On which grate to cook??


 
B

Billy W

TVWBB Member
I made beer can chicken tonight and had to remove the cooking grate because the chicken wouldn't fit so I used a foil pan and.put the chicken on the charcoal grate. I wad really impressed with the wings of the chicken came out. Perfect texture and perfect crunch. I have cook wings on a charcoal grill with indirect heat before but the didn't come out like this. Does anyone cook say wings in a tin foil tray on the bottom grate or can I achieve the same results cooking on the cooking grate? In my eyes they were the perfect crunch and meat was moist and tender.
I am thinking about doing wings on Sunday for football so any help will be appreciated.

Billy
 
"so I used a foil pan and.put the chicken on the charcoal grate. "

This sounds like the OTS 22.5

"tin foil tray on the bottom grate or can I achieve the same results cooking on the cooking grate?"

This sounds like the Brinkman Smoke n Grill

You are cooking on the .....?
 
Billy,

I know exactly what you mean, but I think that wings just come out like that when you do a beer can chicken. It probably wasn't related to grate. I've considered trying to do a bunch of whole wings on my gasser rotisserie to see if they come out the same way, but never got around to it.
 
I know if it ain't broke don't fix it but I wonder why Weber couldn't make a higher profile lid like on the WSM.........
 
As long as your birds aren't too big you can put two in the middle of the grate between two piles of coals. Don't use racks, either. They raise the bird up a bit. Really though, I'd rather simply split the breast and butterfly, smoking indirectly at 375*+. You can do two like that on a kettle, too. No idea which is better though; comparing between the coals or a simple two-zone set-up.

As for the wings, the hotter you cook 'em, the more issues with unevenness and that's the simple trade-off for the crisp skin in my experience. Don't think you have to grill 'em on the bottom grate, though. You'll get higher temps on the cooking grate, anyway. Guess you could try cooking on foil or in a pan to let 'em baste in their own juices. I grilled 27 of 'em in a pile just yesterday and they were very moist, since they basted each other, along with my mopping every half hour when I "rotated" 'em. Although the skin wasn't "crisp and crunchy", they were really good.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jon Des.:
I've considered trying to do a bunch of whole wings on my gasser rotisserie to see if they come out the same way, but never got around to it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If I already had a rotisserie I'd consider a Ribolator. No telling how many wings you could cook on the four trays at once, and you'd get both even crisping and basting as well.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">know if it ain't broke don't fix it but I wonder why Weber couldn't make a higher profile lid like on the WSM......... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Scott,

I suspect there is a little magic, and a little science to the shape of the kettle, as I've noticed when I cook indirect, I don't have to bother with moving the meat around. It seems that the meat closest to the fire cooks at more or less the same rate as the meat furthest away. I suspect it has something to do with how the shape of the lid deflects, reflects, conveys, diffuses, whatever, the heat around the kettle.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Matt Sanders:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">know if it ain't broke don't fix it but I wonder why Weber couldn't make a higher profile lid like on the WSM......... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Scott,

I suspect there is a little magic, and a little science to the shape of the kettle, as I've noticed when I cook indirect, I don't have to bother with moving the meat around. It seems that the meat closest to the fire cooks at more or less the same rate as the meat furthest away. I suspect it has something to do with how the shape of the lid deflects, reflects, conveys, diffuses, whatever, the heat around the kettle. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amen to that, Matt!
 
>>>I suspect there is a little magic, and a little science to the shape of the kettle, as I've noticed when I cook indirect.>>>

I have come to feel that way about my two Weber Kettles.

With a bit of experience, a feller or gal can do wondrous things with these things...

Dale53
 
I think the main advantage to beer can chicken is lack of prep time. Slap em on a can rub em down and on the grill. I can do 6 on the little WSM. Nobody eats the backs at my place so now I mostly smoke in spatchcock/butterfly or half chicken mode on the kettle. I also crammed 6 chicken halves on the cooking grate of my OTG using my rib rack to hold the 1/2 chickens on their sides. Used indirect with some bricks on one side. Works like a champ.
 
Billy, How many wings ae you planning to cook? That will help determine how you do them on the grill. Small number, indirect and crisp to finish. Large number, direct and turning often.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris E:
I also crammed 6 chicken halves on the cooking grate of my OTG using my rib rack to hold the 1/2 chickens on their sides. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

YES! That's my next chicken smoke, Chris.

I recently used my two three slot rib/tator racks side by side to cook a whole 10lb. bag of leg quarters the same way hot and fast. I was amazed at how evenly they cooked and how good the skin turned out cooking well over 350*.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris E:
I also crammed 6 chicken halves on the cooking grate of my OTG using my rib rack to hold the 1/2 chickens on their sides. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's a great (grate!) idea!

When I cook spatchcocked birds I usually turn them so that the dark meat is closer to the fire than the white meat. Using your method do you orient them in the racks so that the dark meat would be closer to the lid and the convection heating there?
 
I usually orient the dark meat closer to the heat in the beginning if I am just piling the hot coals on the rack below for a quick 1 chicken cook. If I'm doing a couple chickens (and I usually do half chickens) I use the brick and foil indirect method which really isoates the heat so there isn't that much of a "hot" side of the grill since the intake air comes under the foil and the bricks cut down on radiant heat from coals to meat on the grate.

Indirect Kettle setup for chicken

I'll rotate the pices only if I see some are cooking faster. I will put the larger halves closer to the heat.
 
I think the real solution to this is getting a 26.75. That solved all my problems
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It's just the excuse you need to get some new hardware
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Brian
 
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