Heat Diffusers


 
B

BruceS

TVWBB Member
Happy New Year to everyone.

Is there a simple heat diffuser that is flater(other than the water pan) that can be placed over the charcoal ring in a WSM 18.5 so that the water pan can be removed?
 
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There have been several different options posted throughout this site. Hopefully this cuts down on search time.
Water pan with water
Water pan without water
Foil lined water pan without water. (my SOP)
Bricks wrapped in foil and placed in pan
A pizza stone wrapped in foil that either fits the water pan or catches the tabs on the WSM etc
 
Terra cotta plate (clay saucer) used for plant drip pans.
I have one I put on top of my water pan.
Or Google Fire dial. I have one i used a couple times and has been hanging on a nail in my garage for a Loonnnggg time.
OR there is a pizza pan you can buy off of Amazon. I bought one of those also,and I havn't seen it in a Loonnnggg time.
I don't remember it being so pricey but here it is. Maybe I should look for it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DE6NC0Q/?tag=tvwb-20
 
FireDial.

Works awesome. Fits perfectly on the water pan bracket. Also fits on the ring in my 18. Which is what I do when I hang ribs UDS style.

Cleans up in 30 seconds with a putty knife. No foil required. And only like $30. Solid steel.

I’m not sure I could even find my water pan if I needed to.

Most highly recommended.
 
Patrick Sullivan said:
When you use the Firedial or Vortex, do you get grease in the bottom of the WSM (under the coals)?
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I can't vouch for the Vortex. But that was the reason i bought the firedial. I was after the result you get on a charcoal grill with grease burning on the charcoal. What I got instead was just the grease burning on the firedial and putting out a burnt smell.
It was burning (vaporizing) on the hot metal of the firedial before it got down to the charcoal.
In all fairness I havn't used it since. I don't even remember if i sat it on top of the charcoal ring,or up where the water pan goes. I went back to using the terra cotta plate foiled and on top of my water pan,and havn't looked back. Some people on here rave how well it works,but that was not my experience. BUT I havn't thrown it away. I still have it!
 
No grease under the coals with my FireDial -- which I love.

Most of the drips hit the hot metal. Most vaporizes (just like a flavorizer bar on your gas grill). Some gets through the slots down to the coals -- which then burns up like on a charcoal grill, UDS or a WSM running hot/fast with no pan at all. I haven't touched them, but the FD comes with adjustable flaps which would let more heat/smoke/drips go between the top and bottom of the smoker.

I will use a foil drip pan on the FD on occasion if I want to collect drippings for gravy/sauce or want to add a little bit of moisture to the cooker.

On the 18, one really nice thing the FD (or a pizza pan) does is free up some space around the charcoal chamber. With that overly deep water pan in the 18, it is pretty cramped when tending the coals or adding wood.

I haven't tried it, but people seem to like the Hunsaker plate too.
 
I just bought a 15 inch pizza pan from Amazon for $3.89. I plan to use that as a heat diffuser instead of the water bowl on my next cook.
 
I've got the old Weber Water Pan on my 18 and I like it more than the new Water Pan. I actually threw out the new one because it interfered with my charcoal fire if I put a ton of charcoal below. The old one takes up much less space. I foil it before every smoke. Then throw away the foil after each smoke. I'm thinking about trying diffuser. I'm not sure if clean up would be much different.
 
I used a pizza pan in my 22. Wrapped it in HD aluminum foil and it worked like a charm. It's cheap, easy to wrap, and easy to clean. You may need to adjust your brackets to hold it but worth the effort.
 
A clay saucer from Home Depot works great on my 18.5 WSM, I've never used water in the water pan, just the saucer.
 
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