Solution: What to do with Platesetter when loading lump

Trollaltdelete

I have been making a mess of my hands and my patio every time I load up lump charcoal.   Here is the problem.

You need to remove the ceramic cap and put it somewhere

You have to remove the Grill an place it somewhere

You need to remove the platesetter and put it somewhere

The patio get dirty when I put it on the floor.

My hands get last nights bbq drippings on them when I grab the platesetter

The platesetter is usually covered with a bit of black grease so it is especially messy.

Setting the platesetter back into the Egg when the coals are roaring, either burns my hand or makes me nervous that in a rush to not get burned, I might break it.

So I same up with a solution.  

First I made a tool to move the platesetter without burning myself or getting dirty

http://keng.s3.amazonaws.com/ffforum/bge1.jpg

http://keng.s3.amazonaws.com/ffforum/bge4.jpg

Next I welded up a rack to hold the grill, platesetter, ceramic cap on the top shelf and a few other accessories.

It has a bin for the platesetter and grill so the drippings can fall into it without messing up the patio, and I left a hold in the bottom edge so it is easy to clean out.

Working good so far

Grambler

I didn't know the plate setter came in black

YEMTrey

Nice, creative, work.  Looks good.


I think a clean burn is in order.
>-

henapple

We need to get you a table built. I use 3 dollar leather gloves to keep clean and burn free. PS: the gloves don't work on the pizza stone. Do like your invention...possible item to build/sale. If you don't...I might...lol

nolaegghead

Put pizzas in your cooking rotation - warming up the egg IS a clean burn.  It's like rotating crops or eating fiber.  Keeps everything good.

Plano_JJ

Wrap your platesetter with tin foil when you use it, get a good grill brush.

Doc_Eggerton

Cool tools, grungy PS :-)

SmokeyPitt

That is really cool...nice work!  I use my old gasser to store my plate setter, grids, etc.  Your solution is much more compact! 

Trollaltdelete

The platesetter was not yet scraped off.  I usually scrape it off but I wanted to get a photo.  It still stays pretty black, but it works.

I have done the pizza, but I try to stay away from them, It may be an allergy, but if I eat too many, I swell up around the middle.

Trollaltdelete

I just picked up some aluminum this weekend to start on a nice table.  Maybe by monday I will have it done.  I have been thinking of how I am going to do it for a while, but in the end it will probably be a very simple 2'x4' aluminum frame with a top of some type.  I may have a countertop guy cut me a piece of scrap granite.  Still trying to figure out how to mount wheels to it, and be able to level them.

nolaegghead

Trollaltdelete said:

I just picked up some aluminum this weekend to start on a nice table.  Maybe by monday I will have it done.  I have been thinking of how I am going to do it for a while, but in the end it will probably be a very simple 2'x4' aluminum frame with a top of some type.  I may have a countertop guy cut me a piece of scrap granite.  Still trying to figure out how to mount wheels to it, and be able to level them.

Get the casters with the 5/8" threaded rod mount.  Weld or bolt (however you're doing it) a horizontal plate on the bottom of the leg with a single hole to accept the castor.  User two bolts on the threaded rod to adjust the height.  I've built a bunch of tables like this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=castor+threaded+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=caster+threaded&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=5cW&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=univ&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=h_q4UJerB4ukqQHY2IG4Aw&ved=0CPQBELMY&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=14f39c4a6dcd0874&bpcl=39314241&biw=1680&bih=865

ChokeOnSmoke

That's the nastiest plate setter I've ever seen!
Great job on the plate setter tool, really like that.  Wish I knew something about welding!

Trollaltdelete

<<Get the casters with the 5/8" threaded rod mount.  Weld or bolt (however you're doing it) a horizontal plate on the bottom of the leg with a single hole to accept the castor.  User two bolts on the threaded rod to adjust the height.  I've built a bunch of tables like this.>>

Thanks, this is perfect,  I will do that and that solves my last problem.

Trollaltdelete

<That's the nastiest plate setter I've ever seen!>

Do you guys really keep your platesetters that clean.  I cook on this thing about 5 times a week, and I usually just scrape it off into the coals before I light for the next cook.  What you see here was right after cooking 2 slabs of ribs and a butt.  But, even after I scrape it, it is pretty dirty.  Never caused any issues.  Stuff drips onto it, and adds additional flavors as it causes extra smoke.

Should I be worried?

Griffin

Very cool tool and rack. I use a pair of ole cheapo gloves for moving placesetter/racks/grates and dirty stuff (when they are cool). You know the grayish ones with the striped cuffs you find at Home Depot (course mine are black now)? and have a set of welders gloves for the hot stuff plus just got a new set of high temp grill gloves from Academy the other week (but haven't used them). My stuff all gets thrown in the firepit to avoid making a mess. Course that wouldn't work if I had a fire going....

Doc_Eggerton

I find a dirty PS leaves a bitter taste on baked goods or pizza, other than that I keep mine clean for the same reason you mentions; so it won't spread to my storage area.

BYS1981

I use $5 yard work gloves and put the stuff on a plastic table that I use as my BBQ table, lol

scaryangel

I have never seen a plate setter look like that. Put it in the egg when you do a clean burn. Nice storage rack.

njl

Aluminum foil would have prevented this.  Neat tool though...it's still a nice solution to the "I need to move the plate setter, but it's 400F" problem.

AleBrewer

I just use a drip pan to avoid all that mess in the first place. I also don't care for the "extra flavoring" as you call it. The burning drippings do nothing for me. YMMV though.

I use a PS Woo to handle my plate setter most of the time.

Tool looks good though.....

TUTTLE871

Griffin said:

Very cool tool and rack. I use a pair of ole cheapo gloves for moving placesetter/racks/grates and dirty stuff (when they are cool). You know the grayish ones with the striped cuffs you find at Home Depot (course mine are black now)? and have a set of welders gloves for the hot stuff plus just got a new set of high temp grill gloves from Academy the other week (but haven't used them). My stuff all gets thrown in the firepit to avoid making a mess. Course that wouldn't work if I had a fire going....

I have seen your gloves, they were the pink hello kitty version, but I did admire them.

Bullibe

I made a plate setter tool and when I want to it hangs under my table on a hook.

nolaegghead

Bullibe said:

I made a plate setter tool and when I want to it hangs under my table on a hook.

Nice dude

cortguitarman

Trollaltdelete said:

I just picked up some aluminum this weekend to start on a nice table.  Maybe by monday I will have it done.  I have been thinking of how I am going to do it for a while, but in the end it will probably be a very simple 2'x4' aluminum frame with a top of some type.  I may have a countertop guy cut me a piece of scrap granite.  Still trying to figure out how to mount wheels to it, and be able to level them.

Go for a concrete top. I love mine.

nolaegghead

If you're in the nola area, I'll help you pour a concrete top.  I've never done it before but I have a cement mixer and a diamond grinding system to cut and polish the top.

cortguitarman

@Nolaegghead, you can do cool stuff with concrete. Break up some glass wine or beer bottles and mix it with the concrete. The grinder smooths everything and looks awesome.

My bar is poured with two colors. Red was mixed so we could make balls put of it. We placed them so they touched each other. We let that set up over night then came back with Orange concrete mixed more loosely and poorest it over the red. This fills the holes. We pulled from the forms the next day and flipped it over. We then put a slurry of red over the entire surface and let it dry. We hit it with the grinder to smooth it. This made an Orange and red swirl pattern.

My bathroom vanity is poured with a beige color then we let it dry. We pulled it from the forms, flipped it, then filled the goods with white epoxy. Then we ground it smooth and sealed it.

My egg table is gray and mixed with river rock instead of stone. When the river rock is ground smoothly many colors come through.

As you can see concrete is sooo versatile.

Skiddymarker

Trollaltdelete said:

I have been making a mess of my hands and my patio every time I load up lump charcoal.   Here is the problem.

You need to remove the ceramic cap and put it somewhere

You have to remove the Grill an place it somewhere

You need to remove the platesetter and put it somewhere

The patio get dirty when I put it on the floor.

My hands get last nights bbq drippings on them when I grab the platesetter

The platesetter is usually covered with a bit of black grease so it is especially messy.

Setting the platesetter back into the Egg when the coals are roaring, either burns my hand or makes me nervous that in a rush to not get burned, I might break it.

So I same up with a solution.  

First I made a tool to move the platesetter without burning myself or getting dirty

http://keng.s3.amazonaws.com/ffforum/bge1.jpg

http://keng.s3.amazonaws.com/ffforum/bge4.jpg

Next I welded up a rack to hold the grill, platesetter, ceramic cap on the top shelf and a few other accessories.

It has a bin for the platesetter and grill so the drippings can fall into it without messing up the patio, and I left a hold in the bottom edge so it is easy to clean out.

Working good so far

You win two awards, 1st place for neat new tool to move a hot setter, and 1st place for the ugliest, dirtiest setter I have ever seen. What are you burning in that thing, old railway ties? 

Trollaltdelete

Nice looking concrete tabletop. Never did anything like that, but it is an idea. I am in south Florida so your offer wouldn't work, but sounds like fun. No, regular lump charcoal, but I am obviously doing something wrong. That is what it looks like after a cook. Suggestions have been made tomuse foil or a drip pan, and I used to use a drip pan, but then it needed cleaning, and I am a bit lazy. I usually scrape it clean when I reload. I guess I'll have yo post up a picture after I get it cleaned up, but it will always be black. I do keep my pizza stone pretty clean.

scaryangel

Use an aluminum foil throw away drip pan. You can get themu at the dollarcstore.

Coastalcooker

When the egg smelled strong enough and before the turkey, I ran it up to 750-800 for a couple of hours and the plate setter, about as crusty as yours came out white. The high heat also cleaned some stuff around the top and the sides. Scrape the dome with wadded aluminum foil or a grill cleaning brush. This is a good time to take out the fire ring and clean all the ash out of the bottom, thus removing any dropped crud.

tortaboy

My plate setter looks just like yours.  No big deal.  No bitter taste.

You going to sell your place setter tool?  I hate getting my hands grungy.