Clay Pot Base First Cook


 
T

Tom Murtiashaw

TVWBB Member
Trying for the first time today a long cook using a clay pot base instead of water in the water pan. I bought a 14 inch clay pot base at HD and double wrapped it in heavy duty aluminum foil and then set it on top of the foil wrapped WSM stock water pan. Fit perfectly. I have a ring full of Stubbs charcoal briqs which I started Minion style with only 7 hot briqs. Temps were slow to climb, but once they hit 180 degrees I put 2 PBs (about 5lbs. each) on the top rack and got started. All three bottom vents were open to about 20% until the dome temp reached 245 degrees, which is when I closed two of the bottom vents and left the third one open at only about 20%. The dome temp settled back down to about 225 to 230 and has remained there now 3 hours into the cook. I am smoking with small chunks of red oak and maple wood, 2-3 chunks added about every hour to the top of the coals. This is also my first test of Chris Lilly's shoulder recipe which combines both injecting and rub. I will post final results later and hopefully pictures.
 
I have a 12" saucer that I use inside the pan, and I love it. So easy to clean up afterward.
 
Tom,

I looks like you're well on your way. FWIW, next time you might consider opening all vents to 100% from the start. As soon as you put your lit coals on, then add your meat; you don't need to wait for temps to climb. The fully opened bottom vents will speed up the process and you'll get to target temp faster. Adjust your bottom vents when you're about 25-35 below target temp. Always leave top vent open. This process minimizes chasing temps and is easier to set you target temp.

Paul
 
i made the switch to a clay saucer in my 22.5, and i won't go back to water! love it!
 
Thanks Paul. I go vents at 100% from the start when I was using water and then dial down, but I just didn't want to risk giving it "too much gas" on this first clay pot base cook until I saw how my WSM was going to respond. I agree, top vent of course always wide open. I am about 7 hours into this now and the dome temp has been holding rock steady at 225 to 230. The PBs are holding at 158 degrees internal temp and may be at a plateau, but I have nothing but time. So far so good.

Tom
 
I made the conversion several years ago and have never looked back. I also add sand to the saucer for more thermal mass. If anything, mine runs a tad hotter at the same vent settings, but I have never really tested...anyone do the thermal mass thermodynamics calculations???
 
don, i haven't done calculations yet...

but like you, mine runs just a tad hotter than with water. no big deal.
 
I haven't gone out and got a clay saucer yet, but I use sand and have the same experience as Tom. I pretty much let it come to temp (225 or so at the lid), shut down two vents and the third is about half open. Once I'm at that point, my wsm stays rock solid for hours.
 
I switched over to the clay pot last year. The only way to go in regards to heat control and very easy clean-up. I also don't bother with foiling the water pan, just wipe out any grease that may sneak between the clay pot and the edge of the pan.
 
I'll throw in my vote for the clay pot base too. MUCH better than water. It's a piece of cake to keep the temp regulated. I can't imagine anything that would make me to go back to water now.
 
The clay pot base first cook was a success. Easy to control WSM temp, and fuel consumption was minimal due to using only one lower vent at about 20%. I finally opened all 3 vents 12 hours into the cook and raised the WSM temp to 275 degrees in order to speed up the completion time, otherwise I think I could have easily gone 15-16 hours without adding charcoal and still maintained 225 degrees in the WSM. The best thing about the whole experience was cleanup the next day. No greasy water and water pan to deal with, just roll up the foil in the clay pot base which held the congealed grease, take the foil off the water pan and toss it all in a gallon plastic bag for the trash. Too easy. I don't see me using water in the water pan again. As to my first try of the Chris Lilly pork shoulder recipe, it was not my favorite. In my opinion, the pork ended up a little too sweet. Adding a vinegar based bbq sauce to the pulled pork helped to counter some of that sweetness, but I think I prefer the results of other recipes which feature a rub and/or injection marinade with less sugar.

Tom
 
Tom. I have read allot about the different methods for keeping the WSM at a constant temp. Can I ask a stupid question, the clay pot you used. It is just that, a clay pot wrapped in foil and dropped into the water pan. I understand the cleanup advantages, what does it do to control the temp so well?
 
The basic idea is to have some mass between the fire and the food. That is the major role of the water (although some argue that it increases humidity levels and aids in keeping the food moist). The clay saucer acts much the same way by providing thermal mass. I also add sand to the saucer to add even more mass...more mass means more stability in temperatures.
 
Thanks Don. I have been sticking to the water pan cooking method but will fore sure give this a go, I do allot of pork and lamp on my WSM as that is what the family all like. I really want to try a brisket for the first time so will let you know how that goes.
 
Alan,

What Don said, I think. I just know it worked well for me. There is a lot of information from other members on this site regarding how a clay pot saucer acts as a heat sink for purposes of keeping temps in the WSM low along with proper vent control. Using the Find button (shown above on this Forums page) I just did a search for the phrase "clay pot" and learned enough from what I read to feel comfortable giving it a try.

Tom
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Greg:
don, i haven't done calculations yet...

but like you, mine runs just a tad hotter than with water. no big deal. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

OK, this has been bugging me so I used the interwebs, did the google and relearned some thermodynamics (I think I got his right, corrections happily accepted).

Short answer: the clay pot (with or without sand) works really well, but not quite as well as water. But given the ease of preparation, that it stays constant during a long cook, and that clean up is a snap, IMHO it is a no-brainer (I’ll leave the moisture arguments for another day).


Long answer: The idea is to smooth out temperature variations. Keep the temperature relatively constant. For that increased thermal mass helps. Each substance will “absorb” heat energy differently, some transfer heat energy quickly (materials therefore good for cooking pots and pans). The amount of heat energy it takes to raise the temperature is the heat capacity and water has a very high heat capacity – I estimate based on values seen on line for different materials about 4 times that of the clay saucer. However, the total amount of energy able to be absorbed is also related to the density of the substance. From what I can gather, the clay saucer is about 2-3 times the density of water…so it ends up being rather close. Water has the additional advantage of absorbing more heat in the conversion of water to steam. It takes lots more energy to make steam from water than to simply heat water. However, this acts against the ability of water to be a good thermal mass because you lose mass out the top vent with the steam. Anyone who has used water can attest to increased instability in smoker temps if they forget to refill the water pan. So as temperature “shock absorbers”, water is a bit better, but the clay saucer remains constant over a 16 hour cook as it does not evaporate. Plus no greasy water to deal with.
 
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