Offset smokers with “convection plate”

[busmania]

I own a Yoder whichita. When using the convection plate (or whatever it’s called) it seems the heat from the convection plate below the grate is affecting my cooks. When I do ribs for instance, the bottom of the meat almost gets charred from too much heat. On a higher heat cook (like 300-325 for a “fast” brisket cool) the bottom of the meat sometimes burns (I have started putting a foiled liner down as a buffer on high heat cooks).

So, I took the plate out and it seems even though I’m cooking at the same temps (smoker loves 275, verified by calibrated some therms and inkbird thermometers) the food takes forever to get done. I can only equate this to if you soux vide something at 200 degrees vs smoking something at 200, the smoked meat may never finish where the soux vide would finish very quick. Hard to explain (fluid dynamics maybe) but does that make sense? If I take the convection plate out permanently, do I just have to accept food will take way longer to cook (again, even if temps are the same)?

Last night I did a larger 5-6 pound chicken (no plate) and had to finish in the oven. At 300-325, I couldn’t get the temps in the breast over 130ish. Verified it wasn’t done by cutting it open, smoked for 2 hours and 45 minutes before moving to oven).

Maybe it’s an issue of a small smoker. Can’t wait to build my 24” barrel smoker.

 

[Stlsportster]

I think a convection plate works similar to my reverse flow, producing a metal mass below the meat.

I cook fat side down on briskets and pork butt to protect the bark. Generally I don’t have issues with ribs at 275-300 but there are hotspots for sure that I avoid (close to the firebox) or use depending on what I’m doing.

 

[sudsandswine]

Is it a convection plate or a deflection plate (not familiar with that model but it kinda sounds like the “tuning plates”)? The scorching sounds like radiant heat from the metal plates, so it’s not surprising the food cooks faster with them in place than without them. My pellet grill will scorch the bottom of meat when the grill is running above 250-260* which is also from the metal deflector plate. It’s in fairly close proximity to the meat. The 4 or 5 inch gap between my Shirleys reverse flow plate does not have a similar effect on the bottom shelf, except for the 12-18” of it right next to the firebox....which is unsurprising since there is often flames lapping up out of the firebox towards the tunnel. I use that spot for cooking chicken...gets the skin perfect.

 

[busmania]

I’m not sure what exactly it is called. It is like Tuning plates but is one solid piece of steel with holes in it. The holes get larger as you get toward the chimney size. It’s supposed to more evenly spread heat but I’m not sure it really makes a difference. Firebox side is always 50-75 degrees hotter. Yoder calls it a “heat management plate.”

https://www.yodersmokers.com/wichita-loaded.html

 

[okiej]

I had an old Oklahoma Joe and put a convection plate (solid plate with progressively larger holes moving away from fire box) in it from Horizon Smokers. I felt like it did even heat a bit, but also felt the radiant heat from the metal was undesirable.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

It's not a "small smoker" issue as plenty of people have small offsets and they churn out meat within normal time intervals. I had the smaller 20" version called the Cheyenne and outside of the design flaws it did cook some good food. The "heat management plate" essentially turns the smoker into a "bottom up" style smoker where the heat from the firebox enters the smoke chamber from below, rather than from the side. So in this type of cooker using the heat management plate you will have a serious hot spot at the bottom, medium temps at the food grate, and then another hot spot towards the top where the heat and smoke escape into the exhaust stack.

My Cheyenne certainly had hot spots all over the place and the heat management plate didn't really help that very much. It was still ~75° hotter on the firebox end than on the other side, and that's WITH the heat management plate. Though I never ran into the issue you're describing with food taking forever to cook. I mean, it is a smoker, and generally the whole idea is to cook the food with heat and smoke for large periods of time. I would usually cook 275-300° and I never had any issues with food taking forever....unless you're constantly opening the cook chamber door to spritz or check the meat.

You mentioned a chicken but whole chickens can take some good time to cook. A 5Lb chicken at 300° will usually take 3-4 hours, or longer, depending on your fire management. If you've got seriously fluctuating temps then it will take longer, and every time you open that cook chamber door you're losing ~10-15 minutes while the temp in the cook chamber comes back up.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Does the Wichita have a baffle between the firebox and cook chamber ?


Here's a vid of a Yoder mod ( sorry, IDK which Yoder ) but he takes the convection plate out but leaves part of it for a baffle



https://youtu.be/kpCdKMFsZlU

 

[smoke_savage]

yoders just don't draft very quick due to the small stack, slow air flow means slow cooking!
go bigger with your fire, remove the fire grate and build it on the bottom of the cylinder, also remove the convection plate, they don't really work either, i'm supprised yoder sell so many like this

 

[bigdexxx]

yoders just don't draft very quick due to the small stack, slow air flow means slow cooking!
go bigger with your fire, remove the fire grate and build it on the bottom of the cylinder, also remove the convection plate, they don't really work either, i'm supprised yoder sell so many like this

It's funny you posted this response stating that Yoders don't draft very quick. I watched a video from JD at Primitive Pits/Workhorse Pits where they cut off the stack and put their own version on it and the cooker worked better and produced more even temps.

Edit: Somebody already posted it above, below is the biscuit test he did afterwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUjNaywMec

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Are you opening the firebox door during the cook also ?


I can move the heat around inside my Old Country Brazos, by how far the door is open.



I've quit using the damper in the firebox door.

 

[busmania]

I made a new taller stack and so it drafts very well. I did all kinds of mods when I bought it (knowing about drafting issues, I like a challenge I guess). I ultimately put everything back together as stock with exception to the longer chimney I made.

There is a small baffle. In the YouTube where he cuts off the chimney, it seems he just extend it. Maybe I’ll give that a go.

I was going to cut off the chimney and install at grate level with the collector but decided to keep it as is and just build a new smoker. Parts are about to be machined this week for it actually. I’m just trying to decide how much of an opening from firebox to cook chamber I want, then it’s go time. That’s a whole other topic all together.

 

[bigdexxx]

I made a new taller stack and so it drafts very well. I did all kinds of mods when I bought it (knowing about drafting issues, I like a challenge I guess). I ultimately put everything back together as stock with exception to the longer chimney I made.

There is a small baffle. In the YouTube where he cuts off the chimney, it seems he just extend it. Maybe I’ll give that a go.

I was going to cut off the chimney and install at grate level with the collector but decided to keep it as is and just build a new smoker. Parts are about to be machined this week for it actually. I’m just trying to decide how much of an opening from firebox to cook chamber I want, then it’s go time. That’s a whole other topic all together.

I've emailed his company, because I'm looking at having him build something for me. If you email him, he will probably provide you any information you want.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

I can get bottom burn on my Brazos, especially if I increase the air flow by opening the FB door.


So I rotate and flip the meat fairly often. That solved the problem.


And I cook on the stack end of the grate, don't even try to use the first 12" on the FB end.

 

[busmania]

I don’t open the cooking chamber door unless absolutely necessary. Firebox door only opens when adding a log. Appreciate all your feedback.

 

[JWFokker]

Thin fire bricks between the convection plate/baffle near the firebox side will help.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

I had an old Oklahoma Joe and put a convection plate (solid plate with progressively larger holes moving away from fire box) in it from Horizon Smokers. I felt like it did even heat a bit, but also felt the radiant heat from the metal was undesirable.

I had the same experience when i tried the same setup. The radiant heat would make the bottom of brisket and ribs get way too charred. Not to the point of being inedible just not how i wanted my end product after all the time cooking.

 

[charcoalwilly]

I had the same experience when i tried the same setup. The radiant heat would make the bottom of brisket and ribs get way too charred. Not to the point of being inedible just not how i wanted my end product after all the time cooking.

Yep its the radiant heat. Lesson learned years ago on BGE with ceramic platesetter which often fried bottom of meat.

I like to have at least 6” of space between the meat and any kind of tuning/convection plate. How much space do you have? You could try to raise the meat up couple of inches on the cooking rack. Like someone else mentioned, fat side down also helps.