Rack question


 
J

J. (Archer) Stapleton

New member
New owner of a WSM 22.5. Recently smoked a couple butts, one on each rack. Used the minion method and the cook ran about 13.5 hrs.

The butt on the lower rack was more tender than the one on the top rack. Internal temps were about the same. I am reading that the real test is how easy the probe goes in, not just internal temp.

My question is which rack cooks quickest. In other words did I slightly over or under cook the less tender roast???

Hope that makes sense.
 
Welcome!

First, on your 22.5" WSM you could easily cook both butts on the top rack, so not sure why you used upper and lower.

That aside, people who have monitored temps say that it is usually hotter the closer you get to the dome, so the upper rack is usually hotter and thus cooks quicker. There are some variables, however. Did you use water in the water pan? Some people foil over the pan and leave it empty. Others put some kind of "heat sink" in the pan, such as a clay flower pot base, or bricks, to help even out temps.

You might have had a slightly lower temp on the lower rack, but also you might have just had a better cut of meat that happened to be on the lower rack.

In the end, the best bet is to monitor both grill and food temps with digital thermometers, and when you get close to your target temp for the food, check to see when it is done.

BBQ is a journey...enjoy the ride!

JJ
 
There was enough room on the top rack for both. Couldn't tell you why I put one on each rack.

I did use water in the pan. I was happy with how well the weber held a steady temp.

One last question (This time) - In this case I cooked two similar cuts of meat to the right temp range. One piece was noticeably more tender when I pushed the temp probe in. Should I pull one roast and cook the other a little longer or just assume it is a tougher piece of meat??

Both were delicious, just wondering if I could have done a little better.
 
Despite what you read about every butt being different or some such, they're not. One butt is not 'tougher' than another. One is not more 'stubborn' than the other.

Internal temp won't tell you when your butts are done, feel will, as you've discovered. The butt that felt less tender needed more time to reach the same feel as the one you liked better. No problem removing one when it feels right and allowing the other to cook longer.

Internal temp does not cause tenderness though it might correlate with it. Might not. If the more tender butt you did was right for you remember how it felt. Shoot for the same feel next time, no matter what the therm says.

It doesn't matter if the lid temp is hotter or cooler than the grate, ir if one grate is hotter or cooler than the other. The meat will tell you when it's done by how it feels. Differences in cooktemps between the grates or either grate and the lid are immaterial.
 
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