Heat deflectors & stones

A heat deflector, or plate setter, is a piece, usually ceramic, that sits between the coals and the grate so the fire doesn't hit the food directly. In a kamado it's what makes indirect cooking possible: smoking at 110-120 °C, long roasts and pizza on a stone. It has to fit your model exactly.

Size comes first, because a deflector that doesn't sit properly lets flame lick around the edges. The Big Green Egg ConvEGGtor is made for the Large; for Kamado Joe there are third-party half moons such as the BBQ Future set for the Classic, the MixRBBQ set for the Big Joe or the single VANKEY half moon, 38 × 19 × 1.4 cm, which lets you run half the grate direct and half indirect. Material comes second: ceramic and cordierite store heat and steady the temperature. That's why this section also includes cordierite stones like the 38 × 30 cm Navaris, which work as a deflector and a baking surface at once.

On our Big Green Egg Large in Torrevieja the ConvEGGtor is one of the pieces we use most after the grate itself, and no brand pays us to say so. Without a deflector, a kamado can only cook over direct heat. When to fit it, at what height and with how much air gap is covered in our guide to direct vs indirect cooking with a deflector.