Rookie Question

The lower rack will not be as hot as the upper rack. Heat rises to the top. So, make sure you have a grate thermometer on both grates to properly monitor temps.

Or you could just rotate stuff to cook more evenly. If I'm q'ing butts, ribs or briskets, when I pull them out to wrap them I switch grates when I put them back in. Works pretty good.

sounds like a good excuse to throw 2 butts on your WSM to me :wink:

Good info. I've wondered the same and assumed the lower would be hotter but this makes sense. Used my lower rack for the first time on my last cook. Had ribs on top and butt on bottom. Couldn't figure why the butt took longer than usual. That and I opened a few times to spritz the ribs. Last time I do that. Doh!!

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle said:

That and I opened a few times to spritz the ribs. Last time I do that. Doh!!

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Nothing wrong with doing that. Yes I've heard the phrase "if you're lookin', you ain't cookin" but that just means don't get carried away. In fact, if you have the lid off for too long, you will get lots more air to the fire and your temp will spike, especially when using lump charcoal. So don't worry about giving your ribs a little spritz every 1/2 hour or so if they look like they need it.

Boshizzle said:

The lower rack will not be as hot as the upper rack. Heat rises to the top. So, make sure you have a grate thermometer on both grates to properly monitor temps.

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I did that for the inaugural cook on my 22.5 WSM and was very surprised to see the bottom grate reading higher. :twitch: I did not expect that at all. That's also the first cook where I instrumented both grates since I only just got an ET-732 to supplement my ET-73. (I did check all four probes in a pot of boiling water prior to the cook so I know it was not a calibration issue.) And I've been smoking on my 18.5 WSM for over three years so I'm familiar with the WSM.

Usually if you are cooking different things on the two grates, put the one that you expect to finish sooner on top. It will be easier to take it off without disturbing the other grate.

And no, that does not sound stupid - that's what I would expect because as others have noted, heat rises.

Yep Just rotate food as needed for even cooking