Needing some help please!!


 
M

Mark I

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Hello all,
I've been following this web site for some time now, so I have a 32qt Vasconia pot and a Weber Smoky Joe Gold. I just ordered a Tel True thermometer from Fire Craft, it has a 4"stem, which I hope it isn't too long?.?. I've heard that they are extremely accurate, so I hope that the 4" stem won't be a problem? The lid for the Smoky Joe fits perfectly, so I want to do this whole thing right the first time! My question is, when I cut the bottom out of the pot, I leave approx 1" to 1 1/2" lip, where does the heat diffuser go, on the bottom of the pot that I cut out, or do I use the steamer insert that came with the pot, in the ridge that's near the bottom of the pot? I've read that it's good to NOT put the diffuser on the very bottom that is cut out, because of more room for charcoal?.?.
Sorry for any kind of repeat questions here!!!
 
There are a lot of diffuser options. I used 3 bolts in the bottom of the put and rest a clay saucer ontop of the bolts as the difusser. I have seen people use a pie pan etc as a difusser. you want a little gap between the hole you cut out and the difusser otherwise it would just be like not cutting the bottom out!
 
Thanks Tommy, I appreciate it! Yesterday I bought a 12" pizza pan from Wal Mart, .88 cents (it actually measures 13" from the very edge to the other). I'll keep that in mind though!
 
In all my mini's I just put the diffuser at the steamer insert level, when I use a diffuser. If I need to use two racks (which isn't very often I set the rack right on the diffuser. I like to load the charcoal high for extended cooks so this works well.

This is how far I cut the bottom out, about 1 1/4" left:

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This load was for a 14-16 hour smoke.

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If you want to do high heat cooks and well as low and slow, cutting the bottom out is the way to go. But if you're strictly slow and go, drilling ain't a bad way to go (you can always cut later) Does your pot have ring indent around the bottom about two or so inches up? Mine does, I just dropped in an old SJ grate and I put my clay diffuser on the grate (when I use a diffuser which with my mini, isn't very often
 
Yea, my Vasconia pot does have the indent (where the steamer tray would go). The Vasconia fits the Smoky Joe like a glove, so I want to do it right the first time for the mere fact those pots are extinct now!!! Thank you everyone for responding (especially with pics!), I appreciate any/all help offered! Please keep any ideas coming!!!
So, here's another question, when chunk wood is added to the coals, using the minion method, does the wood ignite, causing the temp to spike? Someone suggested the "A-mazn-smoker", thinking the chunks wood would ignite?!?!
 
Last edited:
Mark I said:
So, here's another question, when chunk wood is added to the coals, using the minion method, does the wood ignite, causing the temp to spike? Someone suggested the "A-mazn-smoker", thinking the chunks wood would ignite?!?!
Click to expand...
That all depends how much air you allow your coals to get. The whole concept behind a smoker is to maintain the pit temp so that it doesn't allow objects to combust.

I use chunks of wood for smoke and the only time combustion is an issue is when I lift the pot off the SJ. I rarely do that, but every now and then a reason comes up that I have to. Bottom line, once I put the pot back on, the fire dies. That is of course, I want the fire to die. I often cook over flame in my 18", not so much in my mini, but if I were doing a chicken or something, I'd probably welcome a flaming cook
 
Thanks Chuck O, like I said earlier, I'm way new at all this, so any suggestions are more than welcome guys!!!
 
I 'bury' my wood chunks in the briquettes; I don't get wood smoke until maybe 15 - 30 minutes in. Bury as in flush with the surface of the pile.
 
I finally got the bottom of the pot removed, a friend has a Plasma Cutter, within 3 minutes he had it done! After that, I went to the hardware store and bought some Stainless Steel nuts & bolts, 1/2" long for the grate mounts. I also went to Menards and got some brass fittings for the Tel-True thermometer. I read that having a thermometer with a 4" stem, it's a good idea to have some kind of fitting where the stem slides through the fitting, easy to remove the thermometer to get to whatever would be below that. I hope that the 1/2" SS bolt will be long enough to support the grate? Any suggestions on that?
 
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