Bricks in smoker?

[SemperFiPhil]

Quick question... I have seen a couple pictures here of those that have put bricks in the bottom of their smokers.  Why is this done?  Does it help retain the heat inside?  Thanks!

[NePaSmoKer]

Yes they do retain the heat. Some members use them.

nepas

[bigcatdaddy]

I have a brick in mine wrapped in foil.  I think it helps out when trying to retain heat.  You can place it right next to the water bowl and doesn't take up much space.

BCD

[sdg]

The last time I used my OBS, I was only using the bottom two racks.  I wrapped a couple of bricks in foil, and put them on the top rack.

I found that it recovered much faster, because of the increased thermal mass.  I will have to try one beside the water bowl as noted above.

Obviously it takes longer to heat up in the first place, as the bricks have to come up to temp, but they hold their heat better than air, particularly if you have to open to baste, change water, etc.

[IKnowWood]

I keep 2 bricks in my smoker all the time.  not wrapped, they have been seasoned heavily and crusted.  They are in one whole paver and three wedges such that they fit in the lower pan with the water bowl. They do indeed help in recovery temps when I need to open up and also help reduce swings in long Butt and Brisket cooks.  so far I have the same bricks in almost 2 years in place.  I have a few in backup but might not need them.  The main ones are are good.  Just need to make sure to pre-heat long enough.   

[Roadking]

I like the idea of using bricks to retain heat.
I should have thought of that myself as I use bricks as a timing method. When cooking Sea Gull I put a brick in the pot and boil away. When you can pierce the brick with a fork the Sea Gull is done to perfection.   :o

[Caribou]

I learned about using bricks on this forum and gave it a try.
I use one brick to the right of the water bowl and I do believe it really helps the smoker recover quickly.
It definitely has made smoking in cold temps much easier.
Carolyn

[FLBentRider]

I have 2 foil wrapped bricks.

One under the puck runway and one on the other side of the water bowl.

It seems to help with temp recovery after a door opening.

[canadiansmoker]

I had never used bricks but there was one time I tried to do 4 racks of baby backs in the smoker and the temp never really ever did recover well enough. Ever since then I've been using a couple of bricks and it definitely helps!

[minnowfisher]

I like the idea of using bricks to retain heat.
I should have thought of that myself as I use bricks as a timing method. When cooking Sea Gull I put a brick in the pot and boil away. When you can pierce the brick with a fork the Sea Gull is done to perfection.   :o

Roadking, thats quite funny, liked it.
JFG

[NePaSmoKer]

I like the idea of using bricks to retain heat.
I should have thought of that myself as I use bricks as a timing method. When cooking Sea Gull I put a brick in the pot and boil away. When you can pierce the brick with a fork the Sea Gull is done to perfection.   :o

:D  :D  :D

Did you toss him an Alka Seltzer before you smoked him so you dont get heart burn  :D  :D and it would give him some salt pre marinade.  :D  ;D

nepas

[Brisket Lover]

So any kind of special bricks I should use?  Why do some use the foil? Did ya need to clean them first or just pop it in there? I will goto Lowes tomorrow and get some.  I really need a PID too, I'm so sick of running out to move the slider up and down.

[FLBentRider]

I wrap regular bricks from lowes in foil to keep them from getting covering in whatever drips past the V tray.

I change the foil every couple of smokes.

[okeejohn]

So, when you put the brick in the Bradley, how long do you preheat it for??

Okeejohn

[FLBentRider]

I just put the bricks in when I pre-heat the smoker.

I usually pre-heat for 30 to 45 minutes, sometimes an hour.