Kent wrote:

> Does the sand really control temp for a long time? The sand adds mass, which
> must heat up slowly. At some point the sand has to get hotter than you want
> it to. Water, at a constant simmer at a constant temp, will maintain a
> constant smoking temp. I can't see how sand would. It will certainly slow
> the temp. rise, though it should get hotter and hotter with time.

There is a particular way it will "control" the temp,
though control might not be exactly the right word.

Mainly, it will dampen temp swings. This makes fire control
a simpler matter and much more forgiving. This is good. We
like not having to constantly fiddle with the rig.

Just as a datapoint, the thing you'll be asked
should you call Cookshack, Bradley, etc and report a
"thermostat" problem is for a full enumeration of what's
been in the oven. If you're only cooking a few small items,
i.e. the total mass of stuff in the oven is low, they'll tell
you to put more stuff in. It doesn't matter what, anything
will do. More food, pan o water, rocks, it don't matter.

Greater mass "helps" the thermostat coordinate when to
pump in more heat and the result is a much more steady
and predictable average oven temp within a tighter temp
range. The same effect occurs when you substitute the
thermostat with human judgment.

--
Mort