What's the best way to cook a beef roast, or a whole chicken, by indirect heat on a three burner gas grill ?
I had the same problem when I bought this house eight years agoThe loft was fully boarded which of course can be useful for storage but what to lay on the boards which would be easy to move if necessary and yet would significantly improve the insulation? After some research I found a product called Superfoil, it is only 20mm thick (there are other thicknesses) but is equivalent in U value to at least 6 inches of the old style woolly stuff that we have all seenIt is easy to lay and roll up out of the way if you need to access lighting cables, etcI do hope that you can find it in the States because I recommend it highlyUK Diyman
the foil backed batts of insulation roll out easily and will be a job that you can do yourself wear some protection - long sleeves - hat or shower cap - a mask - and rather than try to lay the batts between the joists you will have better protection to cross over those joists as for the added plywood and the extra weight above those joists I had a three car garage that I floored and quickly discovered that the open area on the underside of the garage roof need to have supports to maintain a level ceiling in the garage point being that the extra weight does need support plan for that weight and only store those things that you will use in the next two yearsbefore we moved out of that house I was a pack rat and I have learned that is no good at all the R-factor of insulation is important and it must have been less than recommended for your area so the comment by the home inspector Lowe's and the HoDepot have a commercial desk that is good at great advice for local building codes and home remodeling and projects buying the thickest insulation may not be the wisest use of your insulation dollars so, be sure that you stop by that desk and ask what is needed to give you the protection needed .
If that's your only choice; it needs to have a lid or coverIf the 3 burners are in a row, you need to turn off the centre onePlace an aluminum foil pan over the centre burner to catch the dripsYou'll need a grill or spit to hold the roast or chicken above the panLight the 2 end burners, start out on high close the lidWatch the lid thermometer, let it get high (500F+) to sear the roastThen reduce the gas, to lower the cooking temperature (350F)Especially for a chicken you need an internal temperature probeYou can buy those little plastic pop-ups which you insertChicken must reach an internal temperature of 180F+A beef roast can be Rare 145F, Medium 160F, or Well 170F.
If the roof is not insulated, heat will be escaping out of the attic space, so it makes sense to insulate the roof tooPlus you can floor the attic as it is nowIf you insulate more at floor level you can't put a floor on top without adding more timber on top of the joistsIs the trapdoor also well-insulated ?
If you have plenty of space above your head to walk, I would make the joists taller then add more insulationAnother option is to replace the insulation that you have with a more efficient insulationThis will be pricey, but may be a better option than raising the attic floor.
