilling in the winter, it is wise to choose food that either cooks very quickly like fish or hot dogs, or food that cooks very slowly like barbecue. Either way you won’t have to spend too much time hovering over the grill.
Two Heat Sources: Keeping one side of your grill on high and the other on low can be a good strategy in the winter. This will allow you to vary your cooking times for the different types of food that you have on the grill. The low side can also be used to keep already cooked food warm.
Cast Iron Pan: Speaking of keeping food warm, having a cast iron pan on deck is always a good idea as well. Cast iron pans hold heat well and are great for keeping food warm when they are covered.