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Gasket and Pizza

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smalljaws
smalljaws Posts: 58
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Can anyone cook pizzas on their medium at temps >600 and not completely fry their gasket? I was using a 13” stone and completely fried my gasket so I purchased the BGE 12" stone, hoping that would limit gasket damage, but still fried the gasket on my first pizza cook with the new stone. My setup is the standard; plate setter legs down, BGE ceramic feet and BGE 12” stone on top of feet. [p]If anyone has a setup that works for them please pass it along, I am tired of replacing gaskets.

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  • dhuffjr
    dhuffjr Posts: 3,182
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    smalljaws,
    My recommendation is don't replace it. You can't fry a prefried gasket :>)[p]whatgasket.jpg
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
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    smalljaws,
    just a thought - I have never used the green feet inside the egg - afterall they were made to sit the egg on - but anyway I place my stone directly on the sitter and I remove my metal grate as well. If you keep frying gaskets I have to wonder if between the sitter catching the intensity and then the stone separated from it if somehow those are deflecting more heat so as to damage the gasket. OTOH have you done the dollar bill test? Even at 600 degrees you shouldn't be frying your gaskets unless there is a lot of leakage - that is, leakage through spaces in the gasket is what burns it up.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
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    furthermore by eliminating the air space caused by the feet then the setter will transfer the heat to the stone better and you won't need a 600 degree dome! BTW I bake my pizzas between 475 and 500.

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • mikeb6109
    mikeb6109 Posts: 2,067
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    smalljaws,
    i cook my pies on the platesetter direct all i use is parchement paper. also i sometimes cook with the legs up and then pizza stone on the grill.i even saw on here same set up but with grill extender then pizza stone on that.
    mike
    good luck!! i must be one of the lucky ones cause i cooked pizza all the time and it is normally 4 to 6 pies one right after the other!!
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  • BBQ Savant
    BBQ Savant Posts: 22
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    smalljaws,
    I’ve cooked pizza 4 or 5 times on a 2 month old Egg so far without gasket problems. I put the pizza stone directly on the raised grid (very close to same height as the gasket) and use a cast iron skillet upside down as a heat deflector on the lower grid. I cook at between 500 & 525 with plenty of time to stabilize at that temperature.
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    smalljaws,[p]I toasted the gasket on my 2 week old medium while doing a pizza with a 14" stone. I didn't do any more pizzas until I got the BGE stone about a month later. I didn't have the problem after that, and sort of assumed the big stone was deflecting to much heat towards the gasket. [p]However, just Friday, I got another medium, and with the place setter and 13" stone, I let the temp get to high, 700, and the new gasket was wiped out. I'm now inclined to believe the gaskets need to age a little before they can take the high heat. I used the same set up on my old crusty medium doing quesadillas on Sunday for about 30 - 40 minutes at 500 with no problem.[p]BTW, if you have a propane torch, and a flat edge chisel or putty knife, you can burn off the remains of a damaged gasket in just a few minutes. Makes the replacement process much less painful.[p]gdenby
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  • smalljaws
    smalljaws Posts: 58
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    RRP, there were no leaks when I started. The stone gets plenty hot on the feet, I put the stone on the feet to try and reduce the heat transfer to the stone. More often I have trouble with crusts burning before the toppings.

    gdenby, My gasket had several low and slows under its belt before I tried pizza again so it was not a new gasket issue. Are you saying that you successfully cook pizzas at over 600 on your medium egg?

    Dhuff, I have thought about going gasketless, but it just bugs me to see all that smoke pouring from between the dome and base when I am BBQing.

    I guess I will give some other setups a try, it may be that my current pizza setup will not allow for temperatures over 600 degrees on a MEDIUM egg without frying the gasket.
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  • FatDog
    FatDog Posts: 164
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    RRP,
    Do you still offer the gasket thing from a couple of years ago? I need a new one ... or some info as to brand, etc.[p]Thanks,[p]Doc
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
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    Alan aka FatDog,
    Yours was kit #41 and I sold you that one 3 years 4 months ago...not quite the life expectancy of a felt gasket is it? Ha Ha Ha[p]That Rutland gasket should still be a "puppy", but hey, stuff happens! Please email me and I'll send you the full instructions/hints I developed over the years. Otherwise after sending 154 kits to folks in 31 states my source has dried up - at least until this Fall.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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