smoking with silica sand instead of water

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lestmart37

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 1, 2014
2
10
Has any one try to smoke with silica sand in water pan? Is it safe new to smoking thanks
 
Silicates can cause a condition called silicosis. Its generally on the package as a warning when purchasing silicate material for construction, such as grouts and mortars. To ingest it is probably to only wear teeth down, but to lodge it in a lung is a more serious issue.
 
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Sure, play sand is a larger grit. Hopefully even washed to remove the fines. Its the ground up small particles capable of being airborne that seem to be the issue. But a pile of sand you heat dry and knock about will produce a self ground powder as will many materials as you tumble them. I seriously doubt its a big issue if you clean your rig after every cook. Also, since mass controls that temp thing you are chasing, consider more water, as that lower moist temp like steam produces is quit useful in slow cooking, and a bigger pot of boiling water reheats a cc rapid pronto when you close the door.
 
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OR..just fill your water pan with sand and cover it with foil. Takes care of the dust issue, when it gets to the point that it is ugly, change the foil and it works as a great mass to hold heat! Many on here do it that way, that where I learned it. (like everything else I know about smoking, I learned it here).
 
Has any one try to smoke with silica sand in water pan? Is it safe new to smoking thanks
Sand is safe.

Otherwise they will shut down all the beaches worldwide, and there will be no camels.

dcarch
 
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I used pea gravel b/c it was what I had laying around. I threw some foil over it and change it every 3-4 smokes. I used to use water but had bad creosote one time. I switched to pea gravel and haven't gone back. Works great on those long smokes where the water would dry out, and is less messy IMHO.
 
A couple of factors to consider:

1. What is a good material to use for heat retention? Find a chart of specific heat of common materials by volume (not by weight/mass). Water is actually very good for temperature below 212F.

2. Foiling is counterproductive. It prevents the heat-sink from absorbing heat, and it prevent the heat-sink from giving up heat. (Physics law of black body radiation).

dcarch
 
 
Send them to me. We will sell them and give you half the money!
It's bad luck!!! I live on the side of a volcano and don't want Madame Pele mad at me...
Yeah , she can be a B*****
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