A Dutch Oven Smoke Pot

[CeramicChef]

Howdy KKers!  Here are pics of my smoke pot that I use while smoking in TheBeast.  As you'll see, this little 2 qt Lodge Dutch Oven really won't fit well in Beauty!, my 19" Hi-Cap; she is too petite.  When it comes to smoking meats, that is strictly within the purview of TheBeast, my KK BB 32".   However, when you see the Lodge Dutch Oven smoke pot in the belly of TheBeast, you can see that it fits quite nicely even with a heat deflector in place.  So, let's cut to the chase.

 

Here is a bottom view of the drilled bottom.  These are 1/8" holes drilled about every 1.25 inches around the perimeter of the DO.

 

 

Here is the pot flipped over looking down inside the DO.

 

 

Here is, hopefully, a better view of the hole pattern in the drilled DO.

 

 

Now here is the DO smoke pot sitting on top of a full fire box in Beauty!  As you can see there really isn't any room in Beauty! for the DO smoke pot and a heat deflector.

 

 

Here is that same DO smoke pot sitting in the belly of TheBeast.

 

 

Here is a look at the coffee wood i'll be using later today in a cook.  This stuff is tremendous in conjunction with a coffee/cardamom rub.

 

 

Finally, here is the DO smoke pot ready for action later in the day.  

 

 

Here is what you get at the end of every smoke.

 

 

I just dump the charcoal back into the firebox for the next cook.  There are not very many volatiles left so it makes good fuel.  Waste not, want not.

 

All I do before I put a cook on to smoke is move half of the heat deflector to one side, put the DO smoke pot directly over the lit charcoal and wiggle it to seat it well in the burning charcoal, move the heat deflector back into place, put the cooking grate back in place, put the cook on the grate and shut the lid.  No waiting to thin blue smoke.  It happens from the first instant you get smoke as the smoke generated by the DO smoke pot is injected directly down into the charcoal fire thus burning off all the foul tasting volatiles that you see in the initial gray smoke that is produced by laying the smoke wood directly on the coals.

 

Now, what you may need to do is make certain that the cooks you smoke with this DO smoke pot is make certain that your cook, i.e. butt, brisket, ribs, etc., is really cold when you put it on the grate.  Because this technique gives you a milder version of smoke at all times, your cook may not have the deep smoke taste many people want.  You can combat that by cooling the meat your smoking thus doing a couple of things.  First colder meat will condense more smoke on its surface for a longer period of time.  Second, you may want to use woods that are not as sublime as alder, fruit woods, etc.  Rather, look to hickory or mesquite.

 

The originator of this little DO Smoke Pot  runs a bead of flour paste around the rim of the DO and then puts the lid on.  It seals the DO and forces all the smoke out the holes drilled in the bottom.  I have not found the need to do that with this DO.  I'd say about 95%+ of the smoke generated by this incarnation goes straight out through the holes in the bottom.  I wasn't worth a damn with paste in the first grade and I haven't gotten any better with age!

 

Finally, a disclaimer here.  This IS NOT an idea that is original with me.  Rather, I got this from a thread here at the KK Forum.  And God help me, I can't find the original post where this smoke pot is described!.  It originated with , I believe, @Syzygies, a KK owner and member of our Forum I'm certain most of you don't know that you know.  Remember the movie "A Beautiful Mind"?  I've been told by a reliable source that all the mathematical notion that you saw on chalk boards, windows, etc. is the work of our very own mathematician, i.e. @Syzygies, who came up with this technique.  Who says mathematicians are out of touch and don't live in the real world!?  This is about as real world as it gets!

 

Syzygies, I give it up to you for this technique!  It's aces.  I owe you more than a couple of beers.        

[MacKenzie]

Ceramic Cook, a very nice explanation of the smoke pot, lots of detail making it easy for others to do the same thing. Thanks. I was wondering if you cut the handles off would it then fit in the Beauty?

[tinyfish]

Mr CC do find the cast iron rusts being directly on the coals. I found with my cast iron searing grill that it gets too hot and start to rust.

[CeramicChef]

Ceramic Cook, a very nice explanation of the smoke pot, lots of detail making it easy for others to do the same thing. Thanks. I was wondering if you cut the handles off would it then fit in the Beauty?

 

MacKenzie - great question!  The easy answer is even with the handles cut off, it really wouldn't fit Beauty!, my 19" Hi-Cap.  That smoke pot is simply too tall to really fit well.  It's not the width that's the problem, it the height.  Beauty! is a petite little babe (relatively speaking, of course)!

[CeramicChef]

Mr CC do find the cast iron rusts being directly on the coals. I found with my cast iron searing grill that it gets too hot and start to rust.

 

tiny - good point.  I spray that pot with a cheap, generic version of Pam after every use.  So far, so good.  But your point is quite valid and well taken.  Thanks!

[tinyfish]

tiny - good point.  I spray that pot with a cheap, generic version of Pam after every use.  So far, so good.  But your point is quite valid and well taken.  Thanks!

I like the idea. Is there a different material Dutch oven that would work.

[tony b]

I have used one of these for years. Yeah, there's some slight rust on it, but who cares? It never comes in contact with the food. It will take many years to rust through.

 

I followed Syz's directions (mine only has 3 small holes in it). One of the best DIYs I've ever run across! Works a lot better than the Bobby Flay box I bought first. It worked, but didn't hold a lot of wood chips, so it petered out on long cooks. The DO allows for using bigger chunks, which is why I went with it.

 

Went on a search and found Syz's original post - http://komodokamado.com/forum/topic/4570-where-is-the-smoke/?p=43238.

Edited April 8, 2015 by tony b

[tinyfish]

Will keep my eye out for a dutch oven.

[ckreef]

Nice idea. Now if I could only find a mini DO for my super Jr.

If I could find a 10" skillet with a flat lid. I could cut the handles off and use it as a smoking heat deflector. It would need a flat top so a drip pan would sit on it.

Hmmmm - got me thinking.

[CeramicChef]

Nice idea. Now if I could only find a mini DO for my super Jr.

If I could find a 10" skillet with a flat lid. I could cut the handles off and use it as a smoking heat deflector. It would need a flat top so a drip pan would sit on it.

Hmmmm - got me thinking.

A smoking heat deflector! Now that's an interesting idea. Very interesting. Let us know if that works out; you might be on to something there.

[tinyfish]

Looks like i found a Lodge Logic cast iron 2 quart serving pot with iron lid.  8" diameter and 2 7/8" high. would this be ok for a KK 23".

[CeramicChef]

tiny - that is exactly the DO I use. Because of the original post by Syzgyies above that tony was so good to provide, I'm assuming that the DO that Syzgyies was put in a 23" KK. Read that thread and I'm certain you'll be convinced it works just fine and dandy. The take away I get from rereading that thread is that the guys who use that smoke pot nestle it down into the coals and light the char under it with a torch similar to what I do.

[KevinS]

Turn the lid upside down and put it back on the pot. It would reduce the overall height of the smoke pot. Might allow it to fit in Beauty.

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[KevinS]

ckreef - search the Internet for an old cast iron "chicken fryer", in size 8 or 9. It is, essentially, a deep cast iron skillet with a lid. Drill holes in the bottom, turn the lid upside down, and put it in the KK. Since the lid it upside down, it gives you a concave surface to catch drippings without burning. Smoke pot, heat deflector, and no-burn drip pan - all in one durable unit.

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[tinyfish]

Bass pro has a chicken fryer cast iron pan 10 1/4" diameter not sure height.

[KevinS]

That one appears to have a pouring spout cast into it. Wouldn't be able to get a good seal. Most chicken fryers that I have seen appear to be deeper that a skillet, but not as deep as a Dutch oven.

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[tony b]

Here's the one that I've been using for a while now. Cheapest one that I could find.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Texsport-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Dutch-without/dp/B004H13NZM/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1428608541&sr=8-11&keywords=texsport+dutch+oven

 

It's only a 4 qt one, so a bit smaller (approx. 10" dia. and 4.5" tall).

 

Here's a 2 qt. one that might fit in Beauty, CC. It's a Bayou Classic - It's only 8.25" dia. and 3" tall. http://www.camping-gear-outlet.com/camping-gear-121819.html

 

If you really want the deeper chicken fryer. They make one of those too. No dimensions given though. http://smile.amazon.com/Texsport-Cast-Chicken-Fryer-Cover/dp/B000EIIDEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428608717&sr=8-2&keywords=texsport+chicken+fryer

 

Here's a 3 qt Lodge chicken fryer. 10.5" dia, 5.5" tall. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/lodge-l8cf3-3-qt-pre-seasoned-cast-iron-covered-chicken-fryer-deep-skillet/530L8CF3.html?

[ckreef]

All interesting suggestions. Will take some measurements and see what I can come up with.

[CeramicChef]

One of the other things that is really nice about the CI smoke pot is that pellets do pretty well in this thing. In some respects, they do even better. You can really pack this smoke pot with pellets and get a longer time on smoke. I've got about 7 or so 5 gallon buckets filled with various pellets from my days of using a Weber Kettle. I kept them just in case. Just in case happened. Ya never know!

[DennisLinkletter]

My two cents here is to just put a few, 3-4 holes dead center..

When the wood gassifies, the pressure thru the fewer holes would be greater and the gas travel deeper into the burning charcoal where is can be burned off.. I even started a project to build one of these with actual tubes to get the gas below the burning charcoal to ensure more of it will burn off..