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How to best use the Plate Setter?

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skiball7
skiball7 Posts: 1
in Cookbook
Hello!  I am new to the Big Green Egg and I am loving it.  When using the plate setter, do you place the food directly on the place setter or use another dish/platter?  Any other tips and tricks that you can share would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Keith
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    The platesetter I am sure has been used for countless things. Most however, use it as a heat deflector only to provide indirect heat when cooking. That said, it is mainly used below whatever cooking grid you cook on. Legs up with a drip pan "in" the platesetter then grate above that for low n slow. Platesetter legs down with ceramic feet/foil balls then pizza stone for pizza, etc
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • Greeno55
    Greeno55 Posts: 635
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    The place setter is used to cook food indirectly by putting a heat barrier between the flame and the food. Like an oven, you want airflow all around your food, or pan. Depending on my set up, I will either place a grill on the inverted PS (legs up). I then will place some sort of drip pan on the late setter, also raised a little to prevent the drippings from burning and adding an unwelcome taste to he food. I use a cheap buck store cooling rack, others use balls of foil, When using legs down for say pizza or bread, I'll usually raise the stone or grid off the plate setting with some fire brick. Experiment and have fun.
    LBGE (2012), MiniMax (2014), and too many Eggcessories to list.  - Sudbury, Ontario
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  • Buckeye_Barbecuer
    Buckeye_Barbecuer Posts: 21
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    When I got my egg the dealer was out of plate setters. Since I was impatient I went with the Kamado Joe heat deflector. It's nice because you can move the stone to the top or bottom to mimic feet up/down but you can also remove it for direct raised grid - puts it at the felt line. I got mine at Ace for $50, so this seems pricey. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12791179&cagpspn=pla
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  • Smokin_Trout
    Smokin_Trout Posts: 506
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    If you put the legs down and do a high temp cook you will kiss the gasket good bye. Use legs up. If you do burn up the gasket- just keep cooking, I haven't had one for the last 9 months.
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,333
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    When using the platesetter as the heat deflector put one leg to the back of the BGE.  The way the air-flows thru the BGE the back burns hotter than the rest of the BGE-this helps even out the temperatures.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    Buckeye_Barbecuer said:
    When I got my egg the dealer was out of plate setters. Since I was impatient I went with the Kamado Joe heat deflector. It's nice because you can move the stone to the top or bottom to mimic feet up/down but you can also remove it for direct raised grid - puts it at the felt line. I got mine at Ace for $50, so this seems pricey. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12791179&cagpspn=pla
    It looks like it might be easier to get out when it is hot than a BGE setter. Have you ever removed it when hot? 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Hagar
    Hagar Posts: 8
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    Skiddymarker said:
    Buckeye_Barbecuer said:
    When I got my egg the dealer was out of plate setters. Since I was impatient I went with the Kamado Joe heat deflector. It's nice because you can move the stone to the top or bottom to mimic feet up/down but you can also remove it for direct raised grid - puts it at the felt line. I got mine at Ace for $50, so this seems pricey. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12791179&cagpspn=pla
    It looks like it might be easier to get out when it is hot than a BGE setter. Have you ever removed it when hot? 
     
    A pair of Welding Gloves or heavy silicone gloves will make the task much easier. The welding gloves also help when you turning meat over a hot fire. I got mine fron Harbor Freight 

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  • Hagar
    Hagar Posts: 8
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    Greeno55 said:
    The place setter is used to cook food indirectly by putting a heat barrier between the flame and the food. Like an oven, you want airflow all around your food, or pan. Depending on my set up, I will either place a grill on the inverted PS (legs up). I then will place some sort of drip pan on the late setter, also raised a little to prevent the drippings from burning and adding an unwelcome taste to he food. I use a cheap buck store cooling rack, others use balls of foil, When using legs down for say pizza or bread, I'll usually raise the stone or grid off the plate setting with some fire brick. Experiment and have fun.

    Greeno55 said:
    The place setter is used to cook food indirectly by putting a heat barrier between the flame and the food. Like an oven, you want airflow all around your food, or pan. Depending on my set up, I will either place a grill on the inverted PS (legs up). I then will place some sort of drip pan on the late setter, also raised a little to prevent the drippings from burning and adding an unwelcome taste to he food. I use a cheap buck store cooling rack, others use balls of foil, When using legs down for say pizza or bread, I'll usually raise the stone or grid off the plate setting with some fire brick. Experiment and have fun.
     
    I use some small pieces of flat stone about 3/4 inch thick and about a 1X1 triangle to raise the drip pan off of the plate setter. I use some 1/2 size aluminum pans for use in servers as drip pans. I get about 12 or so at Sams for about 25 cent each.

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  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167
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    For spacers between plate setter and pizza stone or drip pan, I just went to a hardware store and bought 4 5/8 inch nuts.  They'll never wear out.
    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
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  • TMay
    TMay Posts: 87
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    I haven't used the plate setter since I built my raised grid...   My grill surface is now about even with the gasket, and cooks perfect for me...
    Rowlett, Texas
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  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,168
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    Homeland Security has issued a Zombie Alert!  Run away!! 

    image
    Flint, Michigan
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
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    I use my plate setter to keep my adjustable rig off the ground when its not in the egg.
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