I recently made the careless mistake of leaning my Big Green Egg plate setter against my BGE stand while I was adding charcoal. I got sidetracked and left the area, returning through my fence gate. When I opened the gate, I knocked the plate setter over and it cracked cleanly in two. I saw it fall in slow motion. Anybody who’s broken something expensive knows that feeling. A replacement plate setter would cost me 65 bucks at the local Ace Hardware store and, since BGE stuff never really goes on sale, I was distraught.

It was a sad day. I know it looks gross. If yours isn’t black from smoke, you’re not using it enough.

I decided to try and fix the broken plate setter because, well, that’s what I do. If I can fix it cheaper, there’s no reason to buy something new. That’s part of what old house crazy means to me. I ended up being able to fix the broken plate setter for a total of about 20 bucks in parts. Here’s how:

I started by purchasing the following stainless steel hardware: 2-8″ repair plates, 2-1.5″ machine screws with large washers, locking washers, and wing nuts. Stainless is expensive, but I didn’t want any metal coatings leaching into my food. I also purchased a masonry bit that matched the diameter of the screws. In total, I spent 21.08 at the hardware store.

Once you’ve gotten your hardware, clamp the pieces of the plate setter together firmly. I used a band clamp, as shown in the photos.

Once the plate setter is firmly clamped, place the repair plates across the crack and use them as a guide for drilling holes with the masonry bit. The ceramic that BGE uses to make their stuff drills very cleanly with a proper masonry bit. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with a standard wood or metal bit.

After your holes are drilled, insert the screws through the holes and attach a large washer, then a lock washer, then the wing nut. Tighten the wing nuts firmly.

After you’ve tightened the nuts, your plate setter is repaired. It should be fully functional again. I’ve used mine several times since I did the repair and it is working greatly. It still holds a full pan of water under my BBQ, so I haven’t lost any strength. I hope this post helps you save some money and continue to cook. If you’ve got any questions, send me an email at oldhousecrazy@gmail.com. Thanks for reading. -Robby