Ceramic Diffuser Plate

thirtydaZe · 10-05-2012, 10:25 AM

New to the Kamado world, I have a question about the diffuser plate. Is it intended to spread the heat across the area of the smoker evenly, or is it more to keep the temp of the cooker down?

My first cook i used the minion method with 1/4 chimney of lit charcoal using the diffuser plate, then i choked the smoker way down and it maintained 250*.

2nd cook same thing, no diffuser plate, grilled burgers.

3rd cook, last night, pizza. I got creative and bought a looftlighter, lit 2 spots in my charcoal, put in the diffuser plate, and opened the smoker all the way up to really get some fire and heat generated. I could only get to about 275*.

It looked, as far as i could see, that there was a nice fire burning.

Now i'm all confused. did i not get enough fire initially with the looft? Did the diffuser plate keep the temp down?

Do i kick my own @ss for buying the looft? I really loved my chimney, just wanted something new to play with.

centexsmoker · 10-05-2012, 10:34 AM

The looft is fine and you should be able to reach high temps with the ceramic plate in. I can get well over 700 with mine in my BGE. The plate is to shield food from the direct heat of the lump- essentially turning your kamado into a wood burning oven instead of a grill.

My guess is that since you are new to the kamado world is that you had air flow issues stemming from your earlier cooks. You probably had ash clogging some of the airflow holes in the bottom of your fire box. If you are going to do a pizza cook or a long low and slow, I suggest you clean out your fire box to ensure good airflow. Once you get a a few more cooks under your belt you'll get a better feel or it but you are fine.

thirtydaZe · 10-05-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centexsmoker

The looft is fine and you should be able to reach high temps with the ceramic plate in. I can get well over 700 with mine in my BGE. The plate is to shield food from the direct heat of the lump- essentially turning your kamado into a wood burning oven instead of a grill.

My guess is that since you are new to the kamado world is that you had air flow issues stemming from your earlier cooks. You probably had ash clogging some of the airflow holes in the bottom of your fire box. If you are going to do a pizza cook or a long low and slow, I suggest you clean out your fire box to ensure good airflow. Once you get a a few more cooks under your belt you'll get a better feel or it but you are fine.

I didn't even consider that maybe i'm clogged up at the bottom, likely the case. Sometimes it's the simple things.

Thanks for the response, i had almost worked myself into a tizzy about the diffuser.

weihl165 · 10-05-2012, 11:55 AM

When I use a diffuser in my drum, I have to start with more charcoal than without it. A full chimney with diffuser in gets me about 275.

DerHusker · 10-05-2012, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centexsmoker

The looft is fine and you should be able to reach high temps with the ceramic plate in. I can get well over 700 with mine in my BGE. The plate is to shield food from the direct heat of the lump- essentially turning your kamado into a wood burning oven instead of a grill.

My guess is that since you are new to the kamado world is that you had air flow issues stemming from your earlier cooks. You probably had ash clogging some of the airflow holes in the bottom of your fire box. If you are going to do a pizza cook or a long low and slow, I suggest you clean out your fire box to ensure good airflow. Once you get a a few more cooks under your belt you'll get a better feel or it but you are fine.

I agree with centex. Before I start a new cook I always stir up my used lump first to get all the ash off it. I then make sure all the little pieces are pushed over to the sides as they can clog up the air holes in my CI plate in the bottom of my fire box. I then add some large pieces of lump in the center. Then add some medium pieces to expand my mound and finally fill in with smaller pieces. This way I get good air flow thru the lump.

thirtydaZe · 10-05-2012, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weihl165

When I use a diffuser in my drum, I have to start with more charcoal than without it. A full chimney with diffuser in gets me about 275.

my problem is, i was shooting for 500*, vents wide open. i could see the 275* if i had it all choked down.

centexsmoker · 10-05-2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirtydaZe

my problem is, i was shooting for 500*, vents wide open. i could see the 275* if i had it all choked down.

Yep- I get well over 700 for pizzas all the time with my stone in. It's all fuel and airflow in kamado cookers. It's that way in all cookers but kamados are prone to airflow issues because of how they are built.

So if you have plenty of fuel, you are clogged if you cant get up to temp. Simple as that.

DerHusker · 10-05-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirtydaZe

my problem is, i was shooting for 500*, vents wide open. i could see the 275* if i had it all choked down.

Something wasn’t right. One of my last cooks I walked away for 10 minutes and came back to 600 degrees. This wasn't the temp I was looking for as I was going to do a pork butt and some ribs. I had to work fast to get it to cool back down in hurry. My point is there should be absolutely no problem getting it up to 500 degrees.

LMAJ · 10-05-2012, 02:52 PM

Yep - you probably had ash built up restricting the air flow.

Something to think about when doing pizza... I use a plate setter, then a spacer, then a pizza stone on top of the spacer. I like the air gap between the plate setter and the pizza stone. Helps keep the crust from burning.
Also - let your cooker and stones get warmed up for a while - a hot stone will make for a better crust.

shirknwrk · 10-05-2012, 04:14 PM

You want a Kamado that breathes? http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productrevi...-que/highq.htm

Oh yeah, it'll breathe!

centexsmoker · 10-05-2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shirknwrk

You want a Kamado that breathes? http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productrevi...-que/highq.htm

Oh yeah, it'll breathe!

Fo' Sho'. Turbo Charge your kamado. No ash clogs ever again

thirtydaZe · 10-05-2012, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shirknwrk

You want a Kamado that breathes? http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productrevi...-que/highq.htm

Oh yeah, it'll breathe!

beautiful! thanks for that link.

i can't wait to dig in tonight and see how clogged i am.

centexsmoker · 10-05-2012, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirtydaZe

beautiful! thanks for that link.

i can't wait to dig in tonight and see how clogged i am.

make sure to clean out your ash bin while you are in there. I do it every time I do a pizza or a low n slow. I like to sleep way too much to worry about my fire on a low and slow

10-05-2012, 10:25 AM	#1
thirtydaZe Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 10-20-11 Location: Omaha	Ceramic Diffuser Plate New to the Kamado world, I have a question about the diffuser plate. Is it intended to spread the heat across the area of the smoker evenly, or is it more to keep the temp of the cooker down? My first cook i used the minion method with 1/4 chimney of lit charcoal using the diffuser plate, then i choked the smoker way down and it maintained 250. 2nd cook same thing, no diffuser plate, grilled burgers. 3rd cook, last night, pizza. I got creative and bought a looftlighter, lit 2 spots in my charcoal, put in the diffuser plate, and opened the smoker all the way up to really get some fire and heat generated. I could only get to about 275. It looked, as far as i could see, that there was a nice fire burning. Now i'm all confused. did i not get enough fire initially with the looft? Did the diffuser plate keep the temp down? Do i kick my own @ss for buying the looft? I really loved my chimney, just wanted something new to play with. __________________ Kamado Saffire Yoder Cheyenne Weber Kettle 22.5" Weber Summit Weber Performer Weber Go-Anywhere Weber Jumbo Joe

10-05-2012, 02:52 PM	#9
LMAJ somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-01-07 Location: Southeastern Pa	Yep - you probably had ash built up restricting the air flow. Something to think about when doing pizza... I use a plate setter, then a spacer, then a pizza stone on top of the spacer. I like the air gap between the plate setter and the pizza stone. Helps keep the crust from burning. Also - let your cooker and stones get warmed up for a while - a hot stone will make for a better crust. __________________ L-M Official Pennsylvania MOINK Ball maker 1 Large BGE - 7/5/08 1 Large BGE and table - 8/29/12 1300 Timberline 5/26/17 1 18.5 WSM Super Fast BLUE and REDThermopen 1 - Fantastic hubby - the original Big Al Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. - Robert Brault

10-05-2012, 10:34 AM	#2
centexsmoker Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 09-22-12 Location: Austin, TX Name/Nickname : John	The looft is fine and you should be able to reach high temps with the ceramic plate in. I can get well over 700 with mine in my BGE. The plate is to shield food from the direct heat of the lump- essentially turning your kamado into a wood burning oven instead of a grill. My guess is that since you are new to the kamado world is that you had air flow issues stemming from your earlier cooks. You probably had ash clogging some of the airflow holes in the bottom of your fire box. If you are going to do a pizza cook or a long low and slow, I suggest you clean out your fire box to ensure good airflow. Once you get a a few more cooks under your belt you'll get a better feel or it but you are fine.

10-05-2012, 11:55 AM	#4
weihl165 Got Wood. Join Date: 10-13-10 Location: CT	When I use a diffuser in my drum, I have to start with more charcoal than without it. A full chimney with diffuser in gets me about 275.

10-05-2012, 04:14 PM	#10
shirknwrk is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 03-05-10 Location: Kansas City, MO	You want a Kamado that breathes? http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productrevi...-que/highq.htm Oh yeah, it'll breathe!