Ideal Size for Round Steel Baking Stone - Large Big Green Egg

Sarends

 I am going to have a custom 1/2" thick Round Baking Steel made for pizza. What do you think the ideal size would be for a large BGE?

I am m thinking maybe 14.5" or 15". 

Thanks!

Focker

I'd go with 15" for 1/2".
My thinner one is almost 16" for the large.

Aside from baking, they are nice griddles, going bigger would help.

Carolina Q

BGE sells a 14" stone as the stock size for a large. Remember, if you raise the stone/steel up into the dome, which most folks do, you'll need clearance around it. As for steel, 1/4" thick is plenty. Gonna take a long time to heat up a 1/2" piece of steel. And it's HEAVY!

jtcBoynton

I would also go smaller.  Because the steel conducts much faster than ceramic, you will need to get the steel higher into the dome to keep the heat balance from the dome in sync compared to using a stone.

Jupiter Jim

What makes the steel better than a ceramic stone?

jtcBoynton

Different, not necessarily better.  Steel conducts heat faster than ceramic stone.  At any given temp, it will take less time to cook the dough using steel compared to a ceramic stone.   The faster conduction allows you to cook with the steel at a lower temp to get similar results to using higher temps with a stone.  

Jupiter Jim

Thanks

joshtahan

16 inch for Large

joshtahan

I use a 16in baking steel--its amazing.

HeavyG

@RRP had some cut and sold a few to others here a year or two ago. Don't recall what diameter they were tho. A search of the forum should turn that up.

gregroscoe

I made myself a steel out of 3/8 for my medium egg about 6 months ago.  I almost made one out of 1/2, but after reading a bunch of posts I went with 3/8. To me 1/2 was overkill. I have actually been thinking about making a 1/4 inch one.  I have used stones in the past and the steel seams to heat faster, get hotter and you don't have to worry about breaking it.  Just don't drop it, even my little 3/8 one is crazy heavy.

RRP

HeavyG said:

@RRP had some cut and sold a few to others here a year or two ago. Don't recall what diameter they were tho. A search of the forum should turn that up.

Yes, I had 8 of them fabricated and sold 7 of them. I went with 14" diameter of 3/8" steel. In 20/20 hindsight I probably should have gone with 5/16" or even 1/4".
Here's mine and it's traveling case!

blasting

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

Carolina Q

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

All I know is, when I bought my large, I bought a stone. The dealer handed me a 14" size. I have always just assumed that that was BGE's recommended size for the large. Leaves about 2" air space all around at gasket level. If you raise the stone, that 2" gap shrinks more and more as you raise it. If you start with a 16" stone, you have only a 1" gap which has very little room to shrink. It you stay at gasket level, maybe it's ok. But I didn't think many people did that.

Doesn't matter to me. Biggest pie I ever make is about 12". Sometimes 10. And I make 'em in my oven anyway.

RRP

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

Like what @CarolinaQ said the 14" seems to be the recommended size for a Large and that's precisely why I had that size made. As for using  a 14" on a Medium I think that would be too tight and choke it enough to make getting that steel mass up to temperature would be a pain.

Photo Egg

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

I had one rough cut local and I finished it off. I went 15".

RRP

Photo Egg said:

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

I had one rough cut local and I finished it off. I went 15".

I recall that, Darian, but wasn't yours thinner than my 3/8"?

Sarends

Thanks everyone - I think I will find the best round one available for order and get it for starters.  I have a 14" BGE stone - it works well.  I am using fathead dough for pizzas and the pizzas are phenomenol.  However, the fathead dough is very very wet and sticky.  If I make the pizzas at 550 - 600 and roll the dough out thin, the result is a very beautiful thin crispy breadlike crust.  The reason I want to try the steel is with th hopes I won't walk such a careful tightrope of the crust sticking.  I hope the steel might cook the sticky dough faster, and, I was hoping I could oil the steel a bit each time.  I have tried the cornmeal on the stone and the fathead dough is just too sticky to work.  

HeavyG

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

The limiting factor in airflow is the big hole in the top of the dome. As long as you have that amount of surface area "plus some" it should be fine.

Therefore, airflow wise, a 16" would be fine. I guess it really depends on if you plan to elevate the stone and how high. As long as you leave a half inch or more around the edge of the elevated stone airflow shouldn't be a problem.

blasting

RRP said:

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

Like what @CarolinaQ said the 14" seems to be the recommended size for a Large and that's precisely why I had that size made. As for using  a 14" on a Medium I think that would be too tight and choke it enough to make getting that steel mass up to temperature would be a pain.

That could be.  I used the 14 in the medium for l&s.  High heat temp would require a smaller stone prob.  Thanks for the reply.

Mattman3969

I don't use a steel but I do have a 16"'drip and think it sucks for high heat like a pizza cook.  It takes forever to get the egg hot enough because of less airflow and I swear I think it made the bands hot enough that it let the dome get out of adjustment because it shoved all the heat to the outer edges.  I switched to a 14" pan and no more problems.  

To the OP I'd go with a 14" because of what I just explained.  Pay no attention to the comments that offer no real validation other than guesses.  Some people only use internet knowledge to comment with.  Your looking for "live" knowledge.  

Photo Egg

RRP said:

Photo Egg said:

blasting said:

@RRP I remember when you did this.  Wondering, is the 14" for the Medium, or the Large?  I've used a 14 stone in my medium without issue.  Thinking a large could pull off a 16" - thoughts?

I had one rough cut local and I finished it off. I went 15".

I recall that, Darian, but wasn't yours thinner than my 3/8"?

No, I went 3/8" as well. I almost wish I had gone thinner. 

HeavyG

Mattman3969 said:

I don't use a steel but I do have a 16"'drip and think it sucks for high heat like a pizza cook.  It takes forever to get the egg hot enough because of less airflow and I swear I think it made the bands hot enough that it let the dome get out of adjustment because it shoved all the heat to the outer edges.  I switched to a 14" pan and no more problems.  

To the OP I'd go with a 14" because of what I just explained.  Pay no attention to the comments that offer no real validation other than guesses.  Some people only use internet knowledge to comment with.  Your looking for "live" knowledge.  

Not on a LBGE but a round hunk of metal at grate level with a bit less than an inch (probably about 0.75") clearance affords more than enough airflow to get the hunk of metal to about 600°F (don't really want a steel plate much hotter than that for pizza anyway). No problems with airflow or with heat being "shoved to the edges" harming anything (except my skin). But that is just my experience.

Here's a pix:

dmourati

I chose 16" x 1/4". I can see the arguments for a small diameter and for a thicker plate size. This size has been the sweet spot for me. I've made 12 pizzas so far on it. Cook temps were between 500 and 700 F.

One thing I learned: at those temps you go through lump fast. If you want to cook multiple pizzas, load heavy.

Focker

FWIW, 16" is fine.  I raise it, inverted platesetter with 1" copper Ts, and have no problems.  Also use a Griswold #16 round griddle as a deck and griddle, again zero issues with airflow or hot spots around the edge.  Do the same in my small with a 12" stone and CI griddle.  Go big, or go home. 

gregroscoe

I also had issues with sticking dough. I make a very hydrated dough using 00 flour. I use a 3/8 steel elevated, with about a 1.5 inch gap. I get the steel to about 550 600 degrees, measured with an infrared thermometer. I place my pizza on prachment and cut off all the extra around it.  I put that onto the steel for about 1 or 2 minutes then remove the paper using steel peel. I put the peel between the pizza and the paper. I have not burned the paper yet but at those temps I know its very possible.