Steel Plates on the Grill

[MightyPizzaOven]

I have seen lots of discussions using steel plates in the home oven, what about on the grill?

[slybarman]

Seems like the steel is being used mostly as a crutch for lower heat home ovens. Most grill probably get plenty of bottom heat, so the steel is not necessary.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Last weekend, we had 70 deg F in Houston, I usually use 2 burners to heat up my MPO. My bottom 13" pizza stone didn't go higher than 550 F I think, usually at warmer weather it reach over 600 F easily.

I am wondering if a steel plate would do better than a stone in colder weather on the grill.

[bfguilford]

My experience with steel plate in my oven is that the heat transfer is so efficient that it was hard to balance top and bottom heat (even using my broiler), and that the bottom would be done far before the top. I imagine that this would get even harder to manage on a grill.

Barry

[pizzaneer]

My experience with steel plate in my oven is that the heat transfer is so efficient that it was hard to balance top and bottom heat (even using my broiler), and that the bottom would be done far before the top. I imagine that this would get even harder to manage on a grill.

Barry

+1

Steel plate on the grill + a friend with a weedburner might work...  opening a new frontier of 15-second pies!

[buceriasdon]

Steel plate is way too conductive on a grill. Overkill :   http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13610.0.html
unless you have an IR burner of top, it's a waste of good flour.
Don

[jeffereynelson]

The steel plate doesn't get any hotter than the stone, it just transmits the heat better.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Steel plate is way too conductive on a grill. Overkill :   http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,13610.0.html
unless you have an IR burner of top, it's a waste of good flour.
Don

Thanks for sharing the link ...There is so much information on this forum.. It is amazing.

The steel plate doesn't get any hotter than the stone, it just transmits the heat better.

On a cold days, steel bottom plate should work better than a round bottom stone with MPO.  if my stone temp doesn't go over 550 F. I should expect a steel plate not to go over 550f, at this temp  my pizza should not burn right away.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Steel plate on the grill + a friend with a weedburner might work...  opening a new frontier of 15-second pies!

Brian, I think, it all depend on amount of BTUs you are burning under your steel plate and your outdoor temperature.

[pizzaneer]

Brian, I think, it all depend on amount of BTUs you are burning under your steel plate and your outdoor temperature.

What I was getting at was that IF you have top heat that can meet & beat the high conductivity of steel, you could be looking at sub-30 bakes at a steel temp of 550.  That's why steel bakers use their broilers to finish the top before the bottom turns into inedible char.  The challenge is the top heat.  With your MPO setup, I don't think you will accrue enough top heat before the steel turns the bottom into a charcoal frisbee.

[scott123]

What I was getting at was that IF you have top heat that can meet & beat the high conductivity of steel, you could be looking at sub-30 bakes at a steel temp of 550.  That's why steel bakers use their broilers to finish the top before the bottom turns into inedible char.  The challenge is the top heat.  With your MPO setup, I don't think you will accrue enough top heat before the steel turns the bottom into a charcoal frisbee.

+1

[MightyPizzaOven]

That make sense Brian.

This Sunday, we are a having 70 deg weather, I will be testing  my latest prototype. It should contain the heat much better since I eliminated the front opening, which I never used anyway..