Making the change to sand ??'s


 
T

Tom T

TVWBB Fan
I have read a bunch about sand v water and have decided to switch to sand, mainly for ease of cleanup and I hate adding watter in the middle of a cook.

My questions are what kind of changes to cooking characteristics can I expect i.e. faster to temp, higher temp with everything the same except sand etc?

Also, what am I not asking that I need to ... I don't know what I don't know haha.

Thanks,

TT
 
Tom,

I made the switch back in the spring and really nothing changed for me other that what you already know, no more adding water and easier cleanup.

I line the pan, fill about 2/3 full with sand and cover with foil again to catch the drippings and it has worked great for me. Make sure the top foil is covering the lip of the pan well or drippings will get down in the sand. I chagne out the top foil each cook and change the sand out after 6 or 8 cooks depending on how it looks. For me getting the right temp I want is about vent control and catching the temps on the way up, with sand or water if you let the temps get up to much is really hard to get back down.

I love using the sand myself and for a low and slow cook its the best for me.

Treat it just like water and see what happens for you. I was suprised how easy the change was to make, I expected a few changes but didn't really do anything different than I had with water.

Good luck and have fun.

Randy
 
Yup - what Randy says. You might end up closing down your vents a little more with sand, but really, not much different at all.

I don't change out my sand like Randy does, but I double foil and my sand doesn't get any nasties in it so no need to. Just use heavy duty foil.

Other than that, you should be quite happy with sand. I am.
 
Thanks All! I did consider the piedmont, but I think I am going with the sand in the pan method.

Sand in the Pan ... sounds like a good band name!
 
I use sand often because I feel it is a more efficient use of your heat source. You burn up less of your fuel, ime, than with a large waterpan. Also, clean-up is easier. That said, sand doesn't give you the "safety net" of a full waterpan which virtually eliminates run away temps. Finally, because of the radiant effect, you pretty much eliminate the use of the lower cooking grate. I've got a charred brisket to prove that point.
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Hey, Tom, just saw you were from Niceville - hello from Milton !

Paul
 
[/QUOTE]Finally, because of the radiant effect, you pretty much eliminate the use of the lower cooking grate. I've got a charred brisket to prove that point.
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Yo Steve ... is this true with the piedmont pan set up? Maybe I will reconsider .... Hmmmmmmm

I have family in Milton and Allentown ... 'tis a small world.

tt
 
I went from sand to balled up foil for the pan just for the reason of the radiant heat on the bottom rack. I use the bigger Brinkman pan, ball up the foil, then double layer foil over top. Just replace the one sheet of foil between cooks. Make sure the foil is depressed in the middle to collect the juice.
 
Wow. So I THOUGHT I was gonna change haha. Well I am going to change but it is now looking like I need to stoke up a fire or 3 and do some experimenting for myself. I think I'll try the foil thing 1st, that sounds easiest and I am all about easy.

Thanks all for your advice.

This place rocks.

tt
 
Each method has its benefits and weaknesses. Yall are describing my exact journey. Water to sand to empty to Piedmont. Find the one that suits you.
 
Tom,

Try a clay flowerpot base if you are going to experiment. I use these in my WSMs. I cover them with foil to make cleanup easy.

I think they hold heat well and help with heat recovery if you have to open the lid or the door.

Let us know what you think works best!!
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I thought about trying sand a few years ago but never did. Main reason I was hesitant was the heat issue mentioned by steve. Most of the time I fire up the wsm I have something for both racks.

I just made my piedmont pan and have 2 cooks under the belt with it. I really like it and simple cleanup if you foil the pan before hand. 2 things I have noticed in the cooks is I have to shut the vents down more than I used to which has resulted in longer burn time and when I put on a big load which is the norm for me it doesn't take forever to heat up. I have cooked 12 slabs of ribs and have waited close to 2 hours for the temp to reach 225. For me it is the shiz. Cheap mod to try out. Give it a whirl.
 
Based on Jeff and Steve's experience I am going with the piedmont set up. I use the bottom rack 90% of the time so this thread has definitely been helpful.

Again, thanks all.

tt
 
So ya'll are telling us that with the "Piedmont" pan, ie balled up foil in the pan with foil over the top, that you DON'T get a radiant heat effect on the bottom rack? I went back to water after trying sand because if I'm going to fire up a cooker, it's going to be full.

First time I ever tried sand in the pan back when this broo-ha-ha first started, I didn't think about what it would do to the bottom rack. That was the only brisket I ever cooked that my schnauzer refused to eat when offered a bite. It's now typically referred to as "that brisket that we don't talk about... "
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Keri C:
That was the only brisket I ever cooked that my schnauzer refused to eat when offered a bite. It's now typically referred to as "that brisket that we don't talk about... "
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I've had more than one of those!

I contemplated sand... then just figured that water works just fine for me so why switch? The cleanup isn't so bad at all, since you already have the clean the grates and stuff. Plus, I almost never have to add more water, and if I do, it takes 40 seconds. so no need for me to switch to a different system.
 
Keri, the PP is a great easy mod. My experience is that with the extra touch-the foil balls-there is little or no problem when using the bottom grate.
I will occasionally get a little spike but that is expected without water-it is easy enough to handle.
Another reason I like this mod is that I am tending to cook hotter and quicker. Using water that boils at 212 does not make sense when cooking at 250-275.
 
I haven't had any problems yet. Only a couple of cooks on the new pan though. I didn't even ball up any foil. Heck I didn't even cover the top with foil for the easy clean up. Hate to admit it but forgot all about it. I can tell you though the grease in the top pan didn't burn to that crispy black stick doesn't want to scrub off.
 
For those of you who have applied this modification what length of spacer did you go with? A 1 inch spacer seems to put the pan down near the charcoal chamber. I don't know, however, if that is all bad.

There is no doubt that with this mod. the bottom of the pan-heat-shield is much further away from the lower cooking grate. No engineer here, but that seems beneficial.

Thank for the idea!

Q'n, Golf'n & Grill'n.... too many choices!
Gary
 
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