Top or bottom rack?


 
J

Jon S

New member
When would I need to use the lower rack? So far I've only smoked chicken and put it on the top rack thinking that the further it was from the heat the less chance of any burning and a overcooking. I assume with the water pan and lower heat there will be less chance for that but i'm still unsure of if/when the lower rack would be necessary. Is it just for larger amounts of food or is there a science to it?
 
If you are doing chicken and there isn't so much that you need two racks. Use the top, ditch the water pan using direct heat. With poultry you can't get it too hot. I put an extra vent in the 18.5" to get more heat, works great.
 
You can use both for similar or un similar proteins. I find the upper rack gets more color so I rotate mid-cook.
Normally I just do sides like beans , taters or corn on the bottom rack that benefit from the drippings (or love} from above.:)

Tim
 
The bottom rack is also handy for cooking a turkey (or turkey breast, or even a large chicken) on a vertical stand. Otherwise, mine sits in the garage unused most of the time, unless I'm cooking 3 or 4 pork butts at a time - which is very seldom.
 
Never tried cooking anything on the bottom rack without the water pan in place, but I like the idea of the upright chicken holders being used on the lower grill. I must get me a pair of them.
 
Use bottom cooking grate primarily for increased cooking capacity...briskets on top and bottom grates, chicken halves, ribs in rib racks or rolled, pork butts, etc.

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Rusty James said:
Never tried cooking anything on the bottom rack without the water pan in place, but I like the idea of the upright chicken holders being used on the lower grill. I must get me a pair of them.
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I bought an old Spanek set off eBay. It had 2 Cornish Hen, 1 chicken, and 1 Turkey sized stands. I also bought a couple extra chicken stands since I usually do 2-3 at a time. They are taller than the normal vertical roasters. The turkey stand is pretty big and suppose to be able to hold a 18lb bird.

Then I made a hook out of a metal coat hanger and a piece of wood. You can use the hook to grab the top ring on the spanek through the neck hole. It's nice to have a handle.
 
When using water the lower rack will be cooler than the top. Usually around 15 to 20 degrees. I only use the top rack unless I can't fit everything on one rack.
 
JBooker said:
I bought an old Spanek set off eBay. It had 2 Cornish Hen, 1 chicken, and 1 Turkey sized stands. I also bought a couple extra chicken stands since I usually do 2-3 at a time. They are taller than the normal vertical roasters. The turkey stand is pretty big and suppose to be able to hold a 18lb bird.

Then I made a hook out of a metal coat hanger and a piece of wood. You can use the hook to grab the top ring on the spanek through the neck hole. It's nice to have a handle.
Click to expand...

Great idea. I do the same thing with an old pair of tongs, the end of which fits down through that hole if I tilt them. Then I can lift straight up and pick up the whole thing securely.
 
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