First time cooking raised direct

stemc33 · May 2014

I went to coal stove store and seen two broken 4.5"x1.25"x9" fire bricks laying on the floor. The lady gave them to me for free, she said she couldn't sell them. Not really that big of deal, but free is free. So today was the first time I tried them out. They don't seem all that stable and three pieces stabilize better than four, but they worked. I've been reading a lot about raised direct here on the forum and wanted to try it out. Just like a lot people report on the forum, raised spatchcock direct is the way to go. Cooked at 400 degrees for about an hour. Pulled when the breast hit 160 degrees and let it rest 12 minutes. Delicious. What's the best solution to get better stability that will allow using standard grill height without too much hassle? Pic with meal on it. The fire kissed the one potato a bit much, but everything else turned out great.

Skiddymarker · May 2014

I use my fire bricks with the 9" side on the fire ring, three of them. Very stable. Your's might wobble a bit as they are only 4" wide by 4" (?) high?

Mattman3969 · May 2014

When I need 2 levels I still use my homemade raised grid. You could use this on top of the OEM grid to get raised direct. This us sitting on my woo3 but you get the point.

stemc33 · May 2014

I'll have to look at getting the full fire bricks. I have a grill from from a Weber Smokey Joe. I think it's 13 or 14 inches. @Mattman3969‌ posted a homemade raised grid. What size bolts or I should I ask what is the optimum height for a second level/raised direct?

Hankyorke · May 2014

My setup is just like Matts. 4" cRriage bolts, stainless.

gdenby · May 2014

While fire bricks were my first BGE accessory, soon after I found a Brinkman replacement grill that i boosted on 4 4" SS bolts, nuts & washers. Still my goto appliance. I've since added a couple of other grills, including a BGE extender that can sit on top of the Brinckman. Allows more food to be cooked, but its a little cumbersome because the bottom level of food blocks the upper, and shifting things between the 2 grills can be a hassle. As you noticed, direct cooking can expose food to hot spots. Its generally a good idea to move things around a few times during direct cooks.

JeffCowley · May 2014

I bought three paver bricks from Lowe's. I think they were less than a buck apiece. I've used them for raised direct cooking, as well as under the pizza stone (between the platesetter and the stone) in an attempt to get the stone as high in the dome as possible. Both worked great.

Another solution (albeit a more expensive option) is the Woo2 from Ceramic Grill Store. It's by far the best accessory I've purchased for my BGE. Here's the link:

http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/large-woo-big-green-egg.html

First time cooking raised direct

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