Why Ceramic Stone(s) as Indirect Pieces
We’ve played around with a number of different items for indirect pieces. The one item that works best is a ceramic stone or as it is commonly called a "pizza" stone. Here are several short reasons why we prefer stones:
- The stones are flat or disk shape. and can be placed at varied heights - from inside the fire ring to right under a grid. The stones need something to hold the them which is not a problem with our, (Rig, Woo or Spider) pieces.
- The stones are round or oval shaped - no bulging legs. This shape provides 360 degrees of unobstructed air flow around the stone. There is no channeling of air between ceramic legs.
- You have options on the diameter size. Thus, if so inclined, you can match the indirect piece to the size of the cook.
- Round stones match up nicely with round drip pans.
- Our oval stone is a matching solution for long meat cuts, briskets, ribs and such. We designed the oval stone to provided added protection to the meat ends without impacting air circulation.
- With several of our set-ups, the drip pan does not have to sit directly on the stone. It is possible to have a space between the stone and drip pan. How much space and where the pieces are situated is your call.
Large 13"x17" Oval Stone: With large ceramic grills, we've found most ceramic indirect pieces do not cover the meat (brisket, ribs) ends. So, we met with our stone fabricator and designed an Oval Stone to improve indirect coverage. The Oval Stone's measurement is approximately 13"x17" and matches up with our 13"x17.5" Oval Grid. The Oval Stone's design provides approximately 1" of open room between the Stone's curved edge and the inner wall of most large size grills. Like many of our products, Oval Stone users find other uses including baking, pizza and lastly, quickly changing between a direct and indirect set-up.
We have one simple rule when considering a stone: The stone's thickness must be at least 5/8" thick. It’s the easiest way we’ve found to separate the good from the not so good stone. Plus, we recommend staying clear of the thin, usually pricey, specialty stones. Pampered Chef stones do not have a good track record in ceramic grills.
We offer cordierite formulated Ceramic Stones with 5/8-inch thickness. The material and thickness allow the stones to take significant punishment. However, we do not recommend routinely shocking any stone with big temperature swings. Whenever possible, let the stone warm up and cool down with the cooker.