You'll love it for sure.. my only suggestion is getting a large pizza pan or comparable to cover the bottom of the barrel to catch the yuckies. I used a spare drum lid cut off the rim and bent up the edges to form a pan
Fwidsmoker you talking something like a heat defuser between the coals and the upper rack? I figured the drippings would add flavor when they hit the hot coals. I do have the perfect old pizza pan for the job though!
I can't help it..I tend to over think stuff until someone puts me in my place..with a pan between the coals and the grate..is the heat deflected towards the edge of the drum? I'm thinking the redirected heat would cause the temp gauge to show higher than the area where the food is.
Some do use a heat deflector between the coals and food. I have not. Did you order the standard drum kit or the enhanced drum kit? If you ordered the enhanced kit, it comes with the ash catcher. If not you can get it for 19.99 on the BPS site.