David Chang Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 yeah i was going to say what @Tyrus said about meat no longer taking on any more smoke at X degrees, but I cant recall what the temperature was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 That deflector was originally designed to protect the wood knob on the bottom vent. They were getting scorched, cracked and breaking off. Dennis is always updating and improving things, so I don't know what the current vents use for knob material, but if it is still wood, probably best to leave that deflector in place. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 (edited) @mguerra Not wood anymore - ceramic. No worries about them getting torched and breaking. The deflector is also to help prevent hot coals from leaving the KK, especially if you pull out the draft door for a very high temp sear. I use the @Syzygies smoker pot for long cooks (like the rib cook that I'm doing today.) Short cooks (under 2 hours), I just put the chunks on top of the charcoal in several spots near where I started the fire. The only time that I use the foil pouch is when I'm doing Jerk cooking with real pimento wood pieces, leaves and berries (allspice). The only way to prolong smoke adherence to the food beyond about 140F meat surface temperature is to spritz it with a liquid (apple juice, water, wine, beer, etc.) periodically to give the smoke some cooler surface and moisture to cling to. Edited April 30, 2022 by tony b 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
