Cleaning Gear and a Heat Screen Mod


 

Dave Z

New member
Howdy!

Happy holidays to folks and all the best for 2021....

Like many folks, I like to try different methods for cooking and love to do mods. I have two WSM22 and have pimped them out with lid hinges, stainless steel doors, the Cajun Bandit Extended Rack Support Kit, gaskets and a better thermometer for the lid. I have also bought custom stainless steel grates and use a Fireboard thermometer.

I am original from Texas but now like in the UK. I like to do "low and slow" and also "fast cooks". I tend to do a lot of fast cooks for smoked chicken, and joints of meat. I tend to do large smokes, then slice and vacuum seal and freeze. I then heat via my Souse Vide which makes dinner a breeze on weeknights.

I also have a Hunsaker Vortex Fire Basket which I use in certain circumstances but the family and I are not that keen on the smoke generated by the hot lid. But I can work around that and in general like it.

I do like a cheap mod for doing "fast cooks" - I have a cheap "pizza screen" (like one of these from eBay) that I wrap in foil. It does not get too hot so I do not get the "burnt grease" flavour I get when using the Hunsaker.

I also needed (really wanted :)) and easier to clean water pan and in stainless and again, went on eBay and picked up a large stainless steel mixing bowl and this has worked very well. It holds up under the heat and is easy to clean. I will usually put the pizza screen on top of the water pan (again, wrapped in foil) as then I just need to remove the foil for clean-up. Pictures of the original water pan, cheap mixing bowl and pizza screen attached.

Finally, I like to clean my grates by soaking them. As I said, they are custom stainless ones and I do not want to use anything harsh on them. I like to soak them in a large plant tray / drip pan (see here). Then I tend to pressure wash them and then wipe down with a little soapy water and then rinse. A picture of soaking tray also attached. It is a perfect fit for the grates and uses minimal water. I like it better than a baby pool.

Nothing earth shattering here at all. But I do like the pizza screen, mixing bowl and plant tray as they are cheap and really do a good job, at least for what I need. On some things I am cheap (like the above) but then I spend any savings on other mods. :)

Keep smoking and keep safe!!
 

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