How I have been using my SJS.

[G$]

I have never been a fan of the compact Smokey Joes.  Among other reasons, they really are too small for any grilling need I may have. I am more likely to need two grills than I am a compact grill.  In the past I got the most use out of my SJ as a place to put the chimney strarter on occasion.  Recently I have found another  method that gives my SJS a little more use.

By way of example, last night I grilled some hot bratwursts, Chicken breasts, peaches for a salad the better half was putting together, Asparagus, and 'frozen pre sliced' garlic bread.  The peaches were done at the beginning since they were going in a salad.  This left the Sausages, chicken, asparagus and bread which is really quick.

I typically put some marks on sausage over the coals, then move them to the farthest part of the kettle to finish while I cook other things.  Since I was doing only 5 sausages, they fit easily away from the coals on the outer ring of my char broil cast iron grate.  No bursting and no fat spraying on coals.    Next, I generally repeated the prcoses with the chicken, putting some marks on them over the coals, and moving them to a typical indirect cooking location to finish.   

This is where the SJ comes in.  I simply layed the SJ grate on my CI grate perpendicular, and put the asparagus on the SJ grate.  I cooked them to our liking, and then lifted the entire SJ grate off with my tongs and set it in the SJ and closed the lid.  This achieves a few things: 1) prevents veggies like green beans, sliced carrots, sliced zuchs, or asparagus from falling through the grates while cooking, 2) makes it easy to remove them all at once, 3) allows them to be held in a warm spot if timing is not perfect on other items.  After removing the asparagus to the SJ, i just brought it inside (it is clean cuz I never use it!) to hold.  Once my other meats were about ready, I put my garlic bread on the vacated space because it just takes about 60 seconds to cook.   After that was done, I loaded the meats and bread on to a tray and we were in business.

Obviously you could use any number of grill baskets or grates to replicate this, but I liked the way the SJ grate fits over the hot spot and around the other food I was cooking indirect.  I found the 14 inch size is about right for a full dose of thin veggies that I like to cook.  I also like that it is easy to just close up the SJ and let them keep warm.  Lastly, I can slip my tongs easily under a SJ grate and transfer it.  YMMV on that one.

Anyone else do strange stuff like this when grilling a lot of stuff at once?

[1911Ron]

Not a bad idea, may have to try that! Thanks.