PLATE SETTER & TEMPS!

Big Murth

Last night popped another pizza on my Large Egg. Used the BGE plate setter with the stone on top--but could not get the temp up to even 400 with all holes wide open. She cooked OK at around 325 on average, for about almost 30minutes, but had to keep my wheel on top pretty well wide open along with the bottom vent, too! Was I using too little lump initially? Storing my lump outside where it's been in the teens and twenties every night a problem? Is the overpriced plate setter too much mass to try and heat up to recommended temps (500+)? Thanks Eggsters.
p.s. It still came out great though!

JJ

Big Murth,
Take the daisy wheel off. You were obstructing air flow.

Char-Woody

JJ, your right, thats part of it!
C~W[p]

Tim M

<p />Big Murth,[p]I leave my slide/daisy on and wide open and it helps limit the max temp at 600-650 so the Egg won't pop over 800 deg (which it can do easily). I wonder how much lump you started with and if a few of the dozen holes in the ceramic grate could have been plugged - i've done that a few times. I also am not sure you have a daisy top or a slide/daisy top. You can't use the daisy over 350 deg.[p]Never worry about too much lump - always worry about too little as it will cause the problem. High temps eat up lots of lump and I always start every cook with 3/4 full or more for high temp cooks. Thats almost a full firebox (2" above the holes). Get the fire going, at about 300 deg I add the setter and let it all stabilize at 550-600 deg (bottom vent wide open, slide/daisy open). Then add my pizza stone. Then I make the pie and add it about 5-8 min later. [p]The setter is a nice tool and you can use if you lots of things other than pizza.[p]Tim