Old Country BBQ uses an 1/8" plate with rectangular holes cut in it for their fire grates. It might not be an issue with their offset models due the length & width of those grates, but the grate in my Over & Under is 17" x 29". I noticed during my initial burn & season it looked like it was warping. Sure enough, after my next cook it had warped or more like twisted from one corner to the oppposite corner on the other end. The image below shows how severe it is. You can see the right corner is an inch off the floor.
So I built a different fire grate out of 3/4" x 1/8" angle & #9 x 3/4" expanded metal. It has better air flow, won't warp, and is solid. Other than having to build the new grate, which I would have done eventually anyway, I really like this smoker.
So I built a different fire grate out of 3/4" x 1/8" angle & #9 x 3/4" expanded metal. It has better air flow, won't warp, and is solid. Other than having to build the new grate, which I would have done eventually anyway, I really like this smoker.
