Maxed out UDS and drippings

[WvQ]

How does drippings from upper rack to lower rack affect ribs? I recently added a second rack to my UDS in order to cook 9 racks of ribs. I wasn't sure how drippings from the upper ribs would affect the ribs on the lower rack. Since I didn't know I rotated the ribs part of the way through the cook.

 

[smokinbutts]

interested in this because I am building a UDS and was concerned if I did chicken top and ribs or something else lower, will I have a safety issue with drippings hitting the meat and perhaps the other meat not getting off enough?

 

[aawa]

I have 2 grates on my UDS. I dont ever have a problem with the dripping from the top grate doing anything to the stuff cooked on the bottom grate.

Now the thing with cross contamination. If you introduce any raw meat into the cooker while there is cooked meat in there, put the raw meat on the LOWER grate and the cooked meat on the UPPER grate.

You never want to have drippings from raw meat hitting something that is already cooked.

Now if it is all raw meat, put the quickest cooking meat on the top grate and the slower cooking meat on the bottom grate. This will prevent raw juices from dripping all over an uncooked piece of meat.

 

[el_matt]

Just don't have chicken dripping onto anything.

Matt

 

[Grimm5577]

I have 2 grates on my UDS. I dont ever have a problem with the dripping from the top grate doing anything to the stuff cooked on the bottom grate.

Now the thing with cross contamination. If you introduce any raw meat into the cooker while there is cooked meat in there, put the raw meat on the LOWER grate and the cooked meat on the UPPER grate.

You never want to have drippings from raw meat hitting something that is already cooked.

Now if it is all raw meat, put the quickest cooking meat on the top grate and the slower cooking meat on the bottom grate. This will prevent raw juices from dripping all over an uncooked piece of meat.

all this is good, except chicken should always be on the bottom.

 

[Awitte58]

For those with 2 grates. Do you have the flat drum lid or the weber dome?

I have the flat lid that came on the drum and my first grade is 6" down from the rim. I want to put a second grate in there but I am concerned it will be too close to the coals... What was your spacing on the second grate?

 

[grantw]

The only trouble I have had is the lower rack may not end up as pretty as the top because the drips will cause your rub to run and be a little blotchy.

 

[Theboz1419]

I think you want at least 20+ inches from the top of the charcoal and the grate. But don't quote me on that.

 

[WvQ]

For those with 2 grates. Do you have the flat drum lid or the weber dome?

I have the flat lid that came on the drum and my first grade is 6" down from the rim. I want to put a second grate in there but I am concerned it will be too close to the coals... What was your spacing on the second grate?

I did mine with the lower ten inches from flat top and the second is 4". It doesn't allow room for two racks of PB's, but I didn't see the need for me. If so I'd switch smokers.

 

[creekwalker]

I think you want at least 20+ inches from the top of the charcoal and the grate. But don't quote me on that.

Don't think that this is what's generally accepted, but I have seen reliable sounding people post that they have cooked successfully as little as 16 inches over the top (again, the top) of the coals. This was direct heat, no diffuser.

 

[Tricky]

For those with 2 grates. Do you have the flat drum lid or the weber dome?

I have the flat lid that came on the drum and my first grade is 6" down from the rim. I want to put a second grate in there but I am concerned it will be too close to the coals... What was your spacing on the second grate?

When I made my drum I had a flat lid and put the grate down 8" from the top. When I added a Weber dome lid I installed a second grate just below the top lip of the drum.

 

[racedvl]

How does drippings from upper rack to lower rack affect ribs? I recently added a second rack to my UDS in order to cook 9 racks of ribs. I wasn't sure how drippings from the upper ribs would affect the ribs on the lower rack. Since I didn't know I rotated the ribs part of the way through the cook.

I would be curious on how you arrange 9 slabs of ribs on your UDS. I barley was able to fit 7 slabs of baby backs, cut in half on 2 racks in mine on Fathers Day. As far as the drippings go, I'm not sure. After I cooked 3.5 hours, I wapped them in foil, and put the ones I had on the top rack on the lower, and vise versa. I also put them meat side down once they were wrapped. Dunno if that mattered... Some of the best ribs I have had. :wink:

 

[WvQ]

I would be curious on how you arrange 9 slabs of ribs on your UDS. I barley was able to fit 7 slabs of baby backs, cut in half on 2 racks in mine on Fathers Day. As far as the drippings go, I'm not sure. After I cooked 3.5 hours, I wapped them in foil, and put the ones I had on the top rack on the lower, and vise versa. I also put them meat side down once they were wrapped. Dunno if that mattered... Some of the best ribs I have had. :wink:



http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp153/racedvl/UDS/20140615_1715
32.jpg

I left the baby backs whole, the outside ones were curved around the grate. I made sure they weren't touching. Once wrapped I just stacked them up on both racks.

 

[aawa]

If you want to fit more racks of ribs on your UDS, pin wheel them. I can fit 6 whole racks of St. Louis trimmed spares on my top grate without any issue.

Here is what the pin wheel would look like. Taken from google search, as I haven't taken a pic of my UDS loaded up with ribs.

If you use the process of wrapping your ribs, you can do that too. Just take the skewers out and lay them flat and wrap them and then stack the wrapped racks ontop of each other.

 

[ssbbqguy]

I make racks for my smokers that allow eight slabs per rack among other features. So using two racks = 16 slabs, one would think lots of grease. That's one of the reasons I use water pans, 2 or 3 gallon sizes and a thick smoker plate to vaporize and add flavor while steaming away some of the grease. The pan catches most of the rest.The grease runoff will be affected by how much you trim and product quality, along with temperature and airflow. Running way under 250 makes this worse and is one of the reasons I'll cook at 275 more than lower temps. Higher for poultry. Never really have a runoff problems washing rub. I will use pineapple halves dripping on my ribs purposely from time to time though. Running low temps will give a exhaust drip that if running that way we just foil and divert. When doing that much product the smoker has to have enough airflow to run evenly without toasting the bottom rack or needing to swap them often. When dry cooking we still use a pan for big pieces like butts and briskets. We just put some clean play sand in foil and catch the grease that way. Ribs and chicken is not going to render as much. Steve.