Have I Found The Holy Grail?

[AmosMoses01]

Dang... something else to put on my mind and wish list. . I already use an Amazing smoke tube with the Blazn’ for things I want to crank up the smoke on, but this seems like a much better solution. I don’t think this product will fit on my Grid Iron though, but this will be added to my list of reasons to find a community college metal working class to take for making my own. .

[randy56]

Great idea and wright up with pictures.

[lostclusters]

I tried one of these on my MAK 1 Star today. I cooked a chicken at 325*, not a temperature that you would get a good smoke flavor from a pellet cooker. BUT with this gadget I most certainly did.

But first things first. This gadget was not built for a MAK. The legs are not long enough to set properly and the notch in the leg is not long enough to fit the MAK. The judicious use of pieces of a 2" patio brick saved the day.



The size of the wood caddy is deceiving. They are friggin' huge!



I used pecan mini splits along with pecan, apple, and cherry bbq'ers delight pellets. The results were an absolutely delicious chicken with a very delectable smoke flavor. I decided not to place the steal tabs on the ends of the wood caddy which was a bad idea. I believe it contributed to a 25* - 30* overrun on the temperature. The wood burned too freely.

Overall a success. Very satisfied with the smoke profile of this chicken.

[Troutman]

I used bricks in mine too. So far I’m pleased as well. I may call Dennis at Smoke Daddy and see if he’ll mod one to my specs. I’ll report back if he does.

[fzxdoc]

Nice writeup, as usual, Troutman . You're always pushing the BBQ envelope, and it's fun to see where it leads you.

I've been tempted from time to time to get a pellet cooker, but each time the reported lack of smoke flavor compared to other cookers deters me.

It's great, though, to see that you breathed new smoke flavor into your converted pellet cooker. Way to go.

Kathryn

[Mr. Bones]

^^^^, Milady...

[Scott H]

Great idea and write-up! Loved the ingenuity!

[BigD]

Troutman , are your experiences with the Heavy D still all positive? I'm thinking about getting one for my old Traeger but wanted to get an experts advice on how things are going before I do. Any advice you, or anyone else in the pit, would have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[lostclusters]

I have since stopped using mine. I found that the burn of the wood was not complete enough and added soot the the cook chamber gasses. Probably because the wood caddie is not large enough for such a large piece of wood. Maybe smaller pieces would burn more completely.

[nikolausp]

Troutman , are your experiences with the Heavy D still all positive? I'm thinking about getting one for my old Traeger but wanted to get an experts advice on how things are going before I do. Any advice you, or anyone else in the pit, would have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Troutman Did you see this? I'm curious with your current thoughts on the HEAVY D, and also your thoughts on any tips & tricks to getting it working good, particularly at very low & slow temps.

[Troutman]

Sorry BigD and nikolausp just now saw this. Yes I still use mine. I did have to customize the way it mounts to avoid too much ash in my burn pot. It works well for me, I get good clean burns with chunks and small splits. I think a lot of it has to do with the size of your cooker.

[leol2]

I have the smoke daddy 1190 with that diffuser. Definitely worth the money. It does add a smoke flavor to the cook

[Lock Stock and Barrel]

It is amazing how we (you) can come up with solutions for making our food taste the way we cooked 10000 years ago. Bravo for the solution to low smoke flavour!

[nikolausp]

Sorry BigD and nikolausp just now saw this. Yes I still use mine. I did have to customize the way it mounts to avoid too much ash in my burn pot. It works well for me, I get good clean burns with chunks and small splits. I think a lot of it has to do with the size of your cooker.

Ok, good to hear. My HeavyD just came in the mail. I have a RecTeq RT-700 smoker, so hopefully I can get it to work well in that. I've read that I'll have to turn the HeavyD 90degres, and some people prop up the HeavyD about .75 to 1 inch with 2 firebricks to raise it up a bit from the firebox.

[Jfrosty27]

I have the Recteq 700 also. Please keep us posted on how it works out

[Troutman]

Fire bricks work well, I did that initially in mine. Another hack is to replace the screws that hold the fire pot to the auger arm with threaded rod that stick up high enough to suspend the Heavy D in the air above the fire pot. Only issue there is clearance of any grease collection plate might be above that. Good luck I still like mine and find it definitely gives me a good amount of smoke for the first hour or so of a cook.

[nikolausp]

Sorry BigD and nikolausp just now saw this. Yes I still use mine. I did have to customize the way it mounts to avoid too much ash in my burn pot. It works well for me, I get good clean burns with chunks and small splits. I think a lot of it has to do with the size of your cooker.

Do you have any tips or comments for getting the chunks & splits smoking good at low temps (200-225 degrees)? Do you heat up smoker a bit hotter to get the wood burning, then bring it back down? I've read that some people wrap the wood chunks in foil and/or also alternate in some Lava Rock as well, do you do that at all?

[Troutman]

No real comment. I just shove as many chunks or mini splits into the chambers as tight as I can and let her go. Like I said, I only get a good amount of smoke for an hour or so, that's generally enough for me.

[Smoking77]

As for me and my recteq 590, I do exactly what you're asking regarding the temperature. I set it to high until the temp reaches 350 (not on the cooker readout, but on my Fireboard), then I dial it back to the temp I want. For mine, I do have to crack the lid open a bit (with a small wood chunk) for the first few hours or the temps start to increase a little too much. Don't know if this is the right way to do it, but I always love the results.

[nikolausp]

Do you have any tips or comments for getting the chunks & splits smoking good at low temps (200-225 degrees)? Do you heat up smoker a bit hotter to get the wood burning, then bring it back down? I've read that some people wrap the wood chunks in foil and/or also alternate in some Lava Rock as well, do you do that at all?

Ok, cool. Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it!