MiniMax requires baking at much lower temperatures?

Maulas

I am trying to understand my MiniMax baking temperatures 

I have the following setup:
- ConvEGGtor or platesetter legs up
- Stainless steels grid
- Pizza stone on SS grid preheated 30 minutes

Baking bread at 225 C (437 F) or pizza 300 C (572 F), the pizza stone became way too hot. Pizza bottom burned in 3 minutes and bread after 10 minutes (15 minutes was perfect at this temp in Large). In my Large this is not a problem at all. Only thing I can think of is that in the MM the distance from the lump charcoal is much closer to the platesetter and the stone. This is in my opinion why the stone is heating up much quicker and becoming much hotter than in my large. Question is how to prevent the stone from becoming too hot. Higher in the dome is not really an option with such a small dome. Only thing I can think of is cooking 50 degrees celsius (90 F) lower than in my Large. This would mean baking bread at 175 C (347 F) in stead of 225 C (437 F) and pizza at 250 C (482 F) in stead of 300 C (572 F). I want to try this next time but wonder about your experience with the MM.

DoubleEgger

A lot of folks buy a setup from Ceramic Grill Store in increase the air gap. 

Photo Egg

Flip your ConvEGGtor legs down. Add a couple spacers to give you a 3/4"-1" rise and then your pizza stone. Most anything from aluminum foil balls to brass plumbing elbows will work.
Let us know how this works and it will cost you nothing to try.
Also, don't use to large of a pizza stone or your ConvEggtor will not properly divert the heat around your pizza stone.

Photo Egg

As @DoubleEgger said above, a Woo from Ceramic Grill Store works great in the MM.
https://ceramicgrillstore.com/collections/big-green-egg-minimax-small-accessories-by-ceramic-grill-store/products/150-mini-max-woo-bge

Mattman3969

I totally agree with you.  I used a buddy's MM to cook cornbread and burnt the bottom. I used the BGE feet as a spacer between ceramics and my CI  I don't even do that on my mini after I figured it out. 

My conclusion (just like on the mini) is the food is too close to the fire. Buy a woo or find a way to increase the distance between flame and food because radiant heat from the PS is killing the bottom of your pizza even with spacers.   

Maulas

Photo Egg said:

Flip your ConvEGGtor legs down. Add a couple spacers to give you a 3/4"-1" rise and then your pizza stone. Most anything from aluminum foil balls to brass plumbing elbows will work.
Let us know how this works and it will cost you nothing to try.
Also, don't use to large of a pizza stone or your ConvEggtor will not properly divert the heat around your pizza stone.

Will try this setup, thanks!

Maulas

Mattman3969 said:

I totally agree with you.  I used a buddy's MM to cook cornbread and burnt the bottom. I used the BGE feet as a spacer between ceramics and my CI  I don't even do that on my mini after I figured it out. 

My conclusion (just like on the mini) is the food is too close to the fire. Buy a woo or find a way to increase the distance between flame and food because radiant heat from the PS is killing the bottom of your pizza even with spacers.   

@m@Mattman3969: Did you try cooking at lower temp (about 90 F)?

Maulas

Maulas said:

Photo Egg said:

Flip your ConvEGGtor legs down. Add a couple spacers to give you a 3/4"-1" rise and then your pizza stone. Most anything from aluminum foil balls to brass plumbing elbows will work.
Let us know how this works and it will cost you nothing to try.
Also, don't use to large of a pizza stone or your ConvEggtor will not properly divert the heat around your pizza stone.

Tried your setup in MiniMax this evening and this turned out great.
ConvEGGtor legs down (on outer ring and not on openings to create additional 0.3 inch distance), covered in foil, three balls of foil (1 inch) and pizza stone on top. Temperature was 527F and did 7 to 8 minutes per pizza with golden brown on top and bottom not burned but nice and crispy. I guess the increased distance (leggs down + outer ring + alu balls) and maybe also the aluminium foil on the convEGGtor makes the difference. For best result, I had to rotate the pizza a quarter every 2 minutes. Thanks!   

NPHuskerFL

Just made a apple/cherry 🍎🍒 crisp. I own the CGS WOO setup with stone & it's awesome!  However, on this I went PS legs down but, placed the legs atop the ring and not in the depressions to get some lift and then my SS pieces for a generous gap between the PS and my CI.  Temps were 350-375 (normal).

NorthPilot06

NPHuskerFL said:

Just made a apple/cherry 🍎🍒 crisp. I own the CGS WOO setup with stone & it's awesome!  However, on this I went PS legs down but, placed the legs atop the ring and not in the depressions to get some lift and then my SS pieces for a generous gap between the PS and my CI.  Temps were 350-375 (normal).

Wow, if that doesn’t make you hungry, I don’t know what will.  Nice cook!

NPHuskerFL

@NorthPilot06 Thank You 🙏

Photo Egg

Maulas said:

Maulas said:

Photo Egg said:

Flip your ConvEGGtor legs down. Add a couple spacers to give you a 3/4"-1" rise and then your pizza stone. Most anything from aluminum foil balls to brass plumbing elbows will work.
Let us know how this works and it will cost you nothing to try.
Also, don't use to large of a pizza stone or your ConvEggtor will not properly divert the heat around your pizza stone.

Tried your setup in MiniMax this evening and this turned out great.
ConvEGGtor legs down (on outer ring and not on openings to create additional 0.3 inch distance), covered in foil, three balls of foil (1 inch) and pizza stone on top. Temperature was 527F and did 7 to 8 minutes per pizza with golden brown on top and bottom not burned but nice and crispy. I guess the increased distance (leggs down + outer ring + alu balls) and maybe also the aluminium foil on the convEGGtor makes the difference. For best result, I had to rotate the pizza a quarter every 2 minutes. Thanks!   

Sounds like you got it dialed in now.