An idea I've had about the water pan.

[B. Foster]

All,

After reading numerous posts about the qualities of water, sand, accordioned foil etc...I think I'm going to try an experiment this weekend unless you talk me out of it.

I've been toying with the idea of using lava rock in my water pan for years since I've started smoking. I figure it won't get to concrete status, if I foil the pan it won't get to mucked up and it should block a lot of the heat that eminates from the bottom pan(it's very porous right?).

Has anyone tried this with horrible results? If not, I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow night.

 

[Rob O]

Hi B. F.,

Maybe you want to heat it up in an oven or on your grill to see if it gives off any smells?

Maybe I'm overcautious but my memory of lava rock is from a trip to Hawaii and I just remember a really strong sulfur smell.

 

[B. Foster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ROB O:
Hi B. F.,

Maybe you want to heat it up in an oven or on your grill to see if it gives off any smells?

Maybe I'm overcautious but my memory of lava rock is from a trip to Hawaii and I just remember a really strong sulfur smell. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rob,

Thanks. I don't mean the 'real' lava rock, I mean the stuff that they sell for gas grills to give them the feeling of actually cooking over coals. I've never noticed a smell from them. I just may be crazy though.

 

[Tony Serra]

B. Foster

Years ago they used lava rocks in gas grills. I don't see why it would smell. As long as it's clean. I wouldn't use landscape lava rock. I think they still sell gas grill lava rock. Go for it. Just make sure you cover it with foil.

 

[B. Foster]

Well great! I'll give it a shot tomorrow and let you know how it turns out. I've been thinking of it for ~5 years now...might as well give it a shot.

 

[Jack Straw]

It may not be dense enough to keep temps down. Do you plan on foiling over them? Sure would be a mess if you didn't.

 

[B. Foster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jack Straw:
It may not be dense enough to keep temps down. Do you plan on foiling over them? Sure would be a mess if you didn't. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yessir I do. I think it'll be dense enough...after all, how dense is a few sheets of accordioned aluminum wrap?

 

[Jack Straw]

I must have missed the "accordioned aluminum wrap" thread. Not very dense at all, is it

. Why lava rock though, why not just a couple of brick or gravel? Just curious...

 

[Bryan S]

Or a pizza stone will work

 

[brentg]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jack Straw:
It may not be dense enough to keep temps down. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats what I was thinking...

 

[Bryan S]

Bill, Don't think it would radiate any more than sand. Do you Bud.

This was all the rage before sand came into the picture. Bryan

 

[B. Foster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jack Straw:
I must have missed the "accordioned aluminum wrap" thread. Not very dense at all, is it

. Why lava rock though, why not just a couple of brick or gravel? Just curious... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, in my head, the porousness of the rock won't let as much heat thru. Also, I've always been told that air is one of the best insulators. The rocks I'm talking about seem to be mostly made of pockets of air surrounded by some sort of rock. They're light, seem to be non-conductant, smell free and relatively cheap!

I'll let you guys know tomorrow night how it went. I'll try to make a good log of temps while using the MM.

 

[Keith H.]

B.

The foil quilt is a BBQ Guru suggestion. Somewhere on a thread around here. My .02...proceed with caution...keep eye on therms and see what shakes. It sounds very viable to this novice smoker.

 

[Bryan S]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill Hays:
I was just thinking about that 1/2 to 3/4" flat stone sitting on top of the water/sand pan which probably puts it less than an inch from the bottom rack...And where's all the rendered fat going to go? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bill, When using the pizza stone it takes the place of the water pan. My pizza stone fits perfectly on the water pan tabs. Just place an aluminum foil pan on top of the stone to catch the dripings.

Bryan

 

[B. Foster]

Ok, I have a 7 3/4 pound pork butt in, my water pan filled with lava rock and foiled. I'm also using apple and hickory for a little bit of a change. I'll keep a log and see how this goes. I put the butt in when the smoker was at 200 and the meat itself was 44 degrees. I've been taking pictures. If this turns into a disaster, I'll still post the pictures for fun.

 

[B. Foster]

Ok, it's cooking a bit warmer than normal but not much. The temperature is pretty steady but a bit high...260ish. The way this is cooking it should be done by 10pm CST. I'll let you know how it pulls and how it turns out.