BBQ in Winter – How Do Other Cultures Grill When It's Cold?

In Japan, grilling is an indoor activity — yakiniku (table grill) and yakitori (chicken skewers over charcoal) are eaten all year round, even in the middle of winter. Yakiniku restaurants have built-in grills in the tables — the smoke is drawn up through an extractor hood, and guests grill their own meat while it snows outside.

In winter, heavier cuts become more popular: pork belly (buta bara), ribeye, and beef tongue are ordered alongside the summer chicken and thin beef slices. The miso glazes (see miso in BBQ) are especially welcome in the cold — the umami warmth suits the season.

• Atmosphere: Warm, social, indoors — extractor hood above table
• Typical meat: Pork belly, ribeye slices, chicken, liver
• Rub/glaze: Miso-tare, soy sauce-sesame

The pojangmacha — the orange tent stall on Korean street corners — is an icon of Korean winter culture. In the middle of the snow, under a plastic tarp, people grill samgyeopsal (pork belly) and odeng (fish cakes on sticks) on a small table grill, with soju to keep warm.

The pojangmacha is not just food — it's a social institution. After work, after a night out, with the first snow of the year. The cold makes it cozier, not less cozy.

• Atmosphere: Street stall, plastic tent, soju, social warmth
• Typical: Samgyeopsal, tteokbokki, odeng, eomuk
• Rub: Korean BBQ Rub

In Scandinavian countries — particularly Norway and Sweden — being outdoors in winter is a conscious choice, not a necessity. The concept "friluftsliv" (literally: free air life) also includes winter picnics, campfires, and grilling in the snow. A grilled sausage on a stick over a campfire at -10°C is normal and appreciated.

In winter, the menu shifts to heavier flavors: elk, reindeer, cedar plank salmon, and pork sausage. The seasoning remains subdued — juniper, dill, and smoked salt are the winter flavor enhancers.

• Atmosphere: Outdoors, campfire, snow, booted company
• Typical: Reindeer, elk, cedar plank salmon, pork sausage
• Seasoning: Juniper, smoked salt, dill

In Argentina, the asado does not stop in winter. Especially in Patagonia — where winters are cold and windy — the Sunday asado is a sacred tradition, regardless of the weather. The parrilla is set up sheltered, the asador stands close to the fire, and the meal lasts longer because it's colder.

In the Patagonian winter, heavier cuts are chosen: lamb leg, pork ribs, chorizo colorado. The smoke and fire provide warmth — the social ritual of the asado may be even stronger in winter than in summer.

• Atmosphere: Sheltered parrilla, family, mate, long meal
• Typical: Lamb leg, chorizo, costillas (ribs)
• Seasoning: Salt, chimichurri afterwards