Should I get the stainless drip pan to double as a heat deflector for indirect cooks?

[Mcdddy]

Hi - I’m a relatively new user of my 32 BB I bought last year. Not sure if people use the included ceramic heat deflectors? I’m guessing not from posts I have seen. I’m looking to keep my grill cleaner from drips and more importantly have some kind of heat deflection for indirect cooking. Any thoughts?

 

[tekobo]

Did you get the basket splitter and half grate for your 32BB?  Splitting the basket so that there is a cool zone under the half grate is one way to achieve indirect cooking.  Or simply lighting your fire at the far end of the KK, away from the half grate is another.  

I never use the ceramic heat deflectors and am not sure what you mean by the "stainless drip pan".  A stainless steel pan came with my KK as standard.  I sometimes use that to catch drips.  I also have a double bottomed pan for the 32 and the 23 and I use the pan from the 23 in the 32 when I want to cook something underneath the main grate, with the added benefit of tasty drippings from the food above. 

[C6Bill]

As Tekobo stated, no need for the heat deflectors. Only a few members actually use them. They are included as a courtesy as many start with a BGE and get used to using them. You just waste fuel by heating them. And I use the basket splitter for indirect cooking with the top grate upside down over the coals and the round drip pan under the food. For something full sized like a brisket or turkey the double drip pan works great, i don't have one so i just use a pair of stainless serving trays, i think it was @Poochie who suggested that and it works great, I line it with foil to keep it from getting caked with gunk, like my regular ones. And by keeping it clean you can also use it for catching drippings and roasting your veggies in it. They are not nearly as nice as the double bottom drip pans Dennis offers but they work.

Edited May 15, 2023 by C6Bill

[tony b]

Aluminum foil works just fine for indirect cooking. All you're trying to do is block the direct infrared heat - doesn't take much to do that. Just place it on a grate just under your cook. 

If your cook is very fatty, a drip pan (cheapo aluminum ones) works to keep the flare-ups at bay from the dripping grease. 

[DennisLinkletter]

I place foil a couple of inches larger than my meat on the lower grate with a drip pan on the foil..

[Syzygies]

Even Dennis isn't trying to spend your money, he just wants you to be happy.  Yes, you don't need a Kamado stainless drip pan to fashion a heat deflector.

For many years I lined a plain terra cotta plant saucer (they come in large sizes) with heavy duty aluminum foil. The terra cotta cracked every few years, and i'd be out $20 for another one.

Once I bought the Kamado double bottom drip pan, I use it whenever I can. It makes an excellent heat deflector. If one's cook isn't overly salty, it protects the drippings from scorching. One doesn't necessarily plan to use the drippings, but cooking is improvisation, and anything remotely related to gravy needs brownings as a base.

We all have different ways to measure expense. If cleanup is a bigger deal than purchase price, then one might worry about cleaning the drip pans. A terra cotta saucer lined with foil is surely a breeze at cleanup time, and one could use the drippings. One I bought an electric pressure washer to prepare our deck for annual oiling, I look for any excuse to use it. Like Arnold's flame thrower in Commando, it might be overkill but it gets the job done. I'm already using it to clean the grates, at which point giving the drip pan a wipe then also pressure washing it is easy.