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)
>
> ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
> News==----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+
> Newsgroups
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----