Large Big Green Egg - setter plate vs adjustable rig 13 " ceramic stone for low and slow

Mikeo_MtB · April 2018

Hello All, quick question, wondering if there is any advantages of using the adjustable rig 13" stone as a deflector vs a standard plate setter with regarding holding a 225 temp for long cooks? My thought would be yes as there would be more air flow with the wire spider... I could be wrong... any observations from anyone who has the adjustable rig... thanks..

dmourati · April 2018

The 13" stone is a lot lighern than the PS. I have both and only ever use the PS if I'm cooking pork butts. That's because that's all I had when I started and don't want to change.

Toxarch · April 2018

I have the oval stone for my AR. I never use the PS anymore. The spider with the round stone would be good if you needed more shelf space.

jtcBoynton · April 2018

I can't think of any reason there would be a significant difference. There is plenty of air flow around a plate setter for the low temps you are using.

lousubcap · April 2018

@Mikeo_MtB - First up welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. Above all, have fun.
I don't have an AR so can't comment that way but as @jtcBoynton says, plenty of air flow with a PS. If you have a PS and are looking for ceramic grill store after-market toys, take a look at the PS WOO and extender. FWIW-

pab · April 2018

I have a large with 13" & 16" and oval stone and use the 16" 80% of the time. The 13" is handy if you are cooking butts on two levels and need to use the spider for the necessary clearance. If I am cooking on one level I tend to use the 16" stone on middle level of AR. Use the oval for ribs/brisket. I see this is your first post so I am guessing you are new to bge (I very well could be wrong) but cooking at 225* is a number that is more important on other types of cookers. As I read your question, increased air flow would actually make holding 225 more difficult as temp would increase. I am again assuming you are having trouble getting the temp up to 225 because you have the vents shut down to keep them from rising above target. I think you will find your egg will find its sweet spot somewhere between 250/275* and it will not affect the finished product and actually shorten cooking time. I know when I started egging 225 was my holy grail as well. All of this being said, I haven't used my platesetter in 7 years and is the number 1 purchase I regret the most.

Mikeo_MtB · April 2018

pab said:

I have a large with 13" & 16" and oval stone and use the 16" 80% of the time. The 13" is handy if you are cooking butts on two levels and need to use the spider for the necessary clearance. If I am cooking on one level I tend to use the 16" stone on middle level of AR. Use the oval for ribs/brisket. I see this is your first post so I am guessing you are new to bge (I very well could be wrong) but cooking at 225* is a number that is more important on other types of cookers. As I read your question, increased air flow would actually make holding 225 more difficult as temp would increase. I am again assuming you are having trouble getting the temp up to 225 because you have the vents shut down to keep them from rising above target. I think you will find your egg will find its sweet spot somewhere between 250/275* and it will not affect the finished product and actually shorten cooking time. I know when I started egging 225 was my holy grail as well. All of this being said, I haven't used my platesetter in 7 years and is the number 1 purchase I regret the most.

Hey thanks everyone for your input... I've actually been egging for a few years... I guess my question stems from I've been having trouble on long low temp cooks ie - pork butts... I'm good for the first 2-3 hours then if I'm not careful my pit goes out... I have had some success with using a minion method ( I take an empty can with both ends cut out... set it in the middle of a clean pit pour my lump all around it then fill the can with hot coals from the chimney and pull the can out) this seems to work pretty good as long as I don't let it get too high (under 300)... sorry if it sounds like I'm high jacking my own post but I'm at the stage where I'm almost ready to buy a different smoker to do the longer overnight cooks for low and slow... I've also been looking at a flame boss and guru however just not sure if that money is better spent put into another smoker... sorry for being a little all over the place just a little frustrated I guess..

1voyager · April 2018

No problem using PS for 18-20 hours @ 225-250 degrees for pork butt or brisket. I remove all the lump and ash remaining from previous cooks then start with all new. I select the larger pieces and pile almost to the bottom of the PS.

pab · April 2018

I used the minion method when I cooked on a WSM and the lower temp was much more important with THAT cooker as protein was much more likely to dry out. Fill your egg to the top of the fire ring. Light a small area in the center and once it is going add your platesetter. You don't want to leave the bottom vent wide open for long, start shutting it down as temp climbs. When smoke clears add protein. For 250/275 my bottom vent is open about the thickness of a credit card and daisy wheel is pretty well closed also. Your butts will NOT dry out at those temps and fire WILL stay lit. The egg holds moisture very well and I have never had a disappointing result with cook times reduced to about 12 hours as opposed to 18 or more with the WSM. Many on the forum cook turbo at 325* or even a little higher. As I mentioned above, 225* is the target for stick burners more than the egg. If you must cook at 225* then a controller like a Guru would help.

lousubcap · April 2018

If running w/o a controller (as I do) then find the above mentioned "sweet spot" somewhere in the 240-280*F range and go from there. Gives you a larger fire and less chance of losing the fire over-night. I also light the BGE a good 2-3 hours before loading the protein on an overnight cook to make sure all is stable. FWIW-

fishlessman · April 2018

i dont see a difference at all with low temps using either or non at all. the only time i want more thermal mass in there is when cooking hot quicker cooks where i dont want the temps to drop. pizza and bread cooks work better with more thermal mass. of the two setups i like the rig, spider, stone. i use a deep pan full of sand under the stone if i need more thermal mass and heat deflection

SSQUAL612 · April 2018

Looks like this was covered thoroughly so all I will reiterate is the pit temp. 225 was my temp when I first started, but as others have pointed out it’s not necessary with the BGE. Let her settle anywhere from 250 to 270 & you will achieve the desired result without the stress.

Toxarch · April 2018

I use a Stoker for low and slow. It will hold 225 in the large all night long. The nice part is waking up in the middle of the night, look at my phone to check egg and meat temps, change temp if I want, and go back to sleep. I like technology, sleep, and a perfect brisket.

Mikeo_MtB · April 2018

Thanks all for the advise... I'll lighten up on stressing about holding 225 as the temp....

Large Big Green Egg - setter plate vs adjustable rig 13 " ceramic stone for low and slow

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