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Best Rack Expansion Setup
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But suit yourself...
I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!
MichaelOn the AR, the bottom grates pulls out, that's why its oval and cant take up the whole perimeter
This pic below is a Woo and the bottom grate is the full 18" (not pictured).....you use the existing bge grate. @Shawnodell83 has dibs on this one!
LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
BGE XL++Flameboss 300 WiFi++Blackstone 36"++Weber 26" kettle
It was a legitimate concern I had with CGS's rack expansion setup, but @stlcharcoal cleared that up for me. I know you guys love CGS, but keep in mind I haven't been around long enough to establish brand loyalty (yet), so pardon me if I don't toe the line.
YouTube: @smokingdadbbq
@stlcharcoal That makes sense, thanks for clearing that up. Unfortunately CGS doesn't make the Extender for the BGE XL. But, it looks like you can set the adjustable rig on top of the stock grate..... so, I may be making a purchase soon.
on your question, yes the lower grid in the picture is approx. 13" wide and 17" long, built to hold ribs butts, brisket...the long meats. the effective cooking diameter in the large egg is something less than 16", the inside diameter of the fire ring. so, in the set-up pictured, you loose something less than 1.5" on each side. but note the 1.5 is along the curve of the fire bowl, so actual area is minimal. Most folks won't use the lost area when smoking, unless they try to put 3 butts on the bottom grid.
the top grid in the picture is built on a 16" diameter, same as the fire ring. EGG's expander's top grid is based on a 13.75 diameter.
Most folks don't realize the 16" grid in the picture also fits inside the Rig. So you could swap the grids in the picture above. The 16" grid won't side in or out but goes provide more area and with the flat front face an easy way to add smoking wood to the fire during the cook.
One final note, the above cook, could not be done on the EGG's expander, not enough room between or above the grids, at least do it right.
tom
Go take a look at the XL BGE Eggsploiter version before you buy it, I don't think you're going to be happy with the amount of room between the lower grate and the upper grate.....it's minimal. All the pics online in use with food show them using a Large, but if you look at the only pic of the XL unit, it's bare and I'm curious how much clearance is actually there. It doesn't look like you could put a pork butt on the bottom, and I'm how many you could get on top....again because of the dome clearance. Take a balloon or wad of packing material to your local dealer and see where you can place them to get the dome closed. (That's what makes the AR a better unit--you control the height of the grates so you can set it up for pork butts, ribs, brisket, and any combo thereof.)
You might also consider this set up.....the Smokeware GrateStacker. Doesn't do anything with the plate setter, but does give you an 18" raised swing grate. You can use it with the plate setter installed, as long as it's down in the notches. https://smokeware.com/collections/grill-grates-fire-grates/products/stacker-and-16-grill-grate-combo?variant=40909646478
2 Large Eggs - Raleigh, NC
Boiler Up!!
That's what I'm using now - it's been really handy. I was just looking for something a little more stable that doesn't bounce up and down or lean down with heavier items, like a cast iron pot of beans etc. I'll eventually move the GrateStacker to my kettle-style charcoal grill.
John - SLC, UT
Several eggs ..
@The_Buffalo - How much for the XL version?