Has anyone tried lining the bottom of the WSM with foil to catch the ashes for easy cleanup? Didn't know what effect this would have. I wouldn't think much, if any.

Thanks!

Not sure if the reflective quality of the foil would hinder your temps or not. I would not however block any vents in anyway nor would I leave the foil with ashes in the cooker for any extended time. I would be afraid that moisture would form between the foil and the bottom of the cooker and cause premature rusting. Just my .02 worth, good luck.

Seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth, having to cut out for the vents and all. If you try it, let us know how it works out.

Bill

I also don't know how long the foil would last being in contact with the ashes. They are pretty "base" and may tend to eat aluminum up in a hurry.
I have found that when I foil butts or brisket and rest them, it doesn't take long for holes to get eaten in the foil.

Now ya got me wondering.....could I use the ash pan from my kettle grill? Or maybe take a measure just below the vents and purchase a cake pan or something to catch the ashes. Would be much easier to take out and dump and replace than foil. My WSM is within privacy fence in my backyard and I have to carry it to a disirable dumping site by the chainlink fence on the outskirts. Might just be able to dump in a plastic shopping bag this way and drop in trashcan on deck.

Good idea Dino! I'm trying to get as cleanup free as possible with my smoking. Whoever thought of the clay pot base method was a genius!

Here is the ash catcher

http://ewins.com/category/220126/220130/Ash_Catchers

Now if I can figure out the ashes....

I foiled mine a couple times, and now wonder why..it seemed sensless.

I use to foil the bottom, but since I have been using lump I found no need to anymore.

I can do at least 2 and sometimes 3 cooks before removing the ash.

I found that foil didn't really make much difference in preventing gunk from getting on the bottom. If you get some, just don't leave it set for very long.

I went and bought a Weber Kettle ash pan today to put in the bottom of my WSM to catch the ashes. I'll let you all know how it goes.

To dispose of ashes, I use the empty charcoal bag. The next day after cooking I scoop the ashes with a large kitchen spoon. After scooping ashes into the bag the first time, I roll the top over good and put into a plastic bin(any place to keep it dry will work). After the second cook/scoop I roll the top closed down tight and put it into the household garbage container for weekly pickup. After two cooks I have another empty bag to use.

quote:

Originally posted by Al Smith:
To dispose of ashes, I use the empty charcoal bag. The next day after cooking I scoop the ashes with a large kitchen spoon. After scooping ashes into the bag the first time, I roll the top over good and put into a plastic bin(any place to keep it dry will work). After the second cook/scoop I roll the top closed down tight and put it into the household garbage container for weekly pickup. After two cooks I have another empty bag to use.

I just throw my ashes into the neighbors backyard.
Kidding.
I have a small wooded area on my property. I just scatter the cold ashes in the woods.
Donnie, looking forward to the ash pan idea. I have an extra, maybe I'll give it a try.

I used foil few times, but it was too much hassle. It never affected the cooking temp or the rate of burning. Now I just place a disposable foil pan under the cooking grate, and just toss the whole thing when I’m done.

If you have a cat and get the cat litter in those big plastic buckets, make sure your ashes are dead, and just use the litter bucket, take it out to the trash, carry it to the woods....whatever. Spend all the $$ on cat litter, may as well get some use of the bucket lol.

Here to report on my ash pan experiment. I think all in all it worked ok. What I need to do is rig up something to pull it out of the bottom, like a tab or something. It fits right up next to the bottom of the smoker, and I had to get an old knife to lift it a bit to get it out. I pushed a few ashes from the side down into the pan, lifted it out, and dumped in my trash bag and was done. It had rained before I could get the ashes clean, so there was some water in the smoker below the pan which made it a bit more messy. I think if it was dry, it would have been much easier.

Speaking of wet, I have seen a few posts regarding waterproofing the cover. Got a bright idea today (they don't come often). Went out in the garage, got a 39 gallon trash bag and put over the smoker like a cover. Then put the regular cover on over it. We'll see how that works next time it rains.

All in all, for an $8 investment, I would call it a success.

This is what I do and it works well.

quote:

Went out in the garage, got a 39 gallon trash bag and put over the smoker like a cover. Then put the regular cover on over it. We'll see how that works next time it rains.

quote:

It had rained before I could get the ashes clean, so there was some water in the smoker below the pan which made it a bit more messy. I think if it was dry, it would have been much easier.

Speaking of wet, I have seen a few posts regarding waterproofing the cover. Got a bright idea today (they don't come often). Went out in the garage, got a 39 gallon trash bag and put over the smoker like a cover. Then put the regular cover on over it. We'll see how that works next time it rains.

All in all, for an $8 investment, I would call it a success.

All you need to do is close the top vent and store with the middle section flipped over, your WSM will stay bone dry. Even full of ashes. Quite convient if a storm is coming and it is hot. (Water in the pan might be a problem, but I use mine dry, lined with foil). Even after the 5" of rain in one day from the Nor'easter earlier this month my WSM was dry with no cover on it.

I use the yard garbage bag also, works well.

I like the ash pan idea. I had to replace one of the legs on my Weber kettle and the kit had an ash pan in it. The kettle is a gold model so I didn't need the pan. Now it just may have found a purpose.

i tried the kettle ash pan and it works great to a point. its to close and will fill up with a load of briq. i think it just needs to have the edges pounded in a little to drop the pan and it should be ok. lump would be no problem as it stands.