A little extra mass....


 
M

MartinB

TVWBB All-Star
While changing brakes on my truck..... It occurred to me that the old brake rotors are perfect for adding quite a bit of mass to a WSM to help with temperatures stability after opening the lid, etc.... and free. I considered cast iron weight discs before... But they generally are a dollar a pound.
 
I don’t understand why people seem to have so many headaches with temperature control. As I have said before “If you learn the basic techniques, the thing almost takes care of itself.” It’s a brilliant design!
I don’t open the lid unless something is just going on or coming off. Other than that, just leave it alone.
 
I don't have any problems with temperature control.... Which is why I wouldn't spend money on cast iron plates. However 50 lb of old steel brake rotors are free..... People add a ceramic dish..... With sand rocks nothing or even a water pan... To help buffer temperature changes.. That said the worst flaw of the WSM.... Is when you leave the lid off for any amount of time the air that comes in makes the temperatures spike through the roof..over 300F .. And it can take a long time to come back down..... Significantly affecting food sometimes..... Like ribs the last stages of cooking..... Over cooking them till they fall apart
 
I get your point but, I don’t leave the lid off for any longer than humanly possible. “If you’re looking, you’re not cooking.” To quote some old Weber advertising or something I read here. I sue the terra-cotta saucer to support foil and as a diffuser. They are not much of a heat sink when you think about how quickly that clay heats up or cools down.
 
That's one of the reasons I added handles to the mid section ( I don't use water )
I lift the whole thing off and set it down, then put the lid on the charcoal bowl.
Then I can spritz or foil/wrap whatever with no worries of temp spikes.
I learned the hard way doing roadside chicken and leaving the lid off.
 
timothy said:
That's one of the reasons I added handles to the mid section ( I don't use water )
I lift the whole thing off and set it down, then put the lid on the charcoal bowl.
Then I can spritz or foil/wrap whatever with no worries of temp spikes.
I learned the hard way doing roadside chicken and leaving the lid off.
Click to expand...
I don’t spritz. I do need to do some roadside chicken though!
 
It's really wrapping ribs that is the worst.. for me... Particularly multiple racks of ribs. Lid is just open for a while removing them and putting them back in . They're hot... Not easy to handle arrange in the tiny area available.
 
MartinB said:
I don't have any problems with temperature control.... Which is why I wouldn't spend money on cast iron plates. However 50 lb of old steel brake rotors are free..... People add a ceramic dish..... With sand rocks nothing or even a water pan... To help buffer temperature changes.. That said the worst flaw of the WSM.... Is when you leave the lid off for any amount of time the air that comes in makes the temperatures spike through the roof..over 300F .. And it can take a long time to come back down..... Significantly affecting food sometimes..... Like ribs the last stages of cooking..... Over cooking them till they fall apart
Click to expand...
Shut the bottom vents if you're going to have the lid off for an extended period of time. Just remember to open them back up when you put it back on. It works on most any charcoal grill, including kettles.
 
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