Smoker and aluminium pans

[Byrney]

Gday guys

ive lined the bottom of my smoker with aluminium foil and then lined the entire bottom with large bbq aluminium pans below smoker grates.

just wondering if these pans would affect my smoking and temps + or - and if its a no no?

my research tells me that to remove them for more even temps? https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoking-grate-baffle-fire-box.115786/

My baffle plate setup looks like this

just making sure my smoking journey which will be years and years wont be based on wrong practices and creating more harm then good!

 

[forktender]

Shouldn't affect a thing, I use foil/ drip pans all the time and have in all of my smokers.
Drum, offset, kettle, upright cabinet and pellet poopers. Try a run without and see if you notice and diff. I highly doubt't that you will.

Best of luck too you.
Dan

 

[PAS]

When I put an aluminum foil pan on a shelf infront of the temp limit switch it did alter the smoker. Example, if I set it to 225 the temp would drop 5-8 degrees before kicking back on instead of the normal 1-2 degrees.

Masterbuilt 30" electric

 

[SmokyMose]

The only thing I can think of is that they might inhibit the airflow from the firebox, but probably not.
I use a shallow pan with foil in mine just so I don't have to clean the smoker so often...

 

[texomakid]

Nice baffle plating. Those really helped me a lot when I cooked with an offset. Foil & foil pans are great but I've found where I use or place them can make a difference. In some cases, they acted like heat shields. It's all trial and error but I use the heck out of both with good results (and easier cleanup for sure!)

 

[Byrney]

Ok sounds like the verdict is they dont mess with the cook so much!

baffle placement look ok?

 

[Byrney]

Not winning

2 hours later.. 2 full chimneys of charcoal mixed with heat beads and 4 logs..

i get 230f idle and i need 270.

what in the F is going on. Why cant my shit smoker get up to 270 with all of this fuel

 

[Byrney]

?

 

[Joatman]

Hey Byrney, I understand the frustration. I had to finally give up on my offset smoker. I just couldn’t learn to master the temperature. The amount of charcoal and wood it consumed was ridiculous.....not to mention the constant monitoring. Using it in the late fall wasn’t very enjoyable. It wasn’t a thin, cheap rig either. After a year and a half....Craigslist. A lot of people love them and have mastered them......unfortunately I’m not one of those. Ive also used kettles, electric smokers and chimney smokers in the past. I did a lot of research and broke down and bought a kamado style grill/smoker from Costco a year ago. BEST purchase Ive made in a long time . I realize they aren’t cheap but you‘ll save a fortune on wood and charcoal (lump). They steadily hold their temps for hours for those low and slow smokes. You can also get them up to 500-800 degrees to sear those steaks and cook those pizzas. I couldn’t be happier. This probably isn’t what you want to hear but your post reminded me of my struggles with my offset. I think I have a touch of PTSD from it. Lol. I wish you the best

 

[Byrney]

Bro im eating up fuel!! Ever tried the wsm?

 

[Joatman]

I feel your pain.lol
I actually owned the Brinkmann brand chimney style smoker....which was very similar to the wsm. It ate up some fuel as well, being the walls are just thin metal, but not nearly as much as on offset. It did an ok job. It was only half the price of that wsm. With a Kamado grill, you can only use lump charcoal in them but you can get about two 5-6 hour smokes from one batch of charcoal. The 1” thick walls retain that heat without much fuel usage. I’ve never in a year had to add charcoal. I attached a pic of the offset smoker I sold last year. Also a pic of the new Kamado I got from Costco. It costs $600 in the store beacuse they drop the $100 delivery charge. Drops to $500 later on in the year when they clearance them out. That Weber you pointed out looks pretty decent too. You should save on fuel. The temp may be a little trickier to control if using more than one level at the same time. The top level is twice the distance from the heat source. I remember having to rotate my food. Good luck.