Gary S
TVWBB Guru
This weekend I decided to make BBQ Beef Ribs. I prepared the ribs with the idea of putting them on about 2pm. We finished up the last of the pulled pork and my wife remarked how much she enjoyed it and wondered when I would make it again. Our butcher works Saturdays so I called him and then went down to pick up a 12 lb. butt. Might was well continue the cook, the smoker was already working and with an all-nighter it would not interfere much with the next day.
I prepped the butt while the ribs were cooking. As things would have it the ribs were a little late going on and so to keep the butt on schedule I started it on the lower rack. Sometime around 9pm. the ribs were done and I took them off to rest. At this point I was planning on changing my entire cook. The butt only went on at 8pm. I had used my Brinkman water pan, following the Weber Bullet guide for beef ribs and was intending on replacing the pan with a clay saucer to use with the butt and of course moving the butt to the top rack.
I wore insulated mitts and reached down to find there was no way I could get a hold of the second grate. I went to the garage to get two pair of vice grips. I clamped on to the grate and began to lift it out with the Butt in place. As it was almost out of the smoker the butt slid tipping the grate and fell into right into the boiling water. Luckily the Brinkman pan stayed put but the boiling water splashed up on to my shirt and scalded my stomach.
My butt went for a swim however I was able to recover the butt, pull the water pan, refuel and carry on. This whole incident would not have happened had handles been installed on the lower grate.
My point is this, I have read on this forum where others have put forward the suggestion of handles on the outsides of the mid-section of the WSM and Weber apparently says there are no plans to do so. The speculation or perhaps it’s been suggested, I’m really not sure, this may be for liability reasons. It might be reasonable to assume a manufacturer would not want people picking these things up separating the components when they are in operation. In my circumstance this is exactly the opposite. Weber offers two levels of cooking and they include the water pan so there should be a safer way to remove the lower grate without fear of dropping hot food into boiling water.
What happened to me could happen to others.
I prepped the butt while the ribs were cooking. As things would have it the ribs were a little late going on and so to keep the butt on schedule I started it on the lower rack. Sometime around 9pm. the ribs were done and I took them off to rest. At this point I was planning on changing my entire cook. The butt only went on at 8pm. I had used my Brinkman water pan, following the Weber Bullet guide for beef ribs and was intending on replacing the pan with a clay saucer to use with the butt and of course moving the butt to the top rack.
I wore insulated mitts and reached down to find there was no way I could get a hold of the second grate. I went to the garage to get two pair of vice grips. I clamped on to the grate and began to lift it out with the Butt in place. As it was almost out of the smoker the butt slid tipping the grate and fell into right into the boiling water. Luckily the Brinkman pan stayed put but the boiling water splashed up on to my shirt and scalded my stomach.
My butt went for a swim however I was able to recover the butt, pull the water pan, refuel and carry on. This whole incident would not have happened had handles been installed on the lower grate.
My point is this, I have read on this forum where others have put forward the suggestion of handles on the outsides of the mid-section of the WSM and Weber apparently says there are no plans to do so. The speculation or perhaps it’s been suggested, I’m really not sure, this may be for liability reasons. It might be reasonable to assume a manufacturer would not want people picking these things up separating the components when they are in operation. In my circumstance this is exactly the opposite. Weber offers two levels of cooking and they include the water pan so there should be a safer way to remove the lower grate without fear of dropping hot food into boiling water.
What happened to me could happen to others.