It sure looked like I could have used the deflector as intended.
The smoke pot picture is actually from my "dry run" rather than my first cook. You can tell because I'm using lump charcoal, not extruded coconut. As it happens, I have a second charcoal basket on order with Dennis, to make it easier to switch back and forth between these two fuels.
I actually used my 16" Home Depot plant saucer, wrapped in aluminum foil (shown above), as a deflector on the lower grill. It is a slick, low-rent solution. Just wrap the grease in the foil, discard, and go again, no SS drip pan to clean.
I admired Dennis's drip pan and heat deflector separates, but I haven't tried them yet. What I'm really antsy to do is to load up his stunning rib rack!
