Ironwood 885 Grate Levels?

[jersmith26]

What’s others preference on when to use the top great vs the bottom great? I understand cooking temperature is very close to the same at both levels. Maybe it’s a bit irrelevant.

 

[RayClem]

I have an IW885 and can normally fit my cook on the top grate. I place a baking sheet covered in foil on the bottom rack underneath the cook to catch any drippings. It makes grill cleaning a lot easier as you do not have to wipe grease off the drip tray and grease chute. I just remove the foil from the baking sheet and toss it in the garbage.

If you are trying to sear, the bottom grate might be best as you will get more direct heat from the burn pot. Personally, I have found other options are better for searing. I still have my gas grill and also sear in a carbon steel skillet on the kitchen stove. I got a set of GrillGrates, but rarely use them.

If you are doing something big like a turkey, you might have to remove the top grate and cook on the bottom. I plan to do that for Thanksgiving.

Some folks here are cooking for a large family or for a group of friends. They may not be able to fit everything on the top grate. If you use both grates, make sure you monitor cooking progress and re-arrange items during the cook to make sure they are all cooking at similar rates.

 

[jersmith26]

I have an IW885 and can normally fit my cook on the top grate. I place a baking sheet covered in foil on the bottom rack underneath the cook to catch any drippings. It makes grill cleaning a lot easier as you do not have to wipe grease off the drip tray and grease chute. I just remove the foil from the baking sheet and toss it in the garbage.

If you are trying to sear, the bottom grate might be best as you will get more direct heat from the burn pot. Personally, I have found other options are better for searing. I still have my gas grill and also sear in a carbon steel skillet on the kitchen stove. I got a set of GrillGrates, but rarely use them.

If you are doing something big like a turkey, you might have to remove the top grate and cook on the bottom. I plan to do that for Thanksgiving.

Some folks here are cooking for a large family or for a group of friends. They may not be able to fit everything on the top grate. If you use both grates, make sure you monitor cooking progress and re-arrange items during the cook to make sure they are all cooking at similar rates.

Thanks again Ray, that makes perfect sense and sounds like the best option for me, normally cooking for a small number of folks.