chicken and tipping coal grate

Jim Benenson

My wife came home last week with a lot chicken breasts that she wanted cooked for dinner and for brown bag lunches. I put some on the Weber gas grill and three on the BGE. When dinner was ready, my son had one of each kind and wanted to know what I had basted the BGE breasts with, since they were so much better than the other ones. Well, as you eggers know, I hadn't basted them at all! I did add some mesquite chips and herbs at the beginning, just for additional flavor, but I just let 'em cook at 325 deg. until they were done. BTW, in case you don't know, don't go heavy with mesquite smoke. Too much spoils the meat.[p]Now for my question: when I rake the coals, the coal grate sometimes tips to the side, charcoal gets wedged between the grate and the firebox, falls through, etc. I have to take the grate out, clean out the charcoal from the bottom of the firebox, and rebuild the coals. Any ideas how to prevent this from happening?[p]Jim

MickeyT

Zen Cooker #1,[p]I had that sam problem @ first and I think it was Tim who had avery good idea. You can run threaded rod or carriage bolts through the grate to act as legs. Great idea. [p]Mick

YB

Zen Cooker #1,
Here is a picture of the grate Bryan made...It does not move and you can still clean out the ash.
Larry
[ul][li]Bryan's Grate[/ul]

Tim M

Zen Cooker #1,[p]Stir more gently and find something else to use. I never have a problem with that and I use lodge trivets and steel grates which are tippier than the ceramic ones. You might be getting to aggressive.[p]Tim

Big Murth

Zen Cooker #1,
I upgraded to a Lodge trivet in my Large several months ago, and I posted in with my experience of the grate tipping and dumping a lot of lump and ash down in to the bottom. I alleviated the problem by inserting four bolts down into the outermost holes, at a length that kept the trivet down on the bottom edge of the firebox, by utilizing some nuts to keep them snug on the bottom of the grate/trivet. A little measuring sure goes a long way. A Lodge trivet, or the possibly new BGE "metal" grate will offer a lot more air to fuel mixture, and will help your cooks. Big Murth
p.s. Lay off the Cheerios after 12 noon, bro!

WessB

Zen Cooker #1,
Heres a picture of my lodge trivet that I have been using ..never had a problem of tipping...I`ve used this since early on in my eggship and I have never spilled a grate since doing this...many others say it`s not needed however I spilled plenty prior to adding the legs...just my $.02..hope it helps..it`s simple to do..[p]Wess
[ul][li]Trivet[/ul]

RRP

Zen Cooker #1,
since everybody seems to be adding their 2 cents worth I will too! I used a Lodge trivet for 10 months and while I experienced the same problem of dumping you mentioned I learned how to stir the remaining lump without disturbing the trivet. Use back and forth strokes with whatever tool you use to stir. It's when you start pokeing is when you get in trouble.
BTW my Lodge cracked from the center hole clear out to the edge so they aren't going to last forever! This summer a fellow egger who borrowed my spare Lodge trivet last December repaid me with one he had made by a machine shop client of his. It was made from 5/16 plate steel and has four welded feet of 3/8" steel rod. I got the feeling this grate will out live me!

WessB

RRP,
My lodge trivet is also majorly cracked..same as you described..bit it causes no problems..so until it falls apart..onward we go..[p]Wess

Jim Benenson

Big Murth,[p]Lay off the Cheerios? Say what?[p]Jim

Big Murth

Zen Cooker #1,
It's amazing what Stolichnaya can do for one's literary pursuits: I meant to say, "Wheaties" -- as I was trying to infer you were muscling your lump with too much gusto, bro.
My brain fart.
Best to you

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Big Murth:@)