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[RemoGaggi]

I'm just wondering how you folks are cooking on your DC.  I typically elevate the food (for example, pork spareribs) a few inches from the regular grate level as the first few cooks I did on the DC ended up with crispy/burned bottoms.  I also learned quickly the I'd get crispy edges too the closer I got to the edges of the grates.  This past weekend, I had a rack of St. Louis ribs, cut them in half to make them fit and used a rib rack on the regular grate (didn't use my elevated rack) and set the DC to 250.  (In a previous post, I was having temp issues with my DC, but GMG sent me a new controller that fixed it, I think).  Anyways, after about 1.5 hours, I took a peek and found part of the bottom of the ribs in the rib rack getting crispy already - temps were around 230-250.  I took them out of the rack and laid the ribs flat on top of the rib rack for the remainder of the cook.  Ribs came out alright, but I'm annoyed at how my DC likes to make the food crispy on the bottoms and on the edges - even when set at 250.  Does anyone else have to use and extra rack and/or baking pan like these to get some even cooking in their DC?



I'm wondering if you all are experiencing what appears to be significant hot spots when cooking at regular grate level and if you are finding the need to elevate the food or protect it with an additional pan.  My heat deflector is about 2.5 inches from the left wall per GMG and the hot spots on this last cook were in the middle of the grate as there is where the ribs were.  Since I got my DC last summer, I've always had to be extra careful to avoid the food getting crispy or burned. 

[reubenray]

Yes!!

I  built a second rack similar to what you did with a rack from Academy Sports.  It fit perfect.  I do most of my smoking on this second rack.  By using this second rack it also gives me a spot for my smoke tube to be more under the meat I am smoking.  Plus I can put on something else on the bottom grate.  I also use a stainless steel tray with squares in it I got from Sam's Club for when I smoke ribs. 

[ICIdaho]

I don't have a DC, but do have the DB.  I have not had issue unless something has a high sugar content.  I use to rub my ribs in brown sugar over night as Fast Eddy recommended, but it just did not work with my set up.  I removed the sugar and did everything else the same and now it is fine.

[jstrand]

Wow, you have your heat deflector 2.5 inched from left? I have mine a little over 3.5 inches from left. The other day I did some xxxxxx center cut beef ribs from Walmart on my second shelf. So I put my smoke probes one on the left and one on the right in the middle of the grate. to my surprise the left probe read about 15 to 20 degrees lower then the right probe. So it seems I need to move the heat shield a little more right. Also I know that my DC runs about 25 degrees hotter at the grate then what I have it set to so if I want 225 degrees i set it at 200. I've tried the temperature offsets in their app but it doesn't seem to do much.
I was having trouble with it not keeping up temp wise with what i set it to and also it was heating to 180 when I would fire it up instead of 150. So I emailed GMG and within minutes had a reply. Tested the probe and it matched my 2 Smoke probes plus my weather station temp so I emailed back and they said it sounded like a controller issue. 2 days later I had a new controller in the mail sent Priority mail. So I have to give customer service I big thumbs up!
That said, the cook I did the other day the controller seemed to work like it used to, heated to 150 on start up and whatever temp I had it set at it would hold to within a couple degrees, so now I'm kinda stumped as to what was going on recently. So before I put the new controller on im going to try it a few more times.

[RemoGaggi]

Wow, you have your heat deflector 2.5 inched from left? I have mine a little over 3.5 inches from left.

Yeah, GMG told me awhile back to go with 2.5 inches from the left and I've always set it there.  I haven't tested left to right temps independently, but I'm just more annoyed with the apparent heat issues at the grate level that require me to use a separate rack, so I was just wondering if others experience the same issue.  I've read somewhere that some folks foil the drip tray to cover the holes (even though they are in closed position) to even out the heat.  I may try that next time.

Do you (or anyone out there) ever cook anything directly on the grates at grate level without it getting it scorched?  If so, what are your cooking and what temps are you using?  Just wondering.   

[jstrand]

I've done pork butts, brisket, chuck roast, chicken parts, ribs and did a 11 pound turkey on the main grates and don't recall any burnt or crispy edges. Especially on the turkey I never noticed any burnt parts.
I usually am cooking between 200-300 degrees, the chicken parts I did at 350 i think, the turkey I believe was 275.
Forgot to add that I used to foil the drip pan but recently quit. I also recall having some pig shots that were near the front edge getting crispy and a nekkid fatty I was doing, the end nearest the front did get a little char on it, but not bad at all.

[Old Smokey]

I don't have a DC but I do have a DB. I have definetly noticed with ribs the bone side get too done if I leave it bone side down during the cook. I'm usually not a foil guy but foiling them as in the 3,2,1 method may mitigate this problem. I also have a second shelf which eliminates this problem. It doesn't seem to be a problem with other meats though.