Has anyone got a cast iron platesetter

piney · September 2013

I just noticed this on Craigslist (Hickory N.C.) Has anyone heard of this or maybe tried one?

Skiddymarker · September 2013

Never seen one in the flesh so as to speak, but did see the website awhile ago when looking for price on BGE platesetter.

Seems like a neat idea, kinda like a baking steel, except for the grooves.

http://www.outdoorhome.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1664

NDG · September 2013

wow interesting - i bet that thing can get pretty hot compared to normal indirect. Is that a good thing? not sure but not probably not a smart upgrade for anyone with the ceramic platesetter.

piney · September 2013

NDG I kinda agree with you I think I would rather have ceramic for a platesetter, but, as Skiddymarker says it would make a nice baking steel.

henapple · September 2013

I guess it could be used as a place setter... I'd consider that a griddle.

pasoegg · September 2013

I saw it on CL and kinda thought it was neat...especially for salmon or other fish...

R2Egg2Q · September 2013

Fasteddiem over at the greeneggers forum has one: http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1336832&catid=1#

SmokeyPitt · September 2013

If I recall they were pretty pricey. I have one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-7414-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B00062WTQ0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380391110&sr=8-2&keywords=cast+iron+griddle+round

If you just want something to grill/griddle it seems this will do the same thing. If you combine it with a raised grid it can act as a plate setter.

Honestly I think the cheap griddle and a raised grid is a better solution. The plate setter is only meant to grill on one side, so if you have it set up for indirect and then want to grill on it you would have to flip it over.

JoeGrill · January 2014

I bought one of these for my father-in-law's LBGE and promptly cooked two pork butts. I used it the same way you would use a normal platesetter. It performed every bit as well as my ceramic platesetter on my XLBGE, and the pork butts were fantastic as usual. The next time I have to replace my fragile ceramic platesetter (currently on #2), I'm getting the cast iron one for my XL. I have seen other comments about the cast iron platesetter possibly conducting too much heat compared to the ceramic one. In my opinion, if the grid temp is steady at 225 degrees, then you are cooking at 225 degrees regardless of the platesetter material. Just my opinion, and I'm convinced on the cast iron platesetter after testing it on an 18 hour cook. Have fun cooking!

boatbum · January 2014

JoeGrill said:

I bought one of these for my father-in-law's LBGE and promptly cooked two pork butts. I used it the same way you would use a normal platesetter. It performed every bit as well as my ceramic platesetter on my XLBGE, and the pork butts were fantastic as usual. The next time I have to replace my fragile ceramic platesetter (currently on #2), I'm getting the cast iron one for my XL. I have seen other comments about the cast iron platesetter possibly conducting too much heat compared to the ceramic one. In my opinion, if the grid temp is steady at 225 degrees, then you are cooking at 225 degrees regardless of the platesetter material. Just my opinion, and I'm convinced on the cast iron platesetter after testing it on an 18 hour cook. Have fun cooking!

Good first hand experience. Did your temp stay pretty steady? I wonder how it would handle temp spikes, does it absorb heat as well. Granted it would block direct flames.

JoeGrill · January 2014

I cheat and use a BBQ Guru, so yes, the temp stayed steady throughout the cook. I didn't have any temp spikes, but I think it would react the same as ceramic. I know the ceramic holds heat really well and I would think the cast iron is somewhat similar. From my experience cooking with cast iron pots over a gas burner, when I lower the flame, the temp adjusts accordingly similar to "normal" cookware. So I think if you do get a temp spike using cast iron, getting it back under control should only depend on how long it takes the egg ceramic to cool down. Does that make sense? Not sure if I'm clear on this point. i.e. Cool the fire under the cast iron platesetter, and the platesetter temp should fall shortly after.

JoeGrill · January 2014

Does it transmit more heat than ceramic? I don't know. I use my BBQ Guru to regulate heat at the cooking grid, so a grid temp of 225 is 225. Not sure what the difference would be using the dome thermometer

caliking · January 2014

If you plan on cooking on it as a griddle, I imagine it would rust pretty easily since the seasoning would burn off. The plus of course is that it would not be as fragile as the ceramic PS

coffeeguydenton · February 2014

I have been trying to reason through the science of indirect cooking to answer the question of whether this thing would be superior to the ceramic or inferior. Here is what I have come up with. Heat conductance is an intrinsic property of the material that is being used. Ceramic is a better insulator. Cast iron is a better conductor. This means that for ANY given dome temperature, there will be a larger temperature gradient across the ceramic platesetter. In order to achieve the same dome temp, this requires that more heat come from around the platesetter and less come from the platesetter itself. In a perfect setup, this would make the ceramic better for indirect. The problem is, this means more heat must pass around the platesetter, which makes the edges of the grate hotter and the center of the grate cooler at a given dome temperature. If your cook is small and confined to the very center of the grate, this is okay. But with large briskets that get exposed to the heat at the edges, this creates a more uneven cook. Having said all of that, I doubt that the difference is enough to really matter, but in theory, I think for larger cooks the cast iron might actually be superior.

Has anyone got a cast iron platesetter

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