Juggling grates


 
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Michael Vrobel

TVWBB Member
I did a cook of the following last weekend:

Chicken sausage (planned cook 2 hrs)
3 slabs baby-back ribs (planned cook 5 hrs, then rest in aluminum foil for 1 hour)
3 beer-butt chickens (planned cook 4 hrs)
BBQ beans (planned cook 1/2 hour)

My timing was:
Start with baby back ribs (planned cook of 6 hrs) on top level, and chicken sausage on bottom level.

After two hours: Remove chicken sausage, put beer butt chickens on bottom level. Baste ribs w/ apple juice

After another two hours: Check ribs, baste chicken and ribs with apple juice. (Applied BBQ sauce as glaze to ribs)

An hour later, pull ribs, put BBQ beans on top level.

It all worked out really well, but I could have used an extra three arms when I was doing the first switch (sausage off bottom grate, chicken on bottom grate, ribs staying on top grate.) All I have to rest things on is a flimsy, portable plastic table; me and the wife were juggling the WSM lid, a hot grate of ribs, and platters of food. Especially the beer butt chickens that tend to be rather top heavy. (Last year I dropped a beer-butt chicken in a similar situation...luckily, the rub was on thick enough that the guests never knew, once we picked all the grass clippings off.)

My question is: do people have techniques, tools, or anything else they can recommend when moving a lot of food around on the WSM? I've got a hot pad under the WSM that I can put the grate on, but I really don't want to put food on it...
 
Hi Mike,

Yeah, it can get pretty exciting juggling those grates around, and setting your food here, there, and yon while rearranging it. Especially fun if you have dogs! I try to put the things that cook the longest on the bottom grate, and swap out the stuff on the top. The problem can be if you don't want chicken (or whatever) juices dripping onto what's below. You can prevent that by putting an aluminum foil pan under whatever you have on the top grate, or "tent" the stuff on the lower grate with foil. I, too, am interested if anybody out there has any tricks or tools that they use when removing and swapping grates.

George
 
I would use a chicken setter instead of beer cans, much more stable. That said I almost never cook whole chickens, I get better results doing pieces but then I have enough cookers to make that work.
A good table is an important piece of equipment, large cookie sheetpans are another great way to handle cooked food from cooker to kitchen.
If you can get your hands on a Cambro to hold cooked meat allows you slide the sheetpans in keeping meat hot for 4 hours or more.
Jim
 
Yeah thats the only trouble with the vertical water smokers...you have to juggle to access the grates, water bowl and firebox (bowl).

I was looking at the New Braunfels Universal Water Smoker as that has a nice vertical door that runs the length of the smoker.

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But I read one good review and one bad review...so don't know...may just stick with the WSM as it is the best.

regards,
PrestonD
 
NB UnV Water smoker every time you open the door you dump all the heat. I know a couple of people that have them not as handy as it looks,IMHO of course.
Jim
 
Question #1: Looks like the Cambro would be the real deal if you catered professionally, but I have always used small travel sized coolers to store food for several hours. I have 4 of them that I use specifically for barbecue that I paid less than 10 bucks a piece for. Are there advantages to the Cambro that makes it significantly better?

Question #2: Do pros ever put food in Cambros or coolers slightly undercooked for long holdovers? (My food safety angel on my shoulder just kicked me.) It appears to me that the cooler storage method continues to cook the meat in the hot environment.

Question #3: Has anyone ever suffered from a less smoky product when using a pan on the top grate to prevent cross contamination? I know it would get some smoke due to circulation within the WSM, but I would hate to miss any : )

Thanks!!
 
Cambro's do keep food hotter than a cooler will, and yes it keeps it hot enought that it would keep cooking. You can get used Cambros at a very reduced price but they are more expensive than a cooler.
I've not use a pan to stop cross contamination, but I have used foil. I will normally place poultry on the bottom grate so I don't need to deal with CC. I will use the foil tent to keep drip spots off the poultry.
Jim
 
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