heat sink


 
S

Scott LeRette

New member
Ive seen many folks on hear talk about the water pan and many of you do not fill it. I believe I also heard about something called a fire brick. I believe in the power of a heat sink secondary to the meat, of course. Is there such a thing as this brick? Please share.
 
the only fire bricks I know of are ones that you put in a fireplace or wood stove...I have a dozen of them in our wood burning stove and two on top to put a cast iron pot on filled with water for humidity because the wood stove will dry out the air...

they are rated at very high temps so I don't see why you couldn't put a couple of firebricks in the water pan if you choose to do so...the ones I have are about 5" x 8" x 2" thick roughly...you should be able to get them at any big box hardware store like Lowe's or HD
 
The defuser (water pan) is the key part of "indirect cooking." Many people (myself included) do not fill the defuser with water, we put a clay saucer in the bowl for no other reason other to make for a steady pit environment

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ChuckO said:
The defuser (water pan) is the key part of "indirect cooking." Many people (myself included) do not fill the defuser with water, we put a clay saucer in the bowl for no other reason other to make for a steady pit environment

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What size saucer do you place in the water pan...also, do you foil the water pan and saucer or not...

if I remember correctly, I've also see where people have replaced the water pan with a saucer of a certain size...does anyone know if this is possible and what size saucer would work to replace the water pan
 
The saucer in both my smokers (18.5" and my SJ-Mini) are both 12"

I do foil both (defuser and the saucer) I can go several cooks with the foil on my defuser, however I replace the foil on my saucers after each cook
 
Scott, I have and 18.5 and I have the Brinkman pan. I have tried just about every heat sink going, dry pan, water pan, metal disc, clay saucer. Broil King has just come out with a 15" diameter baking stone, $24.99 up here, 3/4" thick. I bought it for my Keg and now use it in the WSM. It's awesome. I've cracked two saucers due to thermal shock. This stone is killer for the WSM. If nothing else check out the stone. Great temp control too.
 
The stone will sit firmly right on the tabs Don, so in place of the bowl. It's the best diffuser I have ever used in the WSM and the diameter is perfect. There is enough space for the heat to get by but the hot zone is smaller due to the extra diameter over a clay saucer. Here at least the stone is the value of two saucers so it's a great price and built to do the job.
 
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Gary S said:
Scott, I have and 18.5 and I have the Brinkman pan. I have tried just about every heat sink going, dry pan, water pan, metal disc, clay saucer. Broil King has just come out with a 15" diameter baking stone, $24.99 up here, 3/4" thick. I bought it for my Keg and now use it in the WSM. It's awesome. I've cracked two saucers due to thermal shock. This stone is killer for the WSM. If nothing else check out the stone. Great temp control too.
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Gary S said:
The stone will sit firmly right on the tabs Don, so in place of the bowl. It's the best diffuser I have ever used in the WSM and the diameter is perfect. There is enough space for the heat to get by but the hot zone is smaller due to the extra diameter over a clay saucer. Here at least the stone is the value of two saucers so it's a great price and built to do the job.
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So have you used the stone to cook on (i.e. like a pizza stone), or just as a diffuser? I'm assuming you foil it like many do their water bowls?
 
In the WSM it serves as a diffuser as it does in my Keg. Yes I cover it with foil. I take temps up a lot higher in the Keg than I do in the WSM. It gets almost daily use in the Keg and I do a lot of HH chicken and turkey, 500F for chicken and 400 for spatchcocked turkey where as in the WSM I'm smoking at lower temps. For me the B/K stone at 15" fits the diffuser system I have for the Keg. It was a bonus to use in the WSM but is theee best diffuser I've used in the WSM. Temps are easy to keep stable due to it's thermal mass. It does take longer to warm up but is easy to catch and hold temps.
My WSM has two lid vents for HH cooks but since I bought my Keg I'm not using the WSM for that anymore.
As for pizza I use a two stone set up both which I had before the B/K baking stone. They are thinner and come up to temps faster. I use spacers between the stones so that the cooking stone is not exposed directly to the fire. It makes for a better crust this way. I cook my pizzas now in the Keg.
 
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Has anyone tried using a 19 inch pizza stone in a 22 WSM? I found one at California Pizza Stones "They also sell through Amazon", I have measured the water pan and a 19 inch stone should take it's place without modification. It's 5/8" thick and seems like it would do as well for the 22 as Gary's setup has done in the 18......
 
Hey Gary, if you are still checking this, did you do anything to lift the lower cooking grate up? I got a couple of the Broil King stones for my WSM's and noticed that the lower cooking grate almost sits on top of the stone. Have you had any issues with smoke getting all around the meat, even on the lower grate? Did you do something to lift the grate up a little? I haven't used them yet, probably next week, but since I am having trouble getting the temps up with water in the pan, I am really looking forward to using them. Thanks!
 
LeeJay said:
Hey Gary, if you are still checking this, did you do anything to lift the lower cooking grate up? I got a couple of the Broil King stones for my WSM's and noticed that the lower cooking grate almost sits on top of the stone. Have you had any issues with smoke getting all around the meat, even on the lower grate? Did you do something to lift the grate up a little? I haven't used them yet, probably next week, but since I am having trouble getting the temps up with water in the pan, I am really looking forward to using them. Thanks!
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Lee I have not used the lower grate, just the upper and my smoke rack with the baking stone so I really don't have any experience to share but I would say make up three non combustible spacers, lay them on the top of the stone, to raise the grate the smoke will circulate. Did you get the Baking stone or the Pizza stone? They are different.
 
Lee Landrum said:
Has anyone tried using a 19 inch pizza stone in a 22 WSM? I found one at California Pizza Stones "They also sell through Amazon", I have measured the water pan and a 19 inch stone should take it's place without modification. It's 5/8" thick and seems like it would do as well for the 22 as Gary's setup has done in the 18......
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That will work really well for you Lee, I'm sure. I did have a 22 for a short time but it was way more than I needed so went to the 18 but the principle is the same.
 
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