Any dual-grate gotchas I should know about


 
J

JimMcG

TVWBB Member
Cookin' a mess of ribs (trying for 8 racks) on Saturday. Of course I'll need to cook on both grates. Haven't ever cooked on the bottom grate since buying the WSM. In fact, the grate's never been dirty since I remove it when I cook on the upper grate. Anyway, I was just wondering if there are any pitfalls or tips you guys could let me know about in advance.

I have 2 rib racks I'll be using....one holds 4 racks, the other holds 3. In order to cook all 8 racks, I'm hoping I can somehow finagle the last rack on whichever grate has the 3 rib rack. Maybe lean it up against it while not actually being on the rack, I dunno...will cross that bridge when I get to it.

I should also note that I'll be trying the clay saucer in the water pan method for the first time.

Going to start a massive search now for info on lower grate cooking...
 
Even though the lower grate runs a bit cooler than the upper grate, I've not noticed much difference in the finished product.

If it concerns you, you could rotate the ribs periodically, especially if you're doing the 3-2-1 method.


I got 4 Brinkmann rib racks like these below and cut off the outside corner 'spikes' on 1 side which allowed me to fit 2 side-by-side on each WSM grate. The metal is just soft enough that I used the cut off pieces as 'twist ties' to secure the racks together.
http://barbequick.net/store/images/RibRack.jpg
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
Even though the lower grate runs a bit cooler than the upper grate, I've not noticed much difference in the finished product.

If it concerns you, you could rotate the ribs periodically, especially if you're doing the 3-2-1 method. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I was reading around and saw someone suggest giving the racks on the lower grate a head start of about 30 mins. I was thinking I'd give that a shot.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
I got 4 Brinkmann rib racks like these below and cut off the outside corner 'spikes' on 1 side which allowed me to fit 2 side-by-side on each WSM grate. The metal is just soft enough that I used the cut off pieces as 'twist ties' to secure the racks together. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmm, that's pretty interesting. I have one of those same racks. Do you have the 18" or 22" WSM? I wouldn't have guessed that 2 of those would fit on the 18".

BTW, I once tried to cook hot dogs on those vertical spikes...didn't work out so well. The bottom of the dog cooked about 90% faster than the top half. Eh, was worth a shot.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimMcG:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
I got 4 Brinkmann rib racks like these below and cut off the outside corner 'spikes' on 1 side which allowed me to fit 2 side-by-side on each WSM grate. The metal is just soft enough that I used the cut off pieces as 'twist ties' to secure the racks together. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmm, that's pretty interesting. I have one of those same racks. Do you have the 18" or 22" WSM? I wouldn't have guessed that 2 of those would fit on the 18". </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
18" WSM. Cutting off the corner spikes is what allows 2 of them to just fit.

I also tried those spikes for baked potatoes. Didn't work out so well either.
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