CG Mod

[jennenga]

I have flipped my charcoal tray in the main cooking chamber as recommended by so many of you. My question is, I've heard you folks talk about drilling holes in the charcoal tray. Is there aspecific placement, configuration, size for these holes? If anyone can help me, it would make my weekend. Thanks in advance for all your guidance!

 

[rickw]

Not a CG but this is how Horizon made mine.

 

[marty catka]

I copied that same concept on my own homemade tuning plate, an old cookie sheet.

 

[jennenga]

Wow Marty, I'd never thought of that. Using a cookie sheet that is. I am married and pretty sure that if I try that, I may be sleeping with my smoker on the deck! Thanks for the idea!

 

[rickw]

Nice! How does it work?

 

[chefrob]

good thinkin' marty!

 

[marty catka]

Pretty well actually. I started with small holes, figured if I needed I could always open them up, can't make 'em smaller. My first two smokes and the seasoning fire temps were only about 5-8 degrees off from side to side. I also dropped the stack to the grate level.

 

[rickw]

Very good!

 

[marty catka]

Thanks! Just putting into practice what I see and read. Saw the tuning plate on the Horizon website and figured why not!

 

[barneypoo69]

Great idea. Now if you would be so kind........show me how you made the baffle....
Also, do you use a water/drip pan ? If so how do you have it placed ?

Thanks

 

[olewarthog]

I use the inverted charcoal tray in my CG, but I do not have any holes drilled. I place the SFB cooking grates in the bottom of the MC & sit the inverted tray on those. If I push the tray flush against the SFB opening, it covers it completely & the end opposite the SFB will run 15-20 degrees hotter than the SFB end. By sliding the tray a couple of inches away from the opening, I can balance the temps within 5 degrees. Another advantage of this setup is that I can slide the tray further away from the SFB opening & create a hot zone for crisping the skin on BBC, etc or the bacon on ABTs & moinks. I can also still use my CG for direct & indirect grilling.

 

[marty catka]

The baffle is just made out of aluminum flashing and a piano hinge. I couldn't find heavier stock at the time and figured this would be easy to work with. I can now use it as a template when I manage to get my hands on a heavier piece of stock.

 

[timtimmay]

Mine has about 5-10 degree difference from right to left. I flipped the charcoal tray, with it on the higest setting on the firebox side, and sitting directly on the bottom on the other side (I don't use the left-side hanging bracket). Hanging this way allows the tray to hang right up against the right side of the smoke chamber so there is only an 1/8" or so of gap.

I also took the charcoal grate that comes with the SFB and placed it under the flipped charcoal tray right by the firebox and put a bag of ceramic briquettes on it.

I had intended to do those mods as temporary until I could build a system of tuning plates, however with the performance I don't think do too much better than 5-10 degree difference and the effort wouldn't be worth the time/expense.