Tuning plates

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prestonk08

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Feb 14, 2014
129
23
Michigan
Good afternoon everyone. I have been searching older threads and haven't come up with a height for tuning plates to the cooking grate. I know that you should put them above the baffle plate and opening but I'm not sure the distance from the plates to the grates. Right now in my build they are sitting at about 4 inches to the grate. They are 5" wide by 1/4 thick. My cooker is 20" by 52". Any recommendations? Thanks.
 
Thanks again Dave you are a wealth of knowledge! I understand how the tuning plates operate so I guess what I took from that post is it kinda depends on your baffle plate and size of smoker. So as long as it's not too close to the grate or too far away a happy medium is the way to go. Is that correct?
 
Near as I can tell you are correct... The baffle directs the heat flow downward, in smokers that need that baffle, then the spacing of the plates lets the heat/smoke rise toward the food... The plates also heat up and heat the food...
Tuning the heat in the CC is something that needs to be adjusted by the spacing of the plates... A non-contact IR therm can help with that.... Check the temps of the plates....
 
Great I was hoping I read that right. I have read too close and the IR will over cook things from the bottom and too far away doesn't take advantage of radiant heat from the plates. A mix of rising therms and smoke and radiant heat is the sweet spot. I love it when a plan comes together! Que ATEAM theme song. Thankyou sir.
 
The picture is actually from a 2007 thread on this forum...  It appears, the baffle plate covers the opening of the FB/CC and redirects the hot air and smoke downward to continue under the tuning plates....   don't know for sure, but that's what it appears to me...   AND I'm going to assume it is just set in there...  could be tack welded...  or bolted...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/54542/building-an-italian-offset-smoker
 
That's what I am in the process of doing with my new smoker. I've just laid them in there on the rail I made and when I get it figured out I'm gonna weld little stops in mine so I can take them out and clean them and use my smoker as a big ole grill. It's all really fun! Good luck.
 
In my opinion in my smoker 1/4 thick does really well and really holds heat. But, my smoker is pretty thick and heavy so they work well. My charbroil offset that I used before this one had a convection plate that I made that was 1/8" and did well. That smoker isn't as big as my current smoker so the fire wasn't quite as big when I cooked and did great. IMO 1/4" works the best for me.
Ken
 
In my opinion in my smoker 1/4 thick does really well and really holds heat. But, my smoker is pretty thick and heavy so they work well. My charbroil offset that I used before this one had a convection plate that I made that was 1/8" and did well. That smoker isn't as big as my current smoker so the fire wasn't quite as big when I cooked and did great. IMO 1/4" works the best for me.
Ken
Thanks ken, I was thinking either 3/16" or 1/4"
 
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