Question re: plate setter, pizza and indirect cooking methods

Topo Gigio

Hi All,[p]I need advice on what to purchase to achieve 2 things. Making pizza and indirect cooking.[p]Just got a Large BGE and firebricks. (As an aside, I have a rectangle pizza stone which I use for my oven - been making pizza's for a few years now - it doesn't fit my egg)[p]I'm thinking of buying the BGE plate setter to kill two goals with one stone (so to speak). I could use it for indirect very nicely, but read on TNW's site that for pizza you should put a pizza stone on top of the plate setter "for better temperature regulation and fewer burned crusts". That means I would have to buy both the plate setter and flat pizza stone. (I thought you put the pizza right on the plate setter). [p]If this is the case would I be better off :
1. For pizza: Using the fire bricks on the main grid, buying a flat pizza stone and place this on the fire bricks? (I could put 2 bricks on edge for elevation)
2. For indirect:
a) Using the fire bricks, buying another grid (maybe the 18.5inch Weber charcoal grid placed on top of the firebox alla JSlot) place the firebricks on the charcoal grid and put food on the main grid.
b) Using the fire bricks right on the main grid with 2 bricks on edge. Buy another grid and placing that on the raised 2 bricks, in effect creating a raised grid.[p]So with the plate setter I (have to) buy the setter and a stone.
If I use my bricks I buy a grid and a stone.[p]Any suggestions?

Luvmyegg

Topo Gigio,
Sounds complicated. I have both the platesetter and an old round pizza stone. When both are used together, the level of the pizza stone is even with the rim of the egg making it easy to slide the pizza on and off the stone. Set up is platesetter, grid, pizza stone. Because the surface of the platesetter sits just above the lump, I imagine this keeps the temperature from getting too hot immediately under the pizza stone. Better disbursement of heat. The platesetter is also great for indirect cooks because you have a surface for a drip pan although I guess your system would allow for one too. Just my opinion.

The Naked Whiz

Topo Gigio,
The plate setter is such an elegant solution, I'd go for it and a stone. Even if you cooked pizza directly on the PS, you'll find that the area that you can use to cook on is not as large as if you were to, say, buy a 16" stone, which is what I have. But, yes people do use fire bricks and a pizza stone to do their pizza and indirect stuff.[p]TNW

eggor

Topo Gigio,[p]I only had my egg about 7 months so this may not wash with the elders, but I don't have a plate setter and don't plan on buying one. I symply stuck some steel rod between the fire box and the fire ring so that they are spaced about 6 inches apart. I put them there and have not taken them out since they allow you to add charcoal as needed and clean without removing them. If I want to do an indirect cook i just fill to the top of the firebox light the fire set a pizza stone, wrapped in alluminum foil on the steel bars, drip pan, raised grid whatever else I feel is necessary and go. I guess if you are trying to do a consideral amount of meat the few extra inches that an inverted plate setter would give you above the firebox, over my setup might make a difference. As far as the plate setter sitting on its legs and the pizza stone on top, that imho is only necc. if you are doing a thick crust pizza to prevent burning the crust while the toppings are cooking. Try making a thin crust pizza and see if you like it before spending that money. The raised grid and a pizza stone are a must in imo for cooking a lot of different things, the plate setter is just an option that can come in time.

Char-Woody

eggor, good idea on the rods..some use a webber welded iron grate down there.
I also use 3 firebrick on edge and a second grill and the stone resting on that. Works the same as a plate setter setup.
Also 2 bricks under the second grill laying flat to diffuse the direct heat from the fire. They also acts as a thermal heat balancer.
C~W[p]

QBabe

Topo Gigio,[p]Here's a pic of our setup...[p]Platesetter, legs down
Pizza Stone
Pizza Screen[p][img]http://www.phhp.ufl.edu~tlambert/q-pics/pizza-with-fire.jpg[/img][p]Tonia
:~)

QBabe

You'd think by now I'd have this down pat, but alas, NO...[p][p]Hopefully that worked...