EVEN HEAT - is it necessary? Desirable?

[coyote-1]

Hung out with my brother on Saturday night. He's been using a NBBD for almost a decade. Asked him about the need for even heat across the grill. He said "There are advantages to having different heat zones!"

He feels that having the ability to increase or decrease the heat applied to a particular piece of meat without having to mess with the overall temperature of the smoker is a big advantage. He gets the approximate temp he wants, then when it's mop time he rotates pieces to different parts of the cooking surface. And I gotta tell ya, his BBQ is great.

So... I see so much effort on these forums devoted to evening out the temperature. Are there any long-timers here who prefer uneven heat, who see it as useful & beneficial?

 

[mulepackin]

I would imagine it would take a lot of use to become that familiar with your rig, but once you are I can see the advantage to it.

 

[cowgirl]

Well, my old horizontal wood burner has uneven heat. I have used it for so many years I know when and where to move stuff.
Can't really say having the uneven heat is a real benefit, but I do not mind it at all.

Now uneven heat on a grill ... I like.

 

[earache_my_eye]

I agree there....especially for doing different kinds of meats on a grill....or different thickness meats....makes all the difference in the world!

As for even smoker temp....even with the mods, it doesn't seem that anybody gets perfectly even temps across the grate...it just gets them closer....say 25 degrees difference, versus 75 or more degrees difference. Over a long cook with different meats, that 75 degrees could easily burn or dry out a piece of meat....25 degrees is a little easier to manage for most, though.

My $.02,
Eric

 

[richoso1]

What he said.

 

[ncdodave]

having only 25 degree difference from one end to the other in my smoker is all the world in long smokes which is what i use my smoker for. Short smokes on the Weber. having a 50 or 75 degree difference ruins the meat over those extended times and I don't want to keep opening the lid to move meats around. i burn much more fuel with the lid to the smoke box open to move meats around than with 25 degree difference and putting larger cuts on the warmer side and keeping the lid closed. my method works well for me so thats how I do it. I smoke short smokes in the Weber and the different temperatures are perfect for different meats and vegis all at the same time and finish cooking at the same time.

 

[jbchoice1]

I do think there are some advantages such as different cuts of meat, and what you are trying to accomplish... I do not have anything special in mine, but this is also not my first rodeo... about 20 years ago, when I started grilling/smoking had I know thought about tuning plates and baffles, then I would have learned differently, therefore I would not cook the same as someone else would... but I learned without that stuff and I now have a couple of different things that I do to regulate temps across the grid when necessary... but the majority of my stuff is without any "mods"... BUT, and this is my big but, I have and am still learning different stuff almost daily thanks to this forum... thanks all