Sand in clay base?


 

BrianZ

TVWBB Member
I have seen a few threads where people spoke about using sand along with the clay flower pot base for better temperature control. I have used the clay base instead of water before. My question is, where do you put the sand? Do you put it in the water pan under the base?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BrianZ:
I have seen a few threads where people spoke about using sand along with the clay flower pot base for better temperature control. I have used the clay base instead of water before. My question is, where do you put the sand? Do you put it in the water pan under the base? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The sand should go in the clay pot.
 
I have experimented with several approaches. I currently find that THE MORE MASS I have above the coals in the WSM - THE MORE STABLE the temperatures remain in the WSM.

I currently use sand in the bottom of the WSM metal water pan. I nest TWO 12" (number 31) clay pot saucers, one on top of the other in the metal WSM water pan. I individually wrap each in heavy duty aluminum foil. Temperatures are very stable and clean up is a breeze.

The Chris' video on wrapping the WSM water pan is useful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR5Y3OZwlfc

I double wrap each of the clay saucers in the same fashion, although not as much care is needed to trim the foil, as there is no water involved.

I put just enough sand in the metal WSM water pan to touch the bottom of clay saucer, but not so much as it raises the clay saucers in the metal WSM water pan. I plan to swap out the metal WSM water pan for a Brinkmann Charcol Pan when I get a chance, as it is deeper and wider and should sit a bit more stably on the ears of the WSM grill support straps.

After a cook, I pour the rendered fat out of the top saucer, through a funnel into an apple juice bottle and discard it easily. If I wait until the following day, I carefully gather up the gelled fat in the top aluminum foil layer and throw it away. Double wrapping the clay saucers is a good idea, though Simple Green seems to cut the grease that can seep through a single wrapped clay saucer.

While it is not necessary, I have effectively raised the bottom grill above the WSM water pan / clay saucers by about 1.25" inches to allow smoke and heat to circulate THROUGH the bottom grill.

To raise the bottom grill, I install 4 LONGER screws - (4) 1/4-20 x 1-1/4" screws. These 1-1/4" are used to replace the 4 shorter 5/8 screws that hold the 4 grill straps thru bottom 4 holes in the midsection of the WSM. I prefer Stainless Steel screws, as we live on the ocean, but suit yourself here.

See this image - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/misc_images/wsm_cutaway.jpg

By replacing the screws that go through the lower 4 screws in the midsection, you can stably rest the bottom grill on the legs of the screws - 1.25" above the aluminum ledge of the grill straps.

I find arrangement this gives more smoke and color to meats cooked on the bottom grill while not significantly reducing the height available for chickens or ribs cooked in a vertical rack.

Hope this helps you.

/Daniel (minor edits for clarity)
 
good idea, i'll see if i want to do this also when my wsm arrives. from my research and my desire to put the clay disk, i was afraid of temps when cooking on the bottom rack and would benefit from being a bit further away, so your MOD would do the trick.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by danmarks:
good idea, i'll see if i want to do this also when my wsm arrives. from my research and my desire to put the clay disk, i was afraid of temps when cooking on the bottom rack and would benefit from being a bit further away, so your MOD would do the trick. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am also curious about the temperatures down at the bottom grill. I have wondered if by adding a clay saucer, or two, and/or sand to stabilize temperatures, there might be the drawback of significantly increasing the radiant heat at the lower grill.

My unscientific observations to date are that Pork Shoulders cooked on the bottom rack taste just great ... ohhh and, neither the pork shoulders or ribs cooked on the lower grill have come out dry. And I have not detecrted a difference in cook times between the same meats put on the top and bottom grills.

But now I have a new Stoker and four temperature probes, and Amir's Stoker Log program. I *should* be able to record the exact temperatures throughout my cooks and we can see what is actually so.

I intend to measure my "fire" temperature just below the lower grill. I intend to measure my "pit" temperature through a probe dangled down 4" through the upper lid vent.

I will stick one of the meat probes in the pork shoulders or briskets that I do on the bottom rack.

The fourth probe will go into the ribs I put on the top rack, which makes the ribs easier to flip. I generally throw second round of ribs on the top rack during a 12-16 hour cook. I mostly leave the meat on the bottom rack alone.

It will be interesting to see what the temperature differentials actually are. And how these temperatures translate into meat temperatures and cook times.

The Stoker Log should make it easy to keep a journal of my experiments. I am doing a cook for a party of 15 people on 1 June.

I will post my results, IF my Stoker, log, wireless connection, laptop and my ability to pull all of this off, proves successful.

If you do the mod to raise the lower grill by 1.25", I am very interested to hear what you find.

/Daniel
 
ANOTHER CLAY SAUCER CONVERT

Just wanted to jump in and say I tried the clay saucer plus sand for the first time this weekend, and I don't see going back.

I've had my WSM for about a year now and I've done things the old fashioned way, mostly just to learn the basics. I was loading up on charcoal at Home Depot yesterday and thought what the heck... let's hit the garden area. For about $7 and $5 respectively I grabbed a 14" and 12" clay saucer... I had some sand at home already. I filled the saucer mostly full of sand, and made a bit of a big divot in the center for catching grease/juice when foiled. Wrapped up the saucer in foil, dropped it into the dry water pan, and away we went.

I've got an overnight brisket still in progress, but once I got the temp steady it has been STEADY. I went to bed at 1am, checked in at 4:30am (and slapped on a fattie
icon_biggrin.gif
), and got up at 8:30am... and the lid temp has been within 3 degrees.

Also, I seem to have 1/3 to 1/2 a ring of coals still in there, when often I have to add more fuel in the final hours. I have had my lower vents almost completely closed all night. I'm guessing this is because the saucer/sand hold just SO much heat that, once you get them up to temp, it doesn't take much additional energy to keep them steady. Is this a typical result? If so, I'm even more in love.

We'll see how the brisket turns out, but I'm sold on the saucer/sand.
 

 

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