Lower grate on WSM

[Guest]

If this has been asked before, I apologize. I did my first smoke with baby backs on Sunday and it worked out great. I only used the top grate and couldn't stop wondering what the best way would be to smoke on the lower grate also. I have to think the heat difference would have to be considered, as well as the lower grate getting all the fallout (grease and junk) from the top grate. Does anyone usually use both, and if so, any tips???? Thanks much! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

 

[Rob B.]

Hi Ken,
I bet most here use both grills a large part of the time. If you're going to go through the time and commitment of a cook, might as well get the most Q out of it. I know I do. Chris has done some testing re: the temp differences. Read about it all here. Many will just rotate the meat at the midway point to compensate for the temp difference. As far as the fallout is concerned, it's usually never a problem. Actually a butt dripping on a brisket can be a good thing - helps keep it moist. But it is typically not a good idea to have a chicken over a non-chicken food, for contamination reasons. So pack the WSM full and smoke on! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

 

[Guest]

Yeah Rob, I realized last night, after eating the leftover ribs which were every bit as good, if not better than the night before, what a waste it was not using both grates. I guess being the first time, I figured if something goes horribly wrong (such as setting the entire neighborhood on fire, having my WSM meltdown to china, or misjudging temperature and ending up with rib flavored carbon) that I was only wasting a small fortune's worth of ribs, as opposed to a large fortune. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Suffice to say, now that I have found something that apparently even I cannot screw up, I will take full advantage of the lower grate in the future.

thanks for the feedback!

 

[Dennis Solin]

When we compete using the WSM we put two briskets on one WSM. The temp difference really has not seem to make a difference in finishing times. It also seems we use the lower brisket rather than the top one most of the time. That lower baby is getting all the fat from its big brother on the bupper bunk. We don't worry about switching in the middle of the cook, keep it simple.