" i cant get a 15 pd bird and a chicken on the 22 1/2 kettle."..........can't or won't?
This is a grate set of choices ~~~>
A few ways:
1: you can cover the section of the grate in foil
2: put the chicken in a foil pan and have it elevated off the pan with a snake of twisted foil acting as a rack
3: prop it up with something
4: some cook cowboy style with taters or steaks direct on hot coals. Many ways to skin a cat.
5. hang it from underneath the grill rack
Another way, is redirect the heat, and cook the chickens over the coals. Firebricks over the direct zone, and chicken in a pan on a rack. This is an endless journey!
Edit to add: What I mean here is, rather than waste the space from where the heat originates, because we typically avoid it, use it, by redirecting heat. Even having done this it will still be more concentrated and cooking times may be different. If cooking over fire were perfect if would be called a GE convection oven.
Good luck!!
the bottom side would be very rubbery sitting in a pan wouldnt it?
That underside, in a pan, is the juiciest fowl you'll ever eat......
Here's another setup.......
Turkey, set on celery stalks short way across the bottom of a pan.....pan DOWN IN on the charcoal grate, coals all around, leg & wing tips & head of breast protected by foil......a 16# one will fit just under the regular grate, the two, count 'em two chickens on top.....the chickens will be done sooner (smaller) so that way you don' have to dance things around......
Not saying you should, or have to.....but it can be done..........
Don't have any turkeys or chickens in the icebox that I know of at the moment, but could demonstrate with the wife''s uncut watermelon & I don't know, some 1/2 gallon jugs, or dog toys or something.....