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china plate for heat deflector?

Newbie here.
I've bbq'd a long time but just got into the ceramic  thing.  I don't have a plate setter.  Cooked my first ribs last weekend.  Really great, but then I don't need to tell you guys.

Anyway, I'm a hopeless tinkerer so I'm looking at some old cheap  used  china plates from Red  Lobster, really.  I am wondering, will those plates  work as a heat deflector?  Will they hold up to the heat or will they just shatter?  From what I've read china is actually cured to a higher temperature than ceramic. 

tks
don

Comments

  • My guess is shatter, but try it!
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • ShedFarm
    ShedFarm Posts: 499
    I think you would be better off, getting your hands on a few fire bricks. They're still cheap, and are known to work as a great heat deflector.
    BJ (Powhatan, VA)
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    theres always alot of talk about platesetters and heat retention in the egg, with a low and slow you dont need extra heat retention, the egg has enough. what you need is a simple heat shield, a pie plate or tin, some folded tin foil, anything to rederect the heat works for a low and slow
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    If you don't care if they break, give it a shot.  You'll want to heat them up and cool them down with the egg.  The problem you might have with the plates is they have thick and thin areas that cool and heat up at different rates, and that might cause enough internal stress that they crack or explode in a small mushroom cloud of ceramic dust :D
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • wa5ngp
    wa5ngp Posts: 2
    Last time I just used a piece of steel metal that fit nicely and it worked fine.  No heat retention but as others mentioned there's so much heat retention in egg it may not really matter.  For the price $1-2 its wortht the try.  Spend more on gas going to get it (them)   :(

    I agree, it needs to be on there from the beginning otherwise the shock will get it.

    Still doing a lot of wikipedia reading on the difference between fired clay, ceramic, and china.  Tempting to make my own kiln.

    don
  • wa5ngp said:

    Tempting to make my own kiln.

    don

    You could just use your egg.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980
    Why wouldnt you have a platesetter?
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    If you have a LBGE, the adjustable rig is the way to go. provides not only direct and indirect options, it also allows different levels. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • One other option is to use a terra cotta pottery tray from Home Depot as a heat deflector.  They are inexpensive and   when wrapped with foil, they double as a dripping pan and / or water pan.

    I've used them both with and without my Large Adjustable Rig.  Before I got the rig, I used bricks and an extra grid along with a terra cotta tray for indirect.