Newbie Plate Setter Concern

Woody · January 2010

After a dissapointing Thanksgiving smoking experience with a metal smoker I decided to start researching my options. Based on my brother-in-laws experience and the on-line enthusiasm for the Egg, I made it my one and only Christmas present request. I now have a large Big Green Egg and have made some great things including ribs and flank steak. I am slowly picking up the Eggccessories including a Plate Setter which brings me to my question:

How does the plate setter hold up going from being stored outside in the Michigan cold (can get in the single digits or below zero in the winter) to the heated environment of a pre-lit/heated Egg? I am worried about destroying the Plate Setter if I store it outside in the Egg Cabinet I plan to build. I love grilled food, so the temperatures don't tend to slow me down too much.

fieroguy · January 2010

Woody - Put the plate setter in the Egg immediately after lighting. No problem.

Village Idiot · January 2010

It needs to heat up and cool down with the egg. Same with a pizza stone.

Fidel · January 2010

I agree with the others that it should be pre-heated with the egg for most cooks, but it isn't necessary.

I have cooked a roast that I seared at 600&deg and then put the platesetter in to finish the cook indirect. The ambient temp at the time was around 25&deg and I dropped the cold platesetter right into the hot egg with no problems.

Unknown · January 2010

Welcome to the forum. I live in Wyoming and cook year round with my Eggs. When the temps are 0° or colder I take two precautions.... I bring my plate setter or pizza stone indoors and set on some newspaper (or on the rack in an empty oven) to warm up for an hour before lighting the Egg.

When starting I light a smaller area of lump (about the size of a softball) and allow a little additional time for the cooker to come up to temp. This might be an hour to an hour and a half. I put the plate setter in about 15 minutes after I start the fire.

The good news is, once the egg is up to temp it doesn't know if it's summer or winter. During the coldest all night cook I've done, the temp fell to -22° actual.

BBQMaven · January 2010

Woody
Welcome to the EggWorld - what a great Christmas gift!

As for the PS... I store my PS so no moisture can get to it and put it in the Egg during warm up... I start my lump and then put it in so it can warm up with the rest of the ceramic....

The PS are really tough, however they don't like to be dropped!

hogaholic · January 2010

I've never heard of one breaking due to heat shock (I've only been eggin and reading this forum for about 2 years so take that for what it's worth).

Put it in as soon as possible after the lump is burning and I'll bet you will be OK. If you're really concerned or it is below 0 up there in that frozen tundra in which you live, then bring the plate setter in the house for a little while before you light the egg.

As I poke fun of the weather in Michigan

I will point out that it was 12 degrees here in Jackson, TN with single digits expected this weekend. We won't be above freezing until next week according to the weatherman.

SomedayMommy · January 2010

WOW! THAT's impressive! And here I am complaining about Ohio weather!

I just need a nice day or two to get my egg assembled...

gdenby · January 2010

During my first winter, I didn't stop to think about heat shock, and put the ice cold platesetter on an Egg preheated to over 350. Went back inside to get the food, and it was only as I was about to open the Egg that I wondered if I'd find a shatter ceramic. Nope, no problems.

While I now do much as has already been described, putting the platesetter in fairly soon after the fire is lit, it and the pizza stone have both experienced at least 400 degree temperature changes without any problem.

It is good to keep the Egg covered during icy weather. The ceramic will absorb less moisture, and heat up faster, and the Egg as a whole won't be sealed in an ice shell.

CaptainSpaulding · January 2010

Woody,

Congratulations on the acquisition of the egg and welcome aboard.

Where are you located in Michigan? I'm in Union Lake (NW Detroit 'burbs). If you're anywhere in the Detroit Metro area and are interested in getting some Wicked Good Lump, the local distributor is a great guy. He's in Rochester, but his full time gig is as a firefighter in Birmingham and he can arrange deliveries, as well. Contact info (His name is Larry) is at the link, below:

Wicked Good Charcoal - Michigan

Cheers,

Joe

mad max beyond eggdome · January 2010

i've taken my platesetter right out of a pile of snow and stuck it into a 700 degree egg with no issues . . .many times. . .never had a problem . .

Lei'd-n-Egg · January 2010

"Everybody knows your name, Woody!"

Welcome to the forum. I agree with BBQMaven, while the PS can probably take a lot of abuse, keeping it dry is probably a smart move.

Happy Egging,
Bryan

FearlessGrill · January 2010

Welcome,

I second what a couple of others have said. I'm in Boston, and cook in cold weather all the time. Last night, I fished my plate setter out of the snow, and put it into my already preheated Egg at 350 degrees with no issues at all, other than it taking a while to come back up to temp with the ice cold ceramic being put in.

I like the idea someone had of bringing it in the house for a while 1st to warm up. I'll have to start doing that.

-John

field hand · January 2010

For cooking temps in the "teens" or lower, we bring the PS in for a warm-up before putting it in the BGE. May not be necessary, but should lower the thermal shock.

Barry
Marthasville, MO

Doug in Eggmonton · January 2010

It holds up fine in the Edmonton cold. You'll be fine in Michigan.

Doug

satjat · January 2010

Hey Joe...newbie in Michigan here too ! Wixom...just off of Maple and Benstein, we are neighbors. Thanks for the info on the charcoal guy.

CaptainSpaulding · January 2010

Satjat,

No problem, brother.

Do you ever frequent CJ's Brewpub on Richardson Road? That's my normal happy hour watering hole. Pop in sometime and I'll buy you a beer.

Larry will hook you up if you get in touch with him. I called him on a Saturday and he happened to be on Duty at the Fire Station in Birmingham and had some in his trailer. I just popped in and bought 4 bags a few months ago. It's some pretty good stuff. Extremely dense and long burning.

Joe

Ricklesss · January 2010

mad max beyond eggdome wrote:

i've taken my platesetter right out of a pile of snow and stuck it into a 700 degree egg with no issues . . .many times. . .never had a problem . .

I think we've got a winner...! :laugh:
Simply amazing ceramics. I won't ever worry again, about throwing my cold (relatively-I live in Oregon) BGE rain cap on top of the egg to shut er' down at night.
Wow...

Dave in So Cal · January 2010

Dang Woody that is COLD.

A couple weeks ago it got down in the high 30s here. We all thought we were going to die. We were all bundled up with heavy coats and such. I sprinkled too, so everyone was in pretty much of a panic.

Geeze, we are wimps out here at the beach. :woohoo:

Dave in So Cal · January 2010

The PS is the same ceramic material as the egg. Therefore, it should be able to handle similar extremes in temps. With all the pics of people egging in the snow and cold, it appears these things hold up well to temp differences. Guess its that space age ceramic we all hear so much about.

Woody · January 2010

Thank you all for all of the great responses. I feel better already!
To the Michiganders, I am in Northville and CJ's is our Thursday night hang out after golf at Bay Pointe during the summer. I will plan to look up Larry to get Wicked!

Newbie Plate Setter Concern

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