Brick wrote:
On 15-Feb-2005, "Dana H. Myers" wrote:

Well, not really. I put about 3 chimney-loads of fuel in the
firebox and run a grate-level temperature of 250-275 for as long
6 hours. That's less total fuel and a lot less messing around than
when I didn't have the baffle in place.

I haven't added the pie plate yet and I've never achieved a burn on
3 chimneys of fuel longer then two hours.

That sounds like the old days for me ;-). I'm much closer to
6 hours than 2 hours with 3 chimney loads. A couple of times
I've done baby-backs, taken them off around 3:30-4 hours, and
noticed I still had cooking heat (225+) after 5:30 or so.

It occurs to me that we ought to be a little more objective
about how big a "chimney load" is. I have a Weber chimney,
http://tinyurl.com/6m4q3, and I wouldn't be surprised if a
heaping chimney-full is close to a gallon.

The other thing I did was turn the bottom grates (the grates on
which the fuel sits) 90 degrees so the fuel is held a couple of
inches higher in the firebox. This seems to have improved the
airflow from the damper opening quite a bit, and it probably
the key to being able to get long, controllable 250F+ cook chamber
temperatures.


Before I turned my fire grate(s) (I bought an extra fire grate to take
up the extra space created by turning the grate 90°), I had way too
much trouble controlling the fire. There just wasn't enough airflow
through the fuel after a short burn time.

Precisely - a little ash would build up below the grate and the
fire would just be cantankerous as hell.

I don't know what standard you're using to decide whether
your cooker is using too much fuel; I just focused on getting
a healthy, controllable fire and it seems to have increased
the efficiency.

I use about 3 gallons of lump ( I use a 5 gallon bucket to transport
lump from a 40 lb bag to the pit ) to cook ribs and butts and 5 gallons
or even more to cook brisket

Well, I'll measure my chimney better this week and report back,
but we might be using similar amounts of fuel if my idea of a
"chimney load" is close to 1 gallon.

Cheers,
Dana

I created the baffle in my NBS by taking one of those disposable rectangle
aluminum drip pans and cutting it in half. Pushed it onto the bolts that
hold the firebox to the cook chamber and just added a couple of spare nuts.

Directs most of the heat and airflow down under the grill area.

Mark


"Brick" wrote in message
...

On 14-Feb-2005, "Dana H. Myers" wrote:

Brick wrote:

Good information Dana. I benefitted a lot from your post about the
minion
(like) fire. My chimney is extended down to the grill, but I have yet
to
stuff a
pie tin in there. Don't know why I've procastinating on that. Great
description of
the effect the pie plate made in yours. (For those that don't
understand
what
the pie tin, (baffle) is for, it limits the amount of direct radiant
heat that
gets into the cook chamber. ) The unmodified model is notoriously bad
about that. I
don't worry much about extending burn time much further. My pit is
about
ten feet from my sliding door and in direct view from inside the house.
I
just let it go until I see the temp starting to drop on the big NBS
thermometer
in the lid. Then I add about a chimney's worth of lump directly from a
three
gallon bucket. Most everything I cook is done in 7 hours or less.
Briskets
are about the only exception. They take only 8 to 9 hours. (Cooking at
an
indicated 250° to 275°.)

Apoligies to the group for quoting the whole GD thread. As you have seen
I don't have anything to offer the regulars, but he FNG's might learn
some-
thing.


Is that an indicated 250-275 on the lid thermometer?

Quote from my original post'

"I just let it go until I see the temp starting to drop on the big NBS
thermometer in the lid.


I use one of the
temperature probes of the Maverick at grate level, actually at the
base of the extended chimney. The NB thermometer typically reads about
25-50F hotter than at the grate and I basically don't trust it :-). But,
it doesn't really matter what you use as long as you're dialed-in with
it.

My experience is somewhat in conflict with Dana, 'BUT' my meat gets done
several hours earlier then others experience. I've never had a cook go
over
9 hours even with a brisket. This would indicate that grate temp must be
much hotter then at the lid, (about 4" from the exhaust stack). Go figure.
Dana's pieplate mod may well be the big difference.


After thinking about how the baffle would make the fire more
controllable,
it occurred to me that I'm now truly measuring the cook chamber
temperature
with the baffle in place, and the temperature probe was being heated by
radiant heat previously. So the actual cook chamber temperature might
have
been better than I thought it was, but my thermometer was confusing me.

I suppose my thermometer can always be in direct view, since it is a
remote ;-)

Sounds good there,
Dana

It seems that Dana and I are about equally articulate which means that if
you understand what we are talking about, you must be above average
intelligence.

The bottom line is what Dana said. If you're dialed into it, everything
else doesn't matter much. The NBS has a learning curve that might
run some people off. But I love mine. I get good 'Q' out of it every
time. And it has a lot of cooking space. I have yet to ever use the
bottom grates.

Brick (Keep the shiny side up)

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I created the baffle in my NBS by taking one of those disposable rectangle
aluminum drip pans and cutting it in half. Pushed it onto the bolts that
hold the firebox to the cook chamber and just added a couple of spare nuts.

Directs most of the heat and airflow down under the grill area.

Mark


"Brick" wrote in message
...

On 14-Feb-2005, "Dana H. Myers" wrote:

Brick wrote:

Good information Dana. I benefitted a lot from your post about the
minion
(like) fire. My chimney is extended down to the grill, but I have yet
to
stuff a
pie tin in there. Don't know why I've procastinating on that. Great
description of
the effect the pie plate made in yours. (For those that don't
understand
what
the pie tin, (baffle) is for, it limits the amount of direct radiant
heat that
gets into the cook chamber. ) The unmodified model is notoriously bad
about that. I
don't worry much about extending burn time much further. My pit is
about
ten feet from my sliding door and in direct view from inside the house.
I
just let it go until I see the temp starting to drop on the big NBS
thermometer
in the lid. Then I add about a chimney's worth of lump directly from a
three
gallon bucket. Most everything I cook is done in 7 hours or less.
Briskets
are about the only exception. They take only 8 to 9 hours. (Cooking at
an
indicated 250° to 275°.)

Apoligies to the group for quoting the whole GD thread. As you have seen
I don't have anything to offer the regulars, but he FNG's might learn
some-
thing.


Is that an indicated 250-275 on the lid thermometer?

Quote from my original post'

"I just let it go until I see the temp starting to drop on the big NBS
thermometer in the lid.


I use one of the
temperature probes of the Maverick at grate level, actually at the
base of the extended chimney. The NB thermometer typically reads about
25-50F hotter than at the grate and I basically don't trust it :-). But,
it doesn't really matter what you use as long as you're dialed-in with
it.

My experience is somewhat in conflict with Dana, 'BUT' my meat gets done
several hours earlier then others experience. I've never had a cook go
over
9 hours even with a brisket. This would indicate that grate temp must be
much hotter then at the lid, (about 4" from the exhaust stack). Go figure.
Dana's pieplate mod may well be the big difference.


After thinking about how the baffle would make the fire more
controllable,
it occurred to me that I'm now truly measuring the cook chamber
temperature
with the baffle in place, and the temperature probe was being heated by
radiant heat previously. So the actual cook chamber temperature might
have
been better than I thought it was, but my thermometer was confusing me.

I suppose my thermometer can always be in direct view, since it is a
remote ;-)

Sounds good there,
Dana

It seems that Dana and I are about equally articulate which means that if
you understand what we are talking about, you must be above average
intelligence.

The bottom line is what Dana said. If you're dialed into it, everything
else doesn't matter much. The NBS has a learning curve that might
run some people off. But I love mine. I get good 'Q' out of it every
time. And it has a lot of cooking space. I have yet to ever use the
bottom grates.

Brick (Keep the shiny side up)

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