Suggested set up for Charcoal Grate - two cross rods on topside.

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Hello,
Hope this helps new WSM owners like myself.

I'm sure someone has posted this before and this is more of a set up out of the box than a mod.
Most of the pictures on this site have the charcoal grate installed with the two cross rods on the underside. I think the correct set up is with the cross rods on the topside.


I built my very first WSM bullet and placed the charcoal grate with the two cross rods facing down but noticed that the charcoal chamber slides all over the place, I flipped it around so the two rods are facing up and the ring moves around a lot less. I then took a look at the Weber owner’s manual and yes I know I'm getting on in age but if you turn to page 7 and then the picture for Step 3, it looks like the two rods should be topside. I had to take out a magnifier to verify this.

Thanks to all the people who support the newbie WSM smoker.

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Eugene
 
Eugene,
One of the mods I made to my WSM was to buy a charcoal grate for an 18.5" kettle and attach it to the WSM charcoal grate with the rods turned 90 degrees. This creates squares that are less than 1" that help keep the charcoal on the grate longer. It also keeps the ring from moving around. But, once you have it full of coal, it's not going to move much anyway.
 
Clark,

How did you attach the two grates to each other?

Did you spot weld them, or something less permanent?

I would imagine the cross rods are now on the top and bottom of your composite grate, right?
 
I did the same as Clark and attached the two grates to the ring with a few pieces of wire. It is very convenient; after the charcoal is out completely, you can just pick up and shake the ring and lift out any unused fuel. I'm sure there are more elegant solutions, but I'm the only one who ever peers into the bowels of my cooker.
 
Steve,
I'm embarassed to say this on a forum, but I dumpster dove for a buch of connectors used in the telephone business for attaching two pieces of ground wire together. I sed two fo those. But you can also take a couple of pieces of strap steel and a couple 1/4 inch bolts. Drill holes in the strap iron big enough to pass the botls through, and located so they fall in the squares created with the grates at 90* angles. Put the pieces you made in the center fo the grate, one on each side, and bolt together. I will take pics tonight of some other things and will include one for this. Check back...
 
Thanks for your comments,

It's really not that big of a deal how the grate is installed but I like to set things up as in the instruction manual then mod away from there.

I'm thinking that Weber put some thought into the design of the charcoal grate and charcoal chamber combo. Most of us install the grate like we would a cooking grate with the rails on top but Weber wants us install it so that the outside ring of the grate is on top and becomes useful in keeping the charcoal chamber away from the side walls. What do you guys think?

Yes I know we would have to change the videos and all the set up pics but then we would be helping all the people who don’t want to mod.

I like the idea of adding some metal at a 90* angle to stop the small coals from falling.

So many mods so little time.
They do make for enjoyable reading.

Thanks,

Eugene

wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Originally posted by Clark "Harbormaster" Hodgson:
Eugene,
One of the mods I made to my WSM was to buy a charcoal grate for an 18.5" kettle and attach it to the WSM charcoal grate with the rods turned 90 degrees. This creates squares that are less than 1" that help keep the charcoal on the grate longer. It also keeps the ring from moving around. But, once you have it full of coal, it's not going to move much anyway.
Click to expand...

I tried this using briquettes, but the ash builds up on the grate and partially smothers the coals. It may be ok for lump, but not for briquettes.

Rusty
 
I'm embarassed to say this on a forum, but I dumpster dove...
Click to expand...

We've all been there Harbormaster, we've all felt your shame, we understand...

It's the WSM, it makes us do things we ordinarily wouldn't do otherwise; it's not your fault.

On a contrived note, my 13 y/o daughter fed up with my frequent blabbing about the WSM and how the streets are safer with me off them when I'm WSMing and everything else cool I could think of saying about it, in a fit of obvious jealously, sarcastically retorted, "Weber Smokey Mountain, my anti-drug".

She wins.

Donald
 
Thanks Eugene, I flipped my grate over and alas, less ring movement, very good observation!

Anybody:

Whatabout this gap here:

Meas.jpg


Anybody, unmodified, know how to deal with this gap, I'm leaning towards "WeldMasters" dumpster dive mod .

From: Rusty Barton
...but the ash builds up on the grate and partially smothers the coals. It may be ok for lump, but not for briquettes.

Rusty
Click to expand...

Any problem with smothering on your setup using briquettes (if you use 'em), "DiveMaster"?

Donald
 
Remember, my charcoal grate mod was to attach a charcoal grate from an 18" kettle, because they are available locally. It is smaller that the WSM charcoal grate. If you order a WSM charcoal grate from Weber, and attach it turned 90 degrees from the other, that gap in the pic will be gone. As it is with mine, that gap is reduced, but when the ring is placed on top the gap is insignificant.
I do not use briquettes, so I can not answer the clogging question. I have heard that the copious amount of ash produced by briqs might cause this to clog.
 
Originally posted by Donald:


Anybody:

Whatabout this gap here:

Meas.jpg


Anybody, unmodified, know how to deal with this gap?

Donald
Click to expand...

I took some fairly light-gauge steel wire and zig-zagged across that gap, kind of like a spider spinning a web.

As for the 90-degree charcoal grate mod, I did the same thing, but used the cooking grate from a Brinkmann Gourmet smoker I used to have. It's thinner than the charcoal grate, but hasn't burnt out yet. And I didn't attach it at all, it just sits there. It's about the same diameter as the WSM charcoal grate, so it doesn't move around or leave any significant gaps around the outside.
 
More ideas, with pics, here. I never got the impression that Weber wanted me to install the charcoal grate crossbars-up. But if you use the Weber kettle charcoal grate on top oriented at 90°, it and the WSM's mesh together best if they're both "upside-down".
 
Jeepster's right!! The drawing in the manual does appear to show the charcoal grate installed with the two cross rods on top.

And it DOES hold the ring better!!

Good eye!
 
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