The purpose of this experiment was to maximize the JJ indirect cooking area and not to create low& slow environment.
Here is the plan
I started by placing the water pan from my 18.5 WSM smoker on top of the cooking grate
From the top, the pan looks like it’s covering the entire surface of the grill; However, looking from the bottom, the pan concave bottom is elevated off the grate. Had the pan was totally flat, it would’ve prevented airflow and choked the coals.
I then placed the steamer ring and placed another cooking grate on top of it
After figuring out the setup, I started with 1 chimney worth of coals and spread them evenly across the coal grate
Then added the layers as described above.
I wrapped the water pan with foil for easy cleanup, since it was going to double as a drip pan.
Closed the lid to let it heat up
Few minutes later, the temp reached 360
I placed a spatchcock chicken on the grill. I also places 2 chunks of Hickory wood on the lower cooking grate on either side of the pan.
I like experimenting with whole chicken because the skin is a good way to judge how the heat is distributing. If there were some hot spots, the chicken skin would get brown faster in those spots. If the skin is browning evenly all around, then you’d know the heat is evenly surrounding the chicken.
An hour and 15 min later the chicken was done and the temp hovered around 360 the whole time
Let it rest for few min
Then started cutting it. The reverse side the was facing the pan was perfectly protected. Had the pan not provided a good shield from the coals, the reverse side would have been charred. And I never flipped the chicken during cooking, so the skin was facing up the whole time.
The chicken was perfectly cooked and juicy and the experiment really worked.
Now I can use the entire surface of the JJ for indirect cooking vs. just half
Topic: Another JJ Experiment (Read 5495 times)
