If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Has anyone monitored the temperature on the lower/charcoal grate when using the SNSK in turbo slow mode with the SNS insert? I know on my kettle that the lower grate is at least 50 degrees cooler than the main grate, but I’ve not thought to check that on the SNS Kamado. I am wondering if it would be more even due to the ceramic construction, or have a similar delta.
I know the times I’ve checked the temp of the elevated grate on the kamado, it was about the same as the main cooking grate, but that might have been in kamado mode with the deflector in place.
My thought would be that since heat radiates up it wouldn’t be radically different that on the kettle. But, while I don’t have your Kamado I would guess that the distance from the SNS to the bottom grate would be greater than on the kettle which might make the temperature variance greater.
Last edited by LA Pork Butt; March 26, 2022, 05:48 PM.
Haven’t ever checked this. I know there’s at least one SnS video about reverse searing steaks on the Kamado where they bring the steaks up to searing temp on the drip pan and grate set on the lower grate.
I have not although I plan to do a three level cook in the future. I asked SnS Grills if they have a video of this and they do not. They mentioned a 25-50 degree temperature difference between the drip pan level, main level, and elevated level on average but I haven't actually measured for myself. I get about a 35 degree difference between the main level and upper level though.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Well, I tried to run two butts on the main grate and one butt down on the charcoal grate level of the SNSK today, using the rack that sits in the Drip 'N Griddle, and I am glad I clipped a temp probe down at that level just to see what happened. With a fire in the SNS, and with the main grate temp probe at about 250-260, I never saw the temp at the lower level temp probe exceed 160 to 170. After about 2 hours and nothing higher, I ended up pulling all 3 butts out onto a pan, and then standing them on their sides on the main grate in the indirect side, using a couple of metal skewers through the butts to hold them in that position without falling against the one in the middle.
So, long story short - not sure that even beans will ever get done on that lower cooking grate in the SNSK unless you are running the main grate at 325, which would probably put the lower grate at 225 or so.
This was all in the "turbo slow" mode of course. There is no lower level when using the deflector in kamado mode.
So, my verdict - only cook on the lower grate on the DNG roasting rack if running the upper grate at 325F or higher.
Last edited by jfmorris; March 28, 2022, 12:18 PM.
I am now thinking to use this area as a 'warming rack' - will do a rack of ribs low and slow, plus small roast beef, chicken skewers and steaks plus smoked scallops and salmon all at once on my 22" kettle for a bunch of guests, and I am thinking this is a good 'staging area' for things that are done cooking but guests are not ready to sear yet - is that a bad idea (too hot when grill is at 225-250 indirect) and am I better off just letting things cool off outside the kettle? It is a bit cold this time of year. Will probably give a view tomorrow.
*Whoops - just realized this is not for the Weber 22" - I did this on a Weber 22" with the SnS deluxe insert.*
This worked very well as a warming rack - it was definitely too cold to cook anything. The weather today was chilly which may have contributed, but my ribs actually became lukewarm after an hour down there, and the potatoes and onions and sausages that moved down did not in any sense overcook, nor did anything else.
I was doing 225-275 on top (depending on whether the wood chunks were on fire) throughout.
Hey - with the SNS Kamado and the SNS insert, it really cooks the same as the kettle, just with more insulation due to the thickness of the ceramic. The grate spacing is all the same, and heat at the charcoal grate is the same as on the kettle.
Has anyone tried to suspend a smaller wire grate dangling below the main wire grate? I am interested to improve on my smoked salmon, but what I struggle with is achieving a temperature more like the 150-170 recommended here: https://blog.thermoworks.com/key-temps-smoked-salmon/
I am thinking that a couple inches below the main wire grate might be the sweet spot. If nobody has done I may try myself in the next couple weeks, but am hoping to hear from anyone who has tried this kind of thing.
Another possibility might be to stack some bricks to hold a grill surface up from below on top of the drip ' n griddle. But then the bricks will get dirty and you have another thing to clean...
Also wondering if anyone has tried putting the wire grates in a kiddy pool or similar with soapy water as a method of cleaning, I am thinking to try something like that.
I think you might get 150-170 on the charcoal grate level, adjacent to the SNS. That matches what I was seeing trying to cook side dishes down there while smoking a boston butt on the main level, using the SNS. The low grate ran about 75 to 100 degrees cooler. So if you have a Drip 'N Griddle with a roasting rack for it, that would probably do the trick. Otherwise, I would look for a small elevated grate with legs that will fit on the DNG, without using bricks.
Comment