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Setup for Cast Iron Pot Chili?

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Thermal Mass
Thermal Mass Posts: 31
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Tomorrow I am going to try my first chili on the Large Egg, using a cast iron pot. I want to prevent the direct heat from the lump from hitting the bottom of the pot; however, I can't decide whether it would be better to go with[p]1) plate setter, feet down, with pot sitting on the plate setter, or[p]2) pizza stone sitting on grid, with pot on pizza stone, or[p]3) something else?[p]Thanks - Mark
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Thermal Mass,[p] Plate Setter Feet up. Grate on top Dutch Oven on Grate.[p]Better yet plate setter feet down. Green Ceramic Feet on plate setter and Dutch Oven on the feet. Either way you want the air around it for even heat.[p]
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  • Richard
    Richard Posts: 698
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    Thermal Mass,
    One option is plate setter feet up, grid then pot.

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  • Thermal Mass
    Thermal Mass Posts: 31
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    Celtic Wolf,[p]Thanks, your explanation makes sense. [p]My Egg did not come with the feet - my dealer, who was really good in all other respects, claims that the feet are an option. So grate on plate setter (legs up) it is.[p]Mark

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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Thermal Mass,[p] You have a Large or XL? Regardless they are only $9.00 or so. Worth the cost
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  • Thermal Mass
    Thermal Mass Posts: 31
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    Celtic Wolf,[p]It is a Large, which my dealer sold prepackaged with the nest, grate gripper, ash tool, a decent bag of lump, and a box of Weber starter cubes. He also recommended the plate setter, so I was nicely set up from the get-go.[p]I didn't even think of springing for a set of feet, but that's a great idea.[p]Mark

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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Thermal Mass,[p] Actually, unless I am corrected, the feet come with the Large, regardless of the purchase of the nest.
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  • AnnaG
    AnnaG Posts: 1,104
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    Celtic Wolf,[p]I purchased a Large BGE, nest, egg mates, BGE bag of lump, another bag of lump, which I have not tried..., for 699... [p]My ceramic feet came with the BGE... The only thing that I did not get was the spiral bound cookbook, and he gave that to me another time... [p]Can't say enough good things about my dealer.. [p]He gives you a discount everytime you buy something like an accessory or BGE lump. I get BGE lump from him for 15.00...[p]Thanks...
    ...AnnaG...
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  • Fingers
    Fingers Posts: 37
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    Thermal Mass,
    Pot question. Are you using a coated cast iron pot ?
    If not how do you keep the pot from reacting with the chili
    and causing an off flavor?
    Thanks
    ****

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  • duckegg
    duckegg Posts: 267
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    Fingers, is correct. I don't know what you put in your chili but tomatos are not good in cast iron.

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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    duckegg,[p] A properly seasoned cast iron dutch oven does not react with the tomatoes. [p] I have been cooking with cast iron for 40 years and never had a problem.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,759
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    Celtic Wolf,
    i would say its probably better to put the tomatoes in at the end of the cook, i get the metallic taste occasionally but i may be more susceptible to it as others eating the same dish say its fine. ive had both well seasoned pots and those logic ones actually have the coating lift during real long cooks and it starts to flake off into the stew. when i make chili its an all day affair, im not adding canned beans, im starting those from scratch the day before so my cook times are way longer than most recipes.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • duckegg
    duckegg Posts: 267
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    Celtic Wolf,[p]Well I certainly ruined a batch years ago in cast iron, Maybe I'm just paranoid now, I went to stainless for chili and Tomato sauce.

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  • Fingers
    Fingers Posts: 37
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    Celtic Wolf,
    Would you tell me how to properly season a pot and how to tell when it is seasoned corectly.[p]Thanks
    ****

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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Fingers,[p]I really need to get that tutorial done :)[p]Heat your Egg up to 450-500 indirect, with a drip pan and get it steady.[p]In the mean time with hot water throughly scrub the inside and outside of the cast iron. [p]Dry it off. Then using lard, bacon grease, shortening, or oil (in that order) coat the inside and outside of the cast iron pot Dutch oven or skillet[p]dutch-4.jpg[p]Place the dutch oven upside down on the grate[p]dutch-5.jpg[p]Literally bake the dutch oven for skillet or 2 hours. Shut down the egg and Let the egg and the cast iron cool together.[p]dutch-6.jpg[p]Repeat as necessary till the dutch oven is Jet Black and shiny. [p]Immediately after a cook empty the dutch oven and clean with hot water and a mild brush. With a paper towel coat with a light layer of vegetable oil. With Sweet or Acidic cooks you may have to boil the water in the dutch oven or skillet to remove food residue.[p]Yes there are easier ways, but they always lead to having to re-season after acidic cooks.[p]As for the lodge logic or pro-logic cookware season it again...[p]Just so you know what this dutch oven looked like before it was seasoned[p]dutch-1.jpg
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Celtic Wolf,
    Thanks for the tutorial. I have always seasoned with oil on the stove. and like you pointed out I would have to reseason frequently and would get a metalic taste with acidic cooks.[p]The reason for the different handle is "fingers" is the handle I used when I posted years ago. When I started posting I checked to see if the that handle was still in the profiles I failed to look until yesterday at who it was registered to. I hope that the error did not cause any problems
    ****
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