How Not To Cook With a Clay Saucer.


 
R

Rob O

TVWBB Pro
So... For reference sake I'm used to cooking brisket about 225*. Use a Guru, Dry Foiled Pan, and most often lump.

As a rule I'm generally fighting to keep the pit temps down and fighting spikes. Today was a completely different story.

Today I was doing chicken and ribs and figured what the heck let's try the clay saucer and some of the inexpensive Kingsford I just picked up at Lowes.

Picked up a 16" saucer for my 18" WSM.

So no big deal, full ring, 4 chunks apple, started Minion with about 25 briquettes ashed over. Dumped the chimney and added 4 racks spares room temp to the top rack.

Top vent open 100%. Guru Pit Viper Fan cranking away at 100%. 30 minutes later the pit temp's only about 125* so I open my bottom vents too.

At 1:15 hours into the cook the pit temp had only gotten up to 190*.

Ditched the saucer. Loaded in my empty water pan. Temp shot up to about 230* but I struggled all day to get the temps up to 275*


So for next time: Believe I'll warm the Clay saucer to about 200* before it goes in the pit. Will also get the pit temp up before the saucer goes in. May also look for a 14" Saucer.

Lastly, If' I'm ever trying to cook above 250* I'm not going near the KBC.

Pretty impressed with the saucer as a heat sink though. Definitely plan to be using it for my next briskets.
 
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I don't know anything about the guru pit viper, but I use a clay saucer in a 18.5 and don't have any problems getting temps up to whatever I want them. I have done smoked meatloaf at 350 with no problem, so not sure what you had going on there.

Oh, and I also only use KBB.
 
Rob, something strange happened to you today, but the saucer and kbb were not the problems. Promise. 25 coals in an 18" will have temps above 125 instantaneously. I use a 14" saucer. Wonder if the 16" blocked air flow.
 
Though I do not use an ATC, when I want to get to 350* to cook poultry for instance, I have to remove my 16" clay saucer on my 22" or I never quite get there. Even then, with all vents wide open, I have to prop a skewer between the lid and center section to get a bigger draw. I use a full ring of RO lump and a full chimney of lit.
 
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FWIW, when I cook at 350 I use a full ring of new kbb, dump a lit chimney of kbb on top, and leave all the vents open until 325 or so when the ique is hooked up. The saucer is in there.
 
I dunno.....

Two, maybe 3 weeks ago I was able to hold about 375 all vents open dry pan. Today, with the saucer out, all vents open and the pit door cracked I was able to get up to 425.

Maybe the saucer was blocking airflow. Will go and look for a 14".

I'm certain going Minion with a cold saucer and 4 racks with the pit bleow 100* didn't help.

I still have 60 lbs of KBB left and about 20 lbs of lump. Will keep experimenting. If I figure it out I'll post up.
 
A 16" saucer inside an 18" WSM leaves ~1" of airflow? I use a 16" also, but in a 22" WSM. The saucer goes inside the water pan. Find one that fits into your water pan and you should have the best of both worlds.
 
Definitely something else going on there Rob. And I know a lot of guys use the saucer and I am sure it is fine, but I use the pan filled two thirds with sand and it works great. I have a layer of foil over the sand and seldom change that. I have another layer on top and change that with most cooks. Just a thought.
 
Alan F said:
Rob, something strange happened to you today, but the saucer and kbb were not the problems. Promise. 25 coals in an 18" will have temps above 125 instantaneously. I use a 14" saucer. Wonder if the 16" blocked air flow.
Click to expand...

That is what I am thinking too. I run a DigiQ DX with a Pit Viper using a 14" clay saucer on my 18.5" with no problems. Are you sure the damper was open on the Pit Viper? I have found mine needs to be open about 1/3 so when the fan is not on it does not draw in to much air between fan/temp adjustments.
 
Rob, I would question the need for a clay saucer at high temps? When you think about they're purpose they can only absorb so much heat and I would suggest they have passed their limit at temps above 300 so they offer no stablization. I think you would be better served with a dry pan.

I also agree the 16" is too large for the 18.5 I've had great success with the 14". You need more room for airflow.
I use lump a lot, it really needs to be packed in tight, air spaces filled in with smaller pieces will reduce temp spikes.

Nobody on the forum has been talking about it much lately but adding a second top vent to your smoker will make a huge difference in achieving high temps. I cut a second vent in mine a couple of years back and it rockets up to HH. It's like an outdoor oven as compared to what it was before. When you think about the WSM as compared to the kettle you have a 3-1 air vent reduction in the WSM so there is a lot more restriction which is fine for LNS but they aren't really capable of HH without making changes such as opening the fuel door, lifting the lid a crack on one side etc. Even with an ATC you still have a bottleneck. I'm not saying you can't get there but the second vent makes it a whole lot easier. Once there you just adjust for stabilization.
 
All good advice. Am going to try it with a 14".

Yesterday was to be a mixed cook. Ribs 250 to 275. Pull ribs. Pull saucer - replace with pan. Do Chix.

More I think about this the more I'm thinking the culprit was the lack of airflow between the saucer and the walls of the WSM. Secondarily the cold start with Minion certainly didn't help.

PS: Yep. Pit Viper was set properly. Easy way to remember. Temp goes the same way as the slider. Up = higher. Down = Lower.
 
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