Since I got my GMG Davy Crockett, it's been a bit of a love/hate relationship with it due to it's uneven heating, significant hot spots, and then more recently a bad controller. With that said, GMG customer service has been really good trying to get my DC to perform the way many others have reported. I read last week on the internet somewhere that the 2018 models of the DC have a new one-piece drip pan. I called GMG and they confirmed it's a solid one-piece drip pan, but it won't be available for an estimated few weeks. I also read that some foil their drip pans not just for easier cleaning, but to prevent hot air from coming through the holes even it it is in "closed" position. With this in mind, I used heavy duty kingsford grilling foil and foiled the upper drip pan. I then took measurements with my digital thermometers at the Left, Center, and Right. I took the temps at 150 degrees and also at 250. At both temps, the L-C-R were within 5-10 degrees of each other with mostly being more even than not across the 3 sections.
I then used my 10x15 baking pan along with my raised grate (see my previous posts) and smoked a rack of beef ribs for 6 hours at 250. The ribs came out very good, but the thing I noticed the most was the even cooking, which is has always been mostly absent from my DC. Obviously, the baking pan and elevated rack protected the usual scorching at the grate, but the left/right/rear edges of the ribs were not crispy as they usually are.
Next time, I might try to cook something on the grate level with the drip pan foiled again. This will tell me for sure if a solid pan would perform better. I've never been a fan of the 2-piece drip pan and always thought that the the extra hot air would still make its way through the holes even though it's in "closed" position. I'm glad GMG will be offering an alternative soon.
Author
Topic: Possibly Solved Uneven Heat Issue - Foil (Read 3243 times)