Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

My version of a raised grid.

I need to give thanks for someone's post on this forum about how to make your own raised grid. Below is a picture of mine. Today I bought a grid the diameter I thought would fit in my dome, and then used 4 6" bolts, 12 washers and 12 nuts. Two washers and 1 nut secure each bolt to the top grid. Then near the bottom of each bolt 2 bolts secure one washer to serve as the foot resting on the lower grid. I haven't used it yet, but it seems to be sturdy, and is easily removed anytime during the cook. Hopefully I'll be as pleased once I use it. Thanks again to whoever shared the idea!
Large BGE 2013; Mini Max 2015; Adj Rig; DigiQ
Ample supply of bourbon and cigars!
Naperville, IL

Comments

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    That's what I use. You'll love it.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Newb wondering what you use the raised grid for?  I'm finding it hard - but also great fun! - to figure out all the various cooking tricks GBEers come up with.  Thanks for a great forum...and Happy New Year to all!
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    edited December 2013
    @JerryArtrick-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  You are in for quite a ride should you so choose!!  Now for your question-there are a few ways to cook with the BGE-out-of-the-box your only option is "direct", which means your cooking grid is on the top of the fire ring directly over the burning lump.  Other options are "raised direct" which means you elevate the cooking grid as shown above or with other choices.  
    Now we get to "indirect" which means that the direct heat of the burning lump is diffused and not impacting the hunk of meat you are offering to the BGE.  To do this means you need to have a heat deflector between the lump and target meat.  Choices include a platesetter or ceramic stone or another grid and some fire bricks.  You can probably guess that the initial investment is just the start.  But it is a game-changer.  Enjoy and Happy New Year.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    That is exactly what I started doin spatchcocked chickens on. You will find many different cooks you can do raised direct or indirect. You will really like pizza cooked up that high.

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • daffy1909
    daffy1909 Posts: 498
    That's what I'd like to do! Do u need to use stainless steel bolts, nuts, washers, ect, ect??? ^:)^
  • Lecky
    Lecky Posts: 60
    Yes use stainless
    daffy1909 said:
    That's what I'd like to do! Do u need to use stainless steel bolts, nuts, washers, ect, ect??? ^:)^

  • What size egg do you have and what size grid did you buy for raised grid?  I have a Large BGE and think I recall a 15" grid with 4-5" bolts is what I should try.
    Gregg
    Large BGE Owner since December of 2013!
    Marietta, GA
  • Hankyorke
    Hankyorke Posts: 146
    I used a 15" grid as a second layer. I used stainless .5"x4" carriage bolts & 8 nuts. It's been a year an no issues. The carriage bolts allow the bolt head to settle inbetween the bars so it doesn't rock or wiggle.
    Works great, very flexible, and cheap.

    I also raised my LBGE grid with .5"x4.5" stainless bolts and 8 nuts. That gets me right to the felt and when I want to sear down low I just flip it over.

    LBGE

    BTFU!

  • The only thing I would do that with is SS hardware.  Is that stainless or Galvanized?  Hot dip galvanizers baths are at 860f.  I'm sure it starts to break down well before that temp.  I like the concept, just make sure it's SS. 
    "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are."
     Brillat-Savarin
  • The only thing I did different was place wing nuts under the top grid.  That gave me the ability to raise and lower the top grid if I needed a little clearance.  You really only need three bolts.  I used mine  for two levels of cooking many times before I got an AR for Christmas. 
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • CharleyR
    CharleyR Posts: 103
    In response to a couple of questions: 1) yes, I did use SS hardware...by luck, not that I thought of it while at the hardware store. But it does make sense. 2). I have the Large BGE, with its 18" grid, and my 2nd level grid, while not labeled at the store, measures just shy of 16". And Dave in Florida, I do like your idea of wing nuts for adjusting the footer washers. Thanks!
    Large BGE 2013; Mini Max 2015; Adj Rig; DigiQ
    Ample supply of bourbon and cigars!
    Naperville, IL
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Like Dave I did 3 legs. I didn't use stainless but I wouldn't use galvanized. Great for spatchcock with veggies, multiple butts, wings, etc...
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    edited January 2014
    henapple said:
    Like Dave I did 3 legs. I didn't use stainless but I wouldn't use galvanized. Great for spatchcock with veggies, multiple butts, wings, etc...

    same here.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • butert
    butert Posts: 202
    Is there a reason to have a raised grid if you do have a plate setter?  I see a lot of people on here use the raised grates but I was not sure the exact reason behind it.  You could load more food onto the egg but I think it would be hard to move the food around that is under the raised grate.
    Cooking on a XL BGE from Allendale, Mi.
  • butert said:
    Is there a reason to have a raised grid if you do have a plate setter?  I see a lot of people on here use the raised grates but I was not sure the exact reason behind it.  You could load more food onto the egg but I think it would be hard to move the food around that is under the raised grate.
    Cooking raised grid direct is wonderful for poultry.  Also cooking pizza high in the dome cooks the toppings perfectly!
    Flint, Michigan
  • CharleyR
    CharleyR Posts: 103
    My only goal was to get extra space to use during the same cook. And as for ease of moving food on the lower grid, I don't really need to do that often. Also, what I'm smoking on the top grid will usually be for a much shorter duration - e.g., ABTs, etc. When they're done, the top grid is easily removed since it's not fastened to the bottom grid.
    Large BGE 2013; Mini Max 2015; Adj Rig; DigiQ
    Ample supply of bourbon and cigars!
    Naperville, IL
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    I have been making pizza with p.s. legs down then my stone with egg temp 550F-650F and love the end product. What sort of benefit should I expect doing it raised and at that point it would be p.s.legs up, grid, raised grid and then stone? Better end product?
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
  • TMay
    TMay Posts: 87
    I haven't used my platesetter since I raised the grate to a bit above the felt line..
    Rowlett, Texas
  • Judy Mayberry
    Judy Mayberry Posts: 2,015
    edited January 2014
    Charley: Your photo is so small I can't tell anything about your setup except there are round carriage bolt heads. Is there a washer above AND below the grid, or two washers below, fastened with a nut? And what does this mean:

    "Then near the bottom of each bolt 2 bolts secure one washer to serve as the foot resting on the lower grid."

    Do you mean that two "nuts," not bolts, secure the bottom washer, with a nut sitting between the wires of the grid, a washer on top of it, and another nut to keep the washer tight?

    Maybe a bigger picture? I can't figure out a way to enlarge the picture, and I tried.
    Judy in San Diego
  • Timbo66
    Timbo66 Posts: 109
    TMay said:

    I haven't used my platesetter since I raised the grate to a bit above the felt line..

    How did you do that? Do u have any pics of it? Thanks

    Large Egg, Warner Robins,Ga
  • Just tap the picture to make it bigger on your pad. Looks very simple to make one of these up. Just need to find a small grate that will fit up into the dome on my medium egg. Carriage bolts with the head down will act as a foot on the bottom grate. So you should only need 4 bolts ,8 nuts,and 8 fender washers. If the carriage bolts don't work with the head down just flip them around so you are using a nut and washer as the foot. Play with it,,should be easy  setup
    Jefferson .GA.  
    Been egging since 1985 on a medium egg
  • I use winged nuts on mine and usually have my bolts "upside down"  That way I can easily take off the top grid while the butts and brisket FTC if I don't need the top grid for the additional meat or random vegetable that gets thrown on during that time. 
    -Large BGE since 6-13
    -Indianapolis, IN

  • CharleyR said:
    In response to a couple of questions: 1) yes, I did use SS hardware...by luck, not that I thought of it while at the hardware store. But it does make sense. 2). I have the Large BGE, with its 18" grid, and my 2nd level grid, while not labeled at the store, measures just shy of 16". And Dave in Florida, I do like your idea of wing nuts for adjusting the footer washers. Thanks!
    Where did you find a 16" grid?  Home Depot had 13.5" and 17.5"
    Gregg
    Large BGE Owner since December of 2013!
    Marietta, GA
  • Now part of the raised grid society.  18.5" weber grate with 3/8" stainless bolts, nuts, fender washers.
    Gregg
    Large BGE Owner since December of 2013!
    Marietta, GA
  • Mark0525
    Mark0525 Posts: 1,235
    I can't find a 15" or 16" grate anywhere.
  • Mark0525 said:
    I can't find a 15" or 16" grate anywhere.
    I couldn't either, and turned out that's okay since the 18.5" works great on my LBGE
    Gregg
    Large BGE Owner since December of 2013!
    Marietta, GA