Direct raised vs. not raised

Ozzie_Isaac

When cooking direct I always go raised.  The only time I lower is when searing.

How do you guys decide raised vs. not raised?

lousubcap

Direct raised is my default for direct cooks-a couple of benefits, closer to the dome and more distance from the lump.  I am cooking direct only when it is a sear type cook as mentioned by @Ozzie_Issac. 

nolaegghead

The level of you lump/fire can vary by more than the distance between the top  of the fire ring and the base of the egg.  What matters is achieving the temp you want that's right for the job you're doing.  Raising/lowering the grid and the controlling the height of the lit coals (and how hot the fire is) are variables that you can control to dial in your direct heat.  Not to mention the vents.

THEBuckeye

Burgers, Fish, Steak - Not raised

Spatch, Wings - raised

Golfergirl

Newbie question....how do you raise the grid for direct cooking?

THEBuckeye

You can go to home depot and buy  three bricks, sit them sideways on the fire grate and poof, raised grid. Or, you can buy a PSWoo2 from Ceramic Grill Store.

 http://shop.ceramicgrillstore.com/pswoo2/

There are other home made rigs you can find in the Forum too. 

THEBuckeye

@Golfergirl
The PSWoo2 device is good for things like reverse sears when you have to remove the platesetter during the cook. It's easier to remove than 3 bricks! 

Golfergirl

Thank you, @THEBuckeye!  We are trying to learn as many helpful tips as we can

Ozzie_Isaac

I love the Woo.  I have one for my medium and my XL.  I don't have any plate setters.  I use pizza stones from CGS.

The woo2 for the medium and large is very nice because the handles.  The XL does not have handles.

Ragtop99

Rarely do I cook at regular height.  I generally do raised in the medium because it is easier than reaching down into the grill.  As NOLA pointed out, I'll vary the lump fill height depending upon my cooking strategy.  There are times when I want all the coals glowing for a uniform searing across the entire grid.  If the coals are too close to the grid, the grill gets too hot, so then I use a smaller load of lump.  For a spatch yardbird, I might use a larger load of coals since it doesn't take much of a fire to hold 375* and the fire can be closer to the grid.

If I'm doing wings direct, I like using the XL because raised direct gives a lot of room between the coals and wings.  Because the fire will be in small area, I have to rotate the wings over the area with the fire.  If I sear on the XL, I use a spider with a CI grid and get close to the coals. 

johnkitchens

I don't do raised direct any longer. I either cook direct or use my platesetter. 

JonWesson

bump