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Getting Pizza Stone Higher in the Dome

Chunky_Charc
Chunky_Charc Posts: 56
edited June 2012 in Baking

Can I setup my Egg with platesetter legs up, set me about three fire bricks on the platesetter and then set my pizza stone on the fire bricks?  I am guessing this will get the stone up higher than the gasket in the dome.

 

What do you think?

Comments

  • Yes, that's what I do (or used to, rather). 

    Now I do the same exact thing, except instead of using the fire bricks, I just use the 3 green feet (doesn't put you as high up, obviously) - but, I haven't really noticed any difference in my results (YMMV).

    HTH,
    Rob
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • Okay thanks............
  • I would set my platesetter on the bricks and keep the space between the PS and the stone to a minimum. I find the larger the space, the more the stone overheats. I do naan bread with two platesetters and the upper one gets hot enough to burn the bread (which is what you want with naan but not pizza). This only matters if you are doing high temp pizza.
  • bigphil
    bigphil Posts: 1,390
    Wondering would this setup work or will the stone get to hot . plate setter legs up grid on top and the stone on BGE feet on the grid 
    Large Big Green Egg , XL Big Green Egg . BBQ Guru, Weber Kettle, Weber Q grill for road trips.
  • Wondering would this setup work or will the stone get to hot . plate setter legs up grid on top and the stone on BGE feet on the grid 
    That setup will work too.  I've used it before also. 

    The thing to keep in mind is that there are many different ways & techniques - the key is to find what works for you, which may be different than (or a variation of) someone else.
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,660
    edited June 2012
    I would set my platesetter on the bricks and keep the space between the PS and the stone to a minimum. I find the larger the space, the more the stone overheats. I do naan bread with two platesetters and the upper one gets hot enough to burn the bread (which is what you want with naan but not pizza). This only matters if you are doing high temp pizza.
    @Little Steven - Would you mind sharing your naan recipe?

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
  • Alligator
    Alligator Posts: 35
    Here is a picture of my setup..

    plate setter legs down.. then spacers.. then the pizza stone.  I could double up the spacers if I wanted it a little higher. (didn't have the green feet, just bought some thin clay bricks at home depot.  
    image

  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Took this idea from Little Steven a while back and it works great. Buy copper plumbing tees, either 1/2" or 3/4" and use we spacers. I use 1/2" and it works fine. Total cost was about $1.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • I'd be worried about all that weight sitting in the middle of your platesetter.  
    Lucky to have a LG Egg My Blog: http://manvsgrill.blogspot.com/
  • 1/4 Cup warm water
    1 Package dry yeast
    3 Tsp sugar
    1 tsp salt

    1/4 cup plain yoghurt
    1/4 cup melted ghee + more for brushing
    3 1/2
    cups flour
    1/2 cup water
    1 egg

    Mix 1/4 cup water with 1 tsp
    sugar and one pkg yeast and let bloom.
    Mix 2 tsp sugar, salt and flour.

    Mix wet ingredients.
    Knead for 10 to 12 minutes

    Place in greased
    bowl and allow to double in size
    Punch down and divide into 8 balls

    Cover with towel and leave for 10 min
    Flatten balls by hand and brush
    with more ghee
    Cook on pizza stone at 500* for ten minutes or desired colour
    is reached

    image

  • Sorry, that was a copied recipe. It should be cook at: as hot as you can get it
  • Z_Eggineer
    Z_Eggineer Posts: 576
    Do you need to flip the naan?

    Also, has a consensus been reached on if PS should be legs up or down for pizza?
  • XLBalco
    XLBalco Posts: 607
    edited June 2012
    i do PS legs down.  you are not going to ruin the pizza either way.  over/under cooking though will
  • Do you need to flip the naan?

    Also, has a consensus been reached on if PS should be legs up or down for pizza?
    No you don't have to flip the naan. If you look at the pic you will see the flames out around the platesetter. Lowe vent is wide open and daisy is too. Leave the platesetters in for 40 minutes with a full blown fire. The bottom will brown and blacken a bit and the topside will have nice bubbles and colour.
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053

    I do plate setter legs up then the spider legs down and the stone on the spider. I have always had better luck getting the top cooked the higher in the dome I can get it.image

  • JwgreDeux
    JwgreDeux Posts: 139
    I use the plate setter legs down so there is more airflow in the firebox than with the legs up to get hot temps for pizza.  Put my regular grate on top of plate setter and then pizza stone on the grate.  Crust and toppings come out perfect.  Worked on my very first pizza cooked and every time since.
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053

    imageBreakfast pizza on miniiimage

  • foneman
    foneman Posts: 104
    Lit,
    What are you using to get the mini woo up to the felt line?
    Thanks,
    john
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053

    The old mini had thicker ceramic so the woo doesn't fit inside it just sits there perfectly. By old I mean it says patent pending on the bottom. Look at the thickness of the wall of the mini and then go look at yours theres atlease an 1/8' to a 1/4' difference in thickness. I recently got a newer mini and sold this one to a friend for $100. This mini is the lighter green color from like 12 plus years ago. I'm not sure when they started making the mini but guessing this was one of the first ones. I switched the bands on them and I kept the one on the right with the band on the left. Wish I would have kept both but my friend had been looking for a mini for awhile.image

     

     

  • foneman
    foneman Posts: 104
    Lit,
    Thanks for the info... I think I will try to fabricate a riser for my mini-woo to elevate it to that level...

    john

  • Z_Eggineer
    Z_Eggineer Posts: 576
    Naan came out very good for first try!  THank you for sharing the recipe :)
  • I must say those are some very good looking pies.

    Simple ingredients, amazing results!
  • tjv
    tjv Posts: 3,830
    In the Large, I do pappa murphy thin crust pizza atop the adj. rig extender on 16 inch stone.  Stone is about 3.5 inches above the felt line.  It's the only stone I use.  Dome temp is typical pizza temps, 425 or so.
    image
    t
    www.ceramicgrillstore.com ACGP, Inc.
  • For what it's worth, my set up.  PS legs up, grid, Woo upside down, stone.  I am a believer that raised is better.  Also, turn the pie every 5 minutes to avoid hot spots.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • Back to the original question, I found turning the bricks flat, i.e. not quite so high in the dome gave me a very nice crust.
    LBGE
  • I tried that setup once. Had the platesetter legs up, grid, three fire brick sitting on edge, and then pizza stone. Had two issues:

    1. Pizza was so high that the temp probe stuck into the pizza. Not that big of a problem, but getting dangerously close to stabbing the stone when dome is closed. Watch out for this!

    2. Toppings got done much quicker, but crust did not cook as much as I like. It was a little doughy under the toppings.

    I went back to leaving the stone sit on the grid. My crust cooks to perfection, but my toppings don't cook as much as I like. I like my cheese browned a bit around the edges. I think a happy medium would be to get the stone up about 1/2 the width of a fire brick - at least for my dough recipe and the way I like my pizzas cooked. Your milage may vary and the only way to know is to try it out.
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    +1 on not raising the stone into the dome.  Did pizza tonight, 500 degrees dome, with stone on top of raised grid and the toppings cooked way faster than the crust.  Wish I had seen this before I cooked.  On a good note, Jim Lahey's 'No Knead Pizza Dough' was fantastic.  Easy to make, and the first home made pizza I've done where the crust tasted like pizza instead of bread.  Crispy bottom (overdone toppings due to raised into the dome) light, airy, chewy, and great tasting.  This will be my pizza dough going forward. 
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    TJV posted the same post (only one stone / high in dome) a year or two ago. I tried it then and that is the way I do pizza now. Just the pizza stone ( no plate setter or lower stone ).
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.