BBQing
Barbequing with the Large Woo3
Barbeque is typically created using low cooking temperatures and slow cooking times. For most low & slow cooks (ribs, brisket & butts), the cooking temperatures range from 200° to 275° F. The best way to recognize when a cook is done is by meat tenderness or internal temperature. We recommend you shy away from using the "so many hours per pound method to calculate cooking times. Barbeque is just one of those lazy cooking methods that answer to the ole saying . . . "It's done when it's done!"
With ceramic cookers, Big Green Egg® and Kamado Joe® included, the essential accessory to create mouth watering barbeque is a heat diffuser or indirect piece. A heat diffuser or indirect piece protects the underside of the food from burning. Using a heat diffuser or indirect piece in ceramic cooking is universally called an indirect set-up.
Our preferred indirect set-ups use ceramic stones as the indirect piece or heat diffuser. More information on ceramic stones can be found here, but to summarize: Stones come in various sizes, lend themselves to multiple configurations, are durable, match the round shape of the cooker and have no legs to hinder airflow. Lump can burn in excess of 1000° F, so it's important to use the proper heat diffuser. Our stones are made with high temperature cordierite formulas, have 5/8" minimum thickness and are made in the USA by experienced kiln manufacturers.
If at all possible, we recommend matching the indirect set-up to the size of the cook. Go small indirect with small cooks. Go large indirect with large cooks. Go long indirect with lengthy cuts, such as ribs and brisket. Setting up in this manner will provide the greatest protection and produce consistent temperatures across the grid.
The primary (first) ceramic stone to purchase is either our 13" Round or 13”x17” Oval Ceramic Stone. Match the 13" Stone with our 13.5", 14” and 16” Round Stainless Drip Pans for conventional indirect set-ups. If your primary barbeque is ribs and/or briskets, then the 13"x17” Oval Stone might be your best match. We specifically designed the Oval Stone to provide full indirect protection along the entire rib rack and brisket. As your need and experience grows, add our specialty 16” Round or 8”x16” Half Ceramic Stones to enhance your abilities. The 16” Stone is good for baking pizzas on the Woo3 Extender. We do not recommend setting the 16" Stone directly atop the Woo3, as the felt along the felt line can burn. The Half Stone creates a quasi direct, indirect set-up.
Many of the same techniques and set-ups that work when grilling on the Woo3 also work when barbequing on the Woo3. Except, now it's lower cooking temperature and an indirect set-up. The Woo3 sets up quickly for indirect cooks. All you need is the Ceramic Stone and again, our recommendation is either the 13" Round or 13"x17" Oval Ceramic Stone as a starter stone. In the shopping cart, we offer Woo3 Combo packages that include either Stone and Woo3 Extender.
Pictured above left is the 13" Stone and 14" Stainless Drip Pan set-up. Pictured above right is the 13" Stone and 16" Stainless Drip Pan. The 16" Ceramic Stone is not required with the 16" Drip Pan, as the 13" Stone under the 16" Stainless Drip Pan works just fine. We offer Stainless Drip Pans in our shopping cart. We recommend foiling the pans for easy clean up.
When looking at the 16" pan on the Woo3, you might wonder if there is ample room for the heat to move past. Well, when looking from the side, you'll see there is ample room for air circulation. The horizontal opening is approximately 1-3/8" from the Stone's edge to the fire ring. The vertical opening is approximately 1.5" from the fire ring to the Pan's top rim. Plus, unlike other indirect methods, the opening is 360° around the entire fire ring, stone and drip pan. Having 360° open air gives the best chance for 360° of air circulation. The gap between the fire ring and 13" Stone/Drip Pan is even bigger. Our Stainless Drip Pans have a tapered side edge to aid circulation.
The Ceramic Stone does not have to be round. With long meat cuts, ribs & brisket, our 13"x17" Ceramic Oval Stone is a preferred option. The Oval Stone extends coverage to within one inch from the inside wall of the cooker. At 12.75" actual width, the Stone is wide enough to protect two racks of babyback or St. Louis style ribs and a brisket packer or flat. To date, we have not found a pan to match the Oval Stone, so we offer an Oval Foil Ring in the shape of the Oval Stone. We recommend double foiling the Oval Ring to create a foil drip pan. The Oval Stone is exclusively designed by us for the Large Big Green Egg® and Kamado Joe®.
If you are concerned about airflow around the Oval Stone, we can confirm, airflow is fine. With the Woo3 sitting on the fire ring (not in dimples), the stone sits 1/2" above the fire ring. Plus, there is additional open area along the Stone's flat sides. Also, since the Oval Stone is 1/2" above the fire ring, the air circulation can be 360° around the entire Stone.
Note: When using the 13"x17" Oval Stone on the Large Woo3, it's best to keep the Woo3 legs out of the fire ring dimples. Having the legs sitting out of the dimples (directly on top of the fire ring) provides the 1/2" vertical opening along the Stone's oval edge.
Here are a couple barbeque cooks with the Woo Ring set-ups.
