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Fire Bricks necessary?

I see many of you mention using fire bricks to raise pizza stones etc. I have never used fire bricks and have always just used regular bricks wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil. I will admit I am new to the BGE and have never cooked at high temperatures like you recommend for pizzas. Are regular old bricks only good up to a certain temperature?  Doing my first attempt at pizzas on the BGE tonight and am curious. Ken 
Dearborn MI

Comments

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    edited May 2014
    I use leftover paver stones that I had (no foil) and do not have any problem with high temps.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • These are the bricks I use. They aren't fire bricks. Around a buck a piece at ACE. I've never wrapped them in foil, though, I would if I were going to put them directly on the food of course. They've been used from low and slows to clean burns without any issue. 

    image
    Madison, CT
    LBGE June 2013. 

  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    Thinking about it I just used the foil because I would use them to do chicken under bricks and use them like a press for panini style sandwiches etc. Guess no need to wrap them if just used for spacers.

    Dearborn MI
  • Durangler
    Durangler Posts: 1,122
    You should be fine. I've foil wrapped regular red clay bricks to use in a Weber & BGE with no issue.
    XL BGE, 22" Weber Red Head, Fiesta Gasser .... Peoria,AZ
  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    Yankee, what do you do next on top of the bricks?
     
    Dearborn MI
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    KenfromMI said:
    Yankee, what do you do next on top of the bricks?
     
    Put a cooking grid on and call it "raised direct" or cooking at the gasket level.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • Yep, what @TOTN said. 
    Madison, CT
    LBGE June 2013. 

  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    Thanks, guess I was still picturing pizza in my head and the picture threw me off LOL
    Dearborn MI
  • Oops, sorry for the confusion. Yea, I don't think I have any pics using it to raise the pizza stone. I usually do PS legs up, grid, bricks, then pizza stone. I was just wanted to show the kind of bricks I use. 
    Madison, CT
    LBGE June 2013. 

  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    edited May 2014
    Fire bricks are lighter than regular bricks and depending on what you have around or do not have around, they can be cheaper, although they are more fragile. They will take the heat, made for it. 
    Some folks put a grid on the fire ring, use two or three bricks laying down as a heat deflector (homemade setter?)
    Side benefit - when they get dirty, just burn them off. 
    A six pack of bricks and a spare grid will provide you with some of the parts to build kind of a stone age adjustable rig. 
    :))
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    I actually just remembered I also have what is called a Pizza Que for a grill that I didn't have much luck with and its been gathering dust. Looks like they are discontinued now. Its a square pizza stone raised on a stainless steel base to keep it higher on the grate. Just broke that out and going to try that with one pizza and my BGE pizza stone for the other. Do you guys have a good way of doing two pizzas at once on a Large BGE where they get done around the same time?  Thanks for the replies, Ken
    Dearborn MI
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102

    These are the bricks I use. They aren't fire bricks. Around a buck a piece at ACE. I've never wrapped them in foil, though, I would if I were going to put them directly on the food of course. They've been used from low and slows to clean burns without any issue. 

    image
    I use regular old bricks too.  If you get a second cooking grid, you don't have to worry about those bricks falling.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • bbqlearner
    bbqlearner Posts: 760
    edited May 2014
    Fire bricks not necessary if you're using it to raise your grid. But if you're using it to act as deflector and absorb heat, it's useful. 

    In an offset smoker, it's even more useful to direct your heat in certain directions.

    Houston, TX - Buddy LBGE, Don SBGE, Tiny Mini & Shiny Momma Pitts n Spitts