Placesetter and Pizza Stone

acutsh1

I have a XL BGE, placesetter and XL Pizza Stone. 

I recently tried following a recipe for cooking pizza on the BGE with bad results(burned bottom and uncooked top. It stated that placesetter should be legs down and stone directly on top, temp should be 600 degrees. Even with the bottom and top vents open I was only able to reach 525, pizza still burned. 

I have seen suggestions to put some type separator in between the PS and stone hinder heat transfer and raise pizza higher into dome.I have also seen suggestions to turn placesetter with legs up,grill grate and stone on top of that. 

Has anyone tried both of these suggestions that can comment on results?

Also I have  concerns because the XL Stone is 21 inches, 

-allowing only 1 1/2 inch airflow around stone. 

-raising Stone too high into dome will reduce air flow even more

 I do have 3x3 terra cotta pot legs that are about 1 3/4 thick that i could place between PS and stone if anyone thinks that would help. If I did do this is that enough support for the stone?

thanks

Hi54putty

Try legs up, grate, pizza stone. That should solve your problem.

nolaegghead

Don't worry about air flow around the dome and the stone - think about the area of your bottom vent, you just need 1/2" clearance around a 21" stone to exceed that.

Legs up, legs down, you can do it either way.  I do legs up, helps preserve your gasket.

If you do legs up, put the grate on the legs, then the pizza stone on the grate, or, as I do, raise the stone up higher with your pot legs or (I use bricks) something. 

The higher in the dome, the faster the top will cook relative to the bottom crust.  The air gap between the plate setter and pizza stone will keep the stone cooler than if you did it direct or had the stone directly on the plate setter.

Hope that helps.  I do a lot of pizza.

waltinva

We have done pizza twice with legs up-grate-stone and they came out fine. Second time we used  parchment paper under the pizza to slide it on the stone then pulled it out after a couple min. That was the best tip I got from here. Good luck.

R2Egg2Q

I've done both XL plate setter legs up and legs down and didn't notice any difference in the end result but I always have an air gap between the PS & pizza stone. BGE recommends legs up, grill, then stone to avoid reflecting direct heat right at the gasket (when PS legs down). I do this now and still try to lift the stone some even though you have an air gap with the PS legs up. As you pointed out, the stone is huge and limits how high you can lift it, but I think you can use those pot legs (I use the old BGE ceramic feet).







What kind of dough are you using? I've found some store bought doughs can't handle more than about 550-575 (burn at higher temps).

acutsh1

nolaegghead said:

Don't worry about air flow around the dome and the stone - think about the area of your bottom vent, you just need 1/2" clearance around a 21" stone to exceed that.

Good to know thanks

acutsh1

Hi54putty said:

Try legs up, grate, pizza stone. That should solve your problem.

Will do. thx

Carolina Q

Gotta have airspace! I don't think I've ever even seen an XL, or 21" stone. Here is my legs down setup on my large. From the platesetter (it's plate, btw ) to the top of the 14" stone is 3 3/4"At that height, I have approximately 2 1/4" between the dome and the stone. It has always worked for me. I once tried moving the stone up another inch or so, but it didn't work. Not enough heat getting past the stone (Nola notwithstanding )

I can't believe there's only 1 1/2" with your stone directly on the PS. Would have thought the measurements would be proportionate with the large.

IMO, 600° is a tad high for a "typical" pizza. I do mine at 500/725/900, but with completely different doughs and styles of pizza. The second pic is a NY style pie at 500°. Wish I had a decent pic of the bottom of that pie, but I can't find one of a pie that was cooked at any less that 725°.

acutsh1

R2Egg2Q said:

plate setter legs up and legs down and didn't notice any difference in the end result but I always have an air gap between the PS & pizza stone.

What kind of dough are you using? I've found some store bought doughs can't handle more than about 550-575 (burn at higher temps).

I didn't know if legs being up would allow enough heat for stone since heat being blocked by PS lower in BGE

cooking 2 different typesof pie,  margherita style home made dough (ingredients below) and store bought NY Style(not sure whats in it). I think I am going to lower to 500 and see how that goes

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

acutsh1

Carolina Q said:

Gotta have airspace! I don't think I've ever even seen an XL, or 21" stone. Here is my legs down setup on my large. From the platesetter (it's plate, btw ) to the top of the 14" stone is 3 3/4"At that height, I have approximately 2 1/4" between the dome and the stone. It has always worked for me. I once tried moving the stone up another inch or so, but it didn't work. Not enough heat getting past the stone (Nola notwithstanding )

I can't believe there's only 1 1/2" with your stone directly on the PS. Would have thought the measurements would be proportionate with the large.

IMO, 600° is a tad high for a "typical" pizza. I do mine at 500/725/900, but with completely different doughs and styles of pizza. The second pic is a NY style pie at 500°. Wish I had a decent pic of the bottom of that pie, but I can't find one of a pie that was cooked at any less that 725°.

I saw your setup earlier when I was doing a search. I do have the same stands as you however not the wire support rack. And I do not think i have enough room  to elevate stone; hopefully 1 3/4 inch will be enough. I am also hoping the feet are enough support for stone. 

Both yours and R2Egg2Q's pizza look great.

Carolina Q

Thx. The wire thing is a mini woo multitasking. You could also stand a couple of bricks on edge.

acutsh1

Raised stone 2 inches above base rim ; bottom of pizza  still beat top in being cooked by 50% (time). I think i will try a lower temperature 450-475 and see if that helps

flynnbob

waltinva said:

We have done pizza twice with legs up-grate-stone and they came out fine. Second time we used  parchment paper under the pizza to slide it on the stone then pulled it out after a couple min. That was the best tip I got from here. Good luck.

Good advice on the parchment paper.  I did pizza the first time on Friday and had trouble with it sticking to the peel.  On my second pizza, I just put the crust on the stone and built the pizza right on the stone with sauce, toppings and cheese - The parchment paper is a much better way to go.  I sent out an sos to the forum regarding temp and they advised 500 - Everything came out great. 

Shiff

I have found that it is absolutely essential to let the stone heat up to 550 to 600 degrees before putting on the pizza.  It can take quite a while for the stone to get that hot, so be patient. I bought an inexpensive IR thermometer which is very useful for this measurement.  If the stone isn't hot enough the top might burn before the crust is fully cooked or vice versa depending on how thick your dough is.

bigphil

We do pizza every friday night on our XL and BGE XL stone our best results so far is legs up on the PS grid on that and about 3-1/2 to 4 inch risers and the stone sitting on those . Dome temp is 550/600 and i've found when lighting the lump if i light the entire top of it rather than five spots the egg heats up faster as does the stone and flash backs have become a thing of the past also i use a analog surface temp gauge to check the stone once it hits 500 the first pie goes on .we normally do 3 to 4 pies without having to cool the stone .torch works great for lighting the lump BTW

acutsh1

flynnbob said:

waltinva said:

We have done pizza twice with legs up-grate-stone and they came out fine. Second time we used  parchment paper under the pizza to slide it on the stone then pulled it out after a couple min. That was the best tip I got from here. Good luck.

I sent out an sos to the forum regarding temp and they advised 500 - Everything came out great. 

what it your bge setup

acutsh1

Shiff said:

I bought an inexpensive IR thermometer which is very useful for this measurement. 

any suggestions on brand/type of thermometer? I am going to pick one up so i am not guessing

nolaegghead

acutsh1 said:

Shiff said:

I bought an inexpensive IR thermometer which is very useful for this measurement. 

any suggestions on brand/type of thermometer? I am going to pick one up so i am not guessing

I have a few of them...this is my nicest one...got it from Amazon warehouse deals and it was around $90.  http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCT414S1-12-Volt-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B0043XX8A4/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1372077511&sr=1-1&keywords=dewalt+ir+thermometer

acutsh1

bigphil said:

 PS grid on that and about 3-1/2 to 4 inch risers and the stone sitting on those . 

what are you using to raise 3 1/2 inches? nolaegghead suggested getting some bricks from in an earlier  post. I do not have the bge legs

SamFerrise

Two word tips:

Air Gap

Plan ahead

550 max

Good dough

preheat time

bigphil

SamFerrise said:

Two word tips:

Air Gap

Plan ahead

550 max

Good dough

preheat time

= good eats 

Tjcoley

acutsh1 said:

bigphil said:

 PS grid on that and about 3-1/2 to 4 inch risers and the stone sitting on those . 

what are you using to raise 3 1/2 inches? nolaegghead suggested getting some bricks from in an earlier  post. I do not have the bge legs

Inverted shrimp basket works well to raise the stone

cortguitarman

I'm assuming you are using the recipe from the BGE cookbook. I have an XL and have tried all of the methods you e mentioned. Early on I placed the stone directly on the plate setter with legs down. The result as almost always a burned bottom crust.

I tried the grid on the plate setter with legs up. The rests were good but not great. I then tried an air gap between the stone and the platesetter and that has been the ticket. I use copper plumbing tees (1/2") to create an air gap. Got the idea from @LittleSteven .

Over the past year and a half I have learned a few things. I still use the BGE cookbook recipe. It is a solid recipe. However, it isn't a 600 degree recipe. I've found that 550 is the ideal temp for this recipe. Also, when you make your dough, add a bit more water until the dough is just sticking to the bowl when mixing. This recipe will make 2 thin crust pizzas or one huge pizza with a thicker crust. Let your egg heat up to temp and stabilize for an 30 min. to an hour, especially if you are cooking multiple pizzas for a crowd. Turn your pizza 1/4 turn every 2-3 minutes. I use parchment paper and pull it after the first turn. Also, trim your parchment to keep it from burning.

cortguitarman

This pie was cooked using the methods I've listed. I used the entire dough ball to make one pizza on this cook. The stone that it is sitting on is a pampered chef stone. I always move the pies to a stone inside to cut them.