Butts on one (same) grate, or different grates, any differance?

[jjdbike]

Hey everyone,

Please forgive this dumb and overly basic newby question. This will only be my second cook & I want to have a sound plan in place.

I've got two 8 - 9 lb Duroc butts on the way. I'm cooking for my wife's retirement party.

I'm wondering if I should try to squeeze these two 8 - 9lb butts on the same rack (I don't know if they'll both even fit), or on different racks, which of course would put them at different levels in the KBQ cook chamber? I'm thinking that different racks might allow more air / smoke to circulate around them. I also don't know how having food on different racks / levels will impact air / smoke circulation.

My other question is about temp differential through the KBQ cook chamber. I know the hot air / smoke from the fire box enters toward the bottom of the chamber and get sucked out through the top. What I don't know is, is it hotter (ambient cook temp) higher on the top of the cook chamber or the bottom? Also, is there a significant temperature differential? I am assuming that if the hot air / smoke hits food on lower racks, it will cool the air so the air will be less hot when it reaches the food on the top rack?

I suppose I'm asking all of this to know if I should rotate my butts from top rack to lower rack for a more even cook?

Thanks in advance!
JD

[Donw]

Rotate.

[Mark The Q-er]

I agree with Donw above. Different racks, swap them out half way through the expected time of the cook. Also, my experience with drum or vertical or bullet or whatever you want to call them type smokers is it's hotter down low near the fire, cooler at the top. I've heard people on youtube explain that hot air rises so it's hotter on the top, but I am sure they are mistaken. It's also cooler near the bulkhead (wall) of the smoker and hotter in the center which is why you'd want the protein centered in the chamber. MHO Disclaimer, I dont own a KBQ. Good luck

[Murdy]

Not a KBQ owner, but if you rotate top to bottom, also spin them 180 degrees when you do so, just in case.

[lostclusters]

The KBQ is a convection cooker. Rotation is not necessary imho. I believe the temperature is hotter towards the bottom because the convection fan is on the top. I would position butts centered in the cook chamber and offset them so the one on top does not drip on the lower one and retard bark formation.

[glitchy]

I’m sure I’ve seen some temp tests on the KBQ, probably in the has landed thread. It seems like there was no/minimal differences from top to bottom because of the amount of convection the fans provide. If one does get done earlier, put it in a 170 degree oven or wrap and put in a cooler. Even when temps are very even and have two similar pieces of meat, I often have one take an hour longer than the other.

[jjdbike]

Thanks everyone!
JD