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Hey all, I'm going to rig up something for a heat deflector. What I come up with may be temporary or if it works well I'll keep it.

I'm seeing some variance in the placement of the deflector or stone used. Some sit level with the top of the fire bowl, some are hung below, and some people just put something on the lower rack but I guess that's about the same as the top of the bowl.

I'd imagine one that is dropped lower would be more prone to cracking (esp in the case of using a cheap pizza stone).

I'm going to get some flat stainless to either bend for a hanger or lay flat to support a deflector stone. What can you tell me about how a kamado reacts to having it at one level or another?

For something quick and dirty could I simply throw a pizza stone on the lower rack and cook a beef brisket on the top rack?

I've also heard of people using fire brick to retain heat and buffer temperature swings, or use quarry tile as the deflector. What are your thoughts on those?

Thanks, just looking for info and ideas here.

-Rob

Also, kiln shelves look like a decent alternative. http://www.kamadoguru.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=2073

I'd just put something on the lower rack, that's all I do with the Kamado and primo.

I picked up some of the fire bricks from Ultimate Home Comfort in Bayers Lake, Canadian Tire/Walmart also carry them (~$5/ea if I remember correctly). I've use them as a heat deflector on the lower rack, with a drip pan on top of them and a roast on the upper rack.

And that's pretty much how they all work AFAIAC. But you can also use a sheet pan or thinner metal too, and keep the drip pan off the bottom with some tinfoil rolled into balls, or some other type of shim.

In my haste to get a solution, I just trimmed up an old rectangular cookie sheet (snipped the corners off) so that it fit down in the bowl but still above the coals. I can just tilt it up out of the way to add more charcoal / wood chips. It works. I don't really see the need to use something with 'thermal mass' or insulating properties.. the Kamado does a fine job of regulating the heat without such a thing. A drip pan would be a good idea but my 'solution' has no option for that.

I don't want to use something on the lower rack, because typically the lower rack is full of food!!

TimG wrote:I don't want to use something on the lower rack, because typically the lower rack is full of food!!

That, along with the limited space above the top rack would be my only reason for wanting a plate setter.

RubberToe wrote:Hey all, I'm going to rig up something for a heat deflector. What I come up with may be temporary or if it works well I'll keep it.

I'm seeing some variance in the placement of the deflector or stone used. Some sit level with the top of the fire bowl, some are hung below, and some people just put something on the lower rack but I guess that's about the same as the top of the bowl.

I'd imagine one that is dropped lower would be more prone to cracking (esp in the case of using a cheap pizza stone).

I'm going to get some flat stainless to either bend for a hanger or lay flat to support a deflector stone. What can you tell me about how a kamado reacts to having it at one level or another?

For something quick and dirty could I simply throw a pizza stone on the lower rack and cook a beef brisket on the top rack?

I've also heard of people using fire brick to retain heat and buffer temperature swings, or use quarry tile as the deflector. What are your thoughts on those?

Thanks, just looking for info and ideas here.

-Rob

Rob - Did you ever come up with a solution / idea? Like Tim, I'm going to want to use two racks while smoking large quantities, so I don't want to go with anything on lthe lower rack. For the short term, that's what I'll end up doing. If I don't come up with a better solution, I will most likely pick up the Vision spider from the ceramic grill store while in the US this summer (I can have it shipped to a relative's house before I arrive).

Like you, I'm thinking that two steel bars, bent to fit the firebowl and a large pizza stone / deflector below the lip of the bowl is the way to go.

Derek, for now I'm using fire bricks on the lower rack. I'm still planning on building some kind of drop shelf with flat steel, when I find something suitable.

FYI, on my Primo the heat deflector sits down into the fire box, the top of the plates sit near flush with the top edge of the firebox. It has about 1" space all around the edges for airflow

NASH wrote:FYI, on my Primo the heat deflector sits down into the fire box, the top of the plates sit near flush with the top edge of the firebox. It has about 1" space all around the edges for airflow

Thanks - that's where I want mine to sit as well. I would have thought a bit less for the air gap around the edges. Perhaps with your monster oval Primo its not an issue!

any updated pics on everyones heat deflectors?

sleepyjamie wrote:any updated pics on everyones heat deflectors?

No picture, but I use the kamado Joe heat deflector.

LeafMan66_67 wrote:

sleepyjamie wrote:any updated pics on everyones heat deflectors?

No picture, but I use the kamado Joe heat deflector.

Same here. Works excellent. Kamado Joe is supposed to be releasing a new version of this deflector that looks to be an even better design.

I also use the KJ heat deflector.....works great!

canuck wrote:I also use the KJ heat deflector.....works great!

Is this the model you guys use?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EV ... d_i=507846" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yep, that's it. Although I paid $80 for mine locally.

I just inherited a basic primo kamoado from my brother in law.....it is in good shape with no cracks in the firebox and appears to have been used very little.
I'm looking to modify it a little so that I can cook indirectly ......i ran across this thread and was wondering why no one has mentioned putting a smaller grate (say a small grate that would come with a smokey joe weber) that would sit down in the fire box above the charcoal and use a water pan or pizza stone( or round metal pizza pan) as the deflector device sitting on the grate.

I have never used a ceramic cooker and am mostly a weber smoky mountain guy when using store bought smokers( I currently own 3 of the 18.5" wsms).....most of the other smokers I own are home made and are straight wood fired ......my family and I have a BBQ team of over 10 yrs so we are pretty familiar with indirect heat and smoking, but have just never wanted to pony up the 7/8 hundred bucks for an egg or a primo.........my question is this......if I could get the grate to sit at the right height above the charcoal and then use a pan as a deflector plate on the grate with enough space on the edges to allow for good airflow........why would that not work???

Also have a question as to could you use a water pan in a primo kamoado or would it harm the ceramic with all of the moisture in the cooker??? My thought would be to sit the water pan directly on the lower grate I would fabricate.....

Any suggestions would be great.......

Bbqboy wrote:I just inherited a basic primo kamoado from my brother in law.....it is in good shape with no cracks in the firebox and appears to have been used very little.
I'm looking to modify it a little so that I can cook indirectly ......i ran across this thread and was wondering why no one has mentioned putting a smaller grate (say a small grate that would come with a smokey joe weber) that would sit down in the fire box above the charcoal and use a water pan or pizza stone( or round metal pizza pan) as the deflector device sitting on the grate.

I have never used a ceramic cooker and am mostly a weber smoky mountain guy when using store bought smokers( I currently own 3 of the 18.5" wsms).....most of the other smokers I own are home made and are straight wood fired ......my family and I have a BBQ team of over 10 yrs so we are pretty familiar with indirect heat and smoking, but have just never wanted to pony up the 7/8 hundred bucks for an egg or a primo.........my question is this......if I could get the grate to sit at the right height above the charcoal and then use a pan as a deflector plate on the grate with enough space on the edges to allow for good airflow........why would that not work???

Also have a question as to could you use a water pan in a primo kamoado or would it harm the ceramic with all of the moisture in the cooker??? My thought would be to sit the water pan directly on the lower grate I would fabricate.....

Any suggestions would be great.......

The kamado Joe deflector is pretty much what you describe - a ceramic stone on a frame below your cooking grate.

As for the water pan, not required for ceramic because the moisture from cooking is already trapped in the cooker. Personally, I don't use the water pan in my WSM either, just a large ceramic plate as a heat sink to help regulate the temperature.

I use water filled drip pans where required. I'm pretty sure many of us do, it just rarely gets mentioned. I use one to collect fat, keeps it from burning.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

mr x wrote:I use water filled drip pans where required. I'm pretty sure many of us do, it just rarely gets mentioned. I use one to collect fat, keeps it from burning.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

I do use a drip pan on my deflector plate when required, just no water - can't stand the cleanup of the water and grease. Disposable foil pans get scraped into the green bin then tossed. For the WSM, my ceramic plate is covered with foil and is my drip pan. It'll hold the fat from up to 15 pounds of pork. It gets dumped and recovered after each cook.

Sweet deal!

Bbqboy wrote:was wondering why no one has mentioned putting a smaller grate (say a small grate that would come with a smokey joe weber) that would sit down in the fire box above the charcoal and use a water pan or pizza stone( or round metal pizza pan) as the deflector device sitting on the grate.

Because as the metal grate expands with heat it'll break the firebox.

Bbqboy wrote: Also have a question as to could you use a water pan in a primo kamoado or would it harm the ceramic with all of the moisture in the cooker?

Don't use water in a ceramic cooker. First, you don't need it at all, the airflow is so small compared to conventional cookers you retain most moisture in the food. Secondly, picture the mess of a water pan spilling, breaking, leaking or otherwise into your ceramic cooker. Not pretty, and there's always the possibility of cracking from temperature shock if it were to happen. I use drip pans religiously for most types of roasting/smoking. All hazards aside, I tried water in the pans a few times when I first got my Primo until I discovered the food was better roasted and or smoked rather than steamed

Check the Primo website, there's a cage and stone to use as a heat deflector. It doubles as an upper rack and a pizza stone.

Depending on what I'm cooking, a dry drip pan burns fats to cinders and I get a scorched taste in the food.

mr x wrote:Depending on what I'm cooking, a dry drip pan burns fats to cinders and I get a scorched taste in the food.

Yeah - that would be bad! Haven't really had that issue. On higher heat cooks with deflector and drip tray I raise the tray off the shield with tiny balls of foil - seems to help.

LeafMan66_67 wrote:

mr x wrote:Depending on what I'm cooking, a dry drip pan burns fats to cinders and I get a scorched taste in the food.

Yeah - that would be bad! Haven't really had that issue. On higher heat cooks with deflector and drip tray I raise the tray off the shield with tiny balls of foil - seems to help.

I do the same.