Is a Wok Ring Necessary for Wok?

edbro

The discussion about woks the other day has put me in the market for one. There was a lot of talk about having a wok ring. Are they really necessary? I notice in the BGE FAQs that they say to just put the wok in the fire ring. But, they don't say what size wok that is. Is anybody using a wok without a wok ring? I have a Large BGE so would a 16in wok work?

mad max beyond eggdome

edbro,
you don't neccessarily need a special ring for the egg. .. while a friend here made me one that sits on the fire ring of the egg and works really well, i used to make do by simply putting the stove top wok ring on the egg grid and the wok in that.... you need a big fire, and its not quite as stable, but it works fine. .. .

edbro

mad max beyond eggdome,
Okay, thanks. I was looking in the FAQ and it mentioned being able to set a wok directly on the fire ring.[p]
[ul][li]http://www.biggreenegg.com/faq.htm#FAQ22[/ul]

mad max beyond eggdome

edbro,
how about that ....never tried it that way ... i'd think you would cut off the airflow alltogether that way. ...by setting wok in the egg in such a way to let airflow around it (either with a custom ring or setting it on the grid).. you can then close the dome for a few minutes at a time to let some smoke hit your food and add a little 'egg flavor' to whatever you're cooking. .. .

edbro

mad max beyond eggdome,
I think the idea is that it only takes a couple of minutes so you don't care too much about airflow unless you are looking for smoke. For stir fry, I doubt I'd want smoke.

Unknown

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]I was looking into the same thing. I guess with a big wok, say 18" diameter, it would sit pretty low in the fire ring, but be supported by the ring. The ring has those little scallops in it, so the air flow wouldn't be completely cut off, but mostly cut off. Maybe that would work? Hmmmm. Anyone tried this and have experience?[p]Thanks

edbro

mad max beyond eggdome,
Of course, this is the same FAQ that says a 20lb bag of lump will last up to 6 months cooking 3 times/week!!!

mad max beyond eggdome

edbro,
you are correct about quick cooking. .. .i'd say give it a try. ...but as you pointed out in your second post, the bge book isn't the best source of info :-)[p]as far as the smoke, i'm not saying you want or need a lot. . .i rarely add any wood when i'm wokking stuff. ...but i do like the natural swirl of air and little bit of smoke from well established fire 'touching' the food as its cooking. . ..i guess you would get enough of this with the wok directly on the fire ring as it isn't a perfect seal. . ..

Wonderful Wino

Ed in TX,[p]I use the 18" made to fit the large BGE and it sits on the rim of the egg. The handles at the top of the wok allows enough air to escape not to kill the fire. I get the temperature between 450-500 degrees and sit the wok on the rim. The temp will slowly decrease, but not enough to effect cooking for about a half hour or so. I also have a wok for my small egg that works great.

edbro

Wonderful Wino,
Does it sit on the fire ring or the top lip of the base? Is there anything special about the BGE version or would any 18in wok do? I didn't even know that there was an offical BGE wok.

Sandbagger

<p />edbro, here is a 16 inch wok sitting on the fire ring. The fire ring's inside diameter is 16 inches, so air flow is only through the gaps between the wok and fire ring. I tried this method a number of times and really did not care for it. You just can't see the fire, so you have no idea what is happening. This should work for short cooks, shrimp, but for longer cooks, fajita veggies, I prefer the wok ring method. And, I am not going to lift a 16 inch wok off the fire ring to check on the fire and tempt a face-to-face with mr. flashback![p][p]Here is a picture of the wok ring for a 14 inch wok. I also have a wok ring for my 16 inch wok. There is nothing fancy about the wok ring other than it gets the wok off the fire ring and opens up the airflow and line of sight to the lump. I am happy to send you directions on how to make one.[p][p]Here is a 14 inch wok sitting in the fire ring. My preference is to cook with the 14 inch wok. Simple the 14 inch wok is a little easier to handle when hot and loaded with food. I have a pair of welding gloves to hold the wok but without a doubt, I am always scrambling to plate the food or find a place to sit the hot wok while my fingers warm up.....I prefer to have one hand free when working the wok, can't set the beer down.[p]I also use my guru when woking. The added airflow really juices the fire. So, the wok ring helps here.[p]If memory serves me correctly, I believe the 14 and 16 inch woks are 4.5 inches deep. So depending on the diameter of the wok ring, if you have a firebox full of lump (mound shape), then the bottom of the wok will be approximately 1 to 3 inches off the lump. With a good steak fire, 500 or so degrees, the wok should heat up nicely. [p]I am no wok expert. Good luck. Tom