Pizza stone under kettle

I have a single tier, and Boilmakers. Many posts on here talk about them not having a clad bottom. I came up with an idea making dinner tonight, of throwing my ceramic pizza stone under my MLT.

Thought is it may help spread out heat more evenly, and be more forgiving with slower changes in temp for step mashes.

Ghetto? yes... but any thoughts?

I thought the design of the Boilermakers was supposed to be ideal for brewing, that is if you believe the theory. I'm fine with Keggles which has a non clad bottom, but I have also brewed with clad bottom pots, you just have to adjust to what you use.

I think if even the slightest water/wort boils/drips on to a hot cermaic pizza stone it will crack. If it cracks and it's supporting hot water/wort it could be huge disaster and cause a lot of burning.

Every half ass bachelor I know has broke his pizza stone making pizza because he uses it wrong. I think it would be difficult to keep it from cracking and either the shattered stone could hurt you, or the boiling water/wort could burn you.

I wouldn't do it and if you ignore this advice I would proceed with caution.

Be SAFE, please.

You shoud be fine with out it just one more thing to go wrong..KISS.
What's up Michigan boy !

Pat

Clad bottoms are meant for cooking solid foods, thick sauces, things that could potentially cook unevenly.

Wort is not one of those. Clad bottoms are not useful for brewing.

Retrofit said:

I think if even the slightest water/wort boils/drips on to a hot cermaic pizza stone it will crack. If it cracks and it's supporting hot water/wort it could be huge disaster and cause a lot of burning.

Every half ass bachelor I know has broke his pizza stone making pizza because he uses it wrong. I think it would be difficult to keep it from cracking and either the shattered stone could hurt you, or the boiling water/wort could burn you.

I wouldn't do it and if you ignore this advice I would proceed with caution.

Be SAFE, please.

Click to expand...

+1. I'd be amazed if you got through a mash without destroying the stone.

passedpawn said:

Clad bottoms are meant for cooking solid foods, thick sauces, things that could potentially cook unevenly.

Wort is not one of those. Clad bottoms are not useful for brewing.

Click to expand...

I disagree entirely. Clad bottoms and flame diffusers can be very useful for brewing with a direct fired mash tun. I use a 1/8" x 12" dia round solid copper flame diffuser under my Polarware MT on my direct fired RIMS. It works very well for me. The diffuser plate allows me to apply more heat for faster temperature ramp ups without scorching or pump cavitation problems. There are several advantages IMO.

I read about using a flame tamer in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing. I think he would probably disagree with you too.

Regarding the OP's pizza stone idea. I don't know if that would work or not and I would only try it if I was willing to risk breaking it. I would only try using it on a flat bottomed kettle, not on a converted keg.

Retro, you bring up a good point about cracking. In fact, my first pizza stone in college broke going into the dish sink too soon, and the 2nd broke when a room mate use liquid dish soap on it to clean and it cracked on the next heat up...

I hadn't thought about them being sensitive to outside factors--also the "thick" good ones are $40 a pop. (not that i've ever spilled Anything while brewing!)

It's amazing how you come up with all these "brewing" ideas during your every day life. Try walking through Home Dep without having a thousand new gadgetry ideas jump out at you.

In fact... my idea is I should have a homebrew and think about this some more

passedpawn said:

Clad bottoms are meant for cooking solid foods, thick sauces, things that could potentially cook unevenly.

Wort is not one of those. Clad bottoms are not useful for brewing.

Click to expand...

I disagree. If you are direct firing your Mash Tun you want that heat on the bottom of the pot to be as even as possible.

FenoMeno said:

Retro, you bring up a good point about cracking. In fact, my first pizza stone in college broke going into the dish sink too soon, and the 2nd broke when a room mate use liquid dish soap on it to clean and it cracked on the next heat up...

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Too soon? Liquid soap? Pizza stones should NEVER see the sink.

I agree, though, that a pizza stone would not make a good heat diffuser. A disk of cast iron would work much better.

->>> flame diffuser Just a couple pieces of perforated sheet metal.

They are a heck of a lot cheaper than a pizza stone. I think mine came from the dollar Store. Without it, I have hot spots from the cast iron frame.