Commercially made franken weber

[brokencookie]

Although I see a lot of problems with this design, it might not be bad for those with no DIY skills

The website is here

Turn Your Weber Kettle Grill into a Kettle Pizza Oven!

[azpizzanut]

Hello brokencookie,

I have one of these and it cooks good pizza if you follow the manufacturers directions. You can do lots of other cooking on this kettle grill too: burgers, veggies, chicken pieces, lots of things. There is residual heat from the dying coals after the pizzas are cooked. Plan your meals to take advantage of its features and enjoy the versatility of the kettle cooker when it isn't practical to fire up the wfo.

Cheers,

[brokencookie]

I'm kinda surprized. I built a small oven and ended up making quite a few modifications to direct heat over the top of the pizza. Does it have a second stone or some kind of reflector in the top portion ?

I mean if the thing works, it works. But I can't help but wonder about the specifics of the design. What temperatures can you achieve with it ?

[azpizzanut]

Hello brokencookie,

My kettle has the earlier version painted iron ring. The opening is a little larger. It came with an aluminum pizza pan. I've gotten the heat up over 900 deg, but not on purpose. That is way too hot for cooking pizza on a metal pan.

Like anything else, you have to learn how to use the kettle for pizza. The metal pan can be moved around the inside of the kettle and rotated as one edge browns before the other. I use a pair of 16" kitchen tongs. This isn't the type of cooking device where you can set a timer then turn your back on it. It requires constant attention for a perfect pizza so I sit on a camp chair in front of it and tend the cooking process.

My method is to place the coals along the left side of the kettle at the 9 o"clock to 12 o"clock positions and some towards the middle. I like the flavor of hardwood smoke on my pizzas so I'll slip in some splinters of mesquite along the edge. When they catch aflame the temperature goes up and the pizza begins to cook a bit faster. My best pies are cooked at about 650 to 750 deg.

I don't think there is a need to modify the kettle with deflectors or hanging stones from
the lid. Those things need time to heat up or inhibit the thermometer from providing a useful temperature reading. Just pop in a pizza when the temperature is right, rotate it occasionally to avoid burning or to assure proper browning. It is fairly quick to get up to temperature. The major wait is getting the briquettes fully lit using a chimney lighter. After the coals are placed and the lid is on you'll be cooking in just a few more minutes.

Cheers,

[JoeyVelderrain]

meh...
the kid said it took 10 minutes to cook that pie, can't be at 700f if it took 10 minutes and it is cooked on an aluminum pizza pan, my oven would destroy one of those in 3 minutes!

[jgestner]

Maybe It was a frozen Tombstone or Jack's pie. Interesting though. Looks like it could be pretty easy to fabricate your own with some sheet metal, Iron or stainless.

John in Merrill, WI

Still scheming on a cost effective WFO.