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Who says grilling has to stop once Labor Day rolls around? Keep the flames alive all year round with these winter grilling tips.

1. Position your grill in a wind-protected outdoor area (wind really reduces your grill's efficiency) that is well ventilated. Never grill in a garage, under a porch overhang, or other enclosed area. Not only is the potential for a fire great, but deadly carbon monoxide can build up. Clear any accumulation of snow off the grill.

2. If grilling with gas, check all lines and connections for leaks. In cold weather, parts become brittle or cracked. Make sure the control knobs are not frozen and turn freely.

3. Once you've started your gas grill or built your fire, preheat the grill for at least 20 minutes.

4. Line charcoal grills with heavy duty aluminum foil, shiny side up, to help retain and reflect heat; poke holes through the foil corresponding to the bottom vents.

5. Have plenty of extra fuel on hand. When charcoal grilling, I like to have a second kettle grill for lighting and holding live coals. Or have extra chimney starters at the ready on a heat-proof surface. (Not on your wooden deck!) Add coals every half hour, or as needed.

6. Heat escapes rapidly each time the grill lid is lifted; resist the urge to "peek." A digital temperature probe can keep you apprised of what's going on under the lid. Some charcoal grills come equipped with a built-in thermometer -- very useful in the wintertime.

7. Allow extra time. Food will take longer to cook in cold weather -- anywhere from 30 to 100 percent longer.

8. Remember, winter days are short. If lighting around the grill is dim, supplement it with a clip-on light, like my Clip-On Grill Light or food-illuminating Luma Tongs. At the very least, have a flashlight on hand.

9. Save the slow-cooked menus for friendlier grilling conditions. Select foods that can be cooked quickly -- in 30 minutes or less -- over direct heat. Steaks, chops, burgers, chicken breasts, shrimp, fish steaks or filets, kebabs, etc., are all good bets.

10. In my experience, smoking is very difficult to do in cold weather as many smokers are constructed of thin-gauge metal and do not retain heat well. You can smoke in a kettle grill if you maintain temperatures of 250 to 275 degrees by periodically adding fresh coals.

11. Gas grills with double-walled construction are better at holding in heat. Kamodo-type cookers, such as the Big Green Egg are extraordinarily heat-retentive, too.

12. My assistant, Nancy, has winter camping experience, and reports people unthinkingly touch hot surfaces when they themselves are cold. Don't let your guard down. Don't touch your hot grill without grilling gloves or other protection.

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Steven Raichlen, America's "master griller" (Esquire), is the premier teacher, evangelist, and all-around expert on the art of live-fire cooking. His eight Barbecue! Bible cookbooks include three national-award winners, two that have sold over a million copies, and six chosen as Main Selections of The Good Cook. The third season of his show, Primal Grill, seen in 95% of PBS markets, is scheduled to run in Summer 2010. Previously he hosted four seasons of PBS's popular series Barbecue University at the Greenbrier, now available on DVD, and now teaches seasonal sessions of Barbecue U at the Broadmoor in Colorado. Articles by him appear regularly in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and other magazines and newspapers. He lives and grills in Coconut Grove, Florida, and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.