Bottom Grate


 
S

Steve Gresham

New member
Good day everyone,

I have been using my WSM only for about 6 months now and have been hesitant to use the bottome grate because I'm not sure how much higher the temp will be down there. I have a Maverick and I guess I should see for myself, but I thought I could get better info here. I'd like to try using the top and bottom without burning the bottom food. Any comments are welcome.
 
Steve, the bottom rack is normally cooler than the top and your food will cook slower on it. Once you use it a few times you will get a feel for the variation in cooking.
 
I monitored both sometime back and if memory serves me correctly my bottom grate was 10 degrees cooler than my top. This was using a clay saucer. I'll look for the post for you.
 
Bottom is cooler, plus you have less access. You factor this in, in a variety of ways. For example, if you smoke pork butts and brisket. Most place the butts over the brisket. One, the fat drip onto the brisket can't hurt. Two, the brisket will likely take longer to cook.

If you haven't noticed already, the edges of the grill, top or bottom, are much hotter than the center.
 
I very raely use the bottom grate except for baked beans. Mmmm pork butt fat, or brisket fat dripping into baked beans all night. Now that's good eats.
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The times I do use the bottom for meat I put the smaller one on top so when I remove that one and have the WSM open I move the meat on the bottom grate up to the top grate to finish.
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i.e. ribs and butt. Butt on the bottom ribs on top. Ribs finish take off and move buttt up to the top.
 
Whether the bottom is cooler, hotter or the same as the upper grate depends on whether you're using water in the pan, sand or ceramic or nothing in the pan, or no pan, and how long the cook has been going on.
 
Could never find that post so I figured I'd monitor during this weekends cook. At the beginning of my cook, once my temps got settled in I was averaging a 10 - 12 degree difference between my bottom rack and top rack with the top rack registering higher. I'm now 7:35 into my cook and the top rack is at 225 and the bottom rack is at 223.

My setup: MM, Clay Saucer, Stoker controlled.

Hope this helps . . .
 
larry, you still use the clay saucer with the stoker? once i started using a pit minder i stopped using it and just foil the pan. i figured a heat sink is defeating the purpose of a power draft setup.
 
On this cook (only my 4th with the Stoker) I did; I had some challenges with my earlier cooks and I know Ken and Bob on here use the clay saucer with their Stokers with fantastic temp control so on today's cook I decided to use it. Also serves as a fall back position should my issue resurface (which it didn't) as I'm a wiz controlling my temps with the saucer and wouldn't of had to mess with putting it in mid cook.

I also didn't know what the temps would be like on the bottom rack not using the clay saucer or a "heat shield." I'm sure it would have been fine but I didn't want to take any chances.

Today's cook is an important one and I didn't want to mess it up. My uncle is in town; his son (my cousin) was murdered a year ago today so we're having a family gathering here to celebrate his life.

On my next I'm going to go with just the foiled waterpan again.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Whether the bottom is cooler, hotter or the same as the upper grate depends on whether you're using water in the pan, sand or ceramic or nothing in the pan, or no pan, and how long the cook has been going on.
Click to expand...

Agree!!

JimT
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Whether the bottom is cooler, hotter or the same as the upper grate depends on whether you're using water in the pan, sand or ceramic or nothing in the pan, or no pan, and how long the cook has been going on.
Click to expand...
Great points Kevin.
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I myself, never pay attention to which one is hotter, I just put the stuff on and cook. I try not to over think it.
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