Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => PIZZA OVENS - Wood Fired => Topic started by: GusRobin on November 15, 2014, 12:54:24 PM
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If I must say it myself, I think I make a mean pizza in a conventional oven. Lately I have been reading all the posts on uni ovens, brick ovens, cooking pizza on the grill, etc. This started the inch to do something. I didn't want to invest in a uni type oven at this time.
So doing some research, I saw the Kettle Pizza Kit . To me the kettle pizza kit wasn't worth the price and besides I didn't have a kettle grill. I did some more research and came across a post about making a kettle pizza clone. Since I still didn't have a kettle grill, that wasn't much help. Except it got me thinking. Why couldn't I do that with my Old Smokey?
The clone used metal flashing to make the pizza cooking chamber. I had some flashing in the hoard of things in my garage, so I tried it. But it seemed too flimsy to me. Then I remembered that a few years ago when I made my UDS I bought a cheap kettle grill at Dollar General. (It was originally $50 but was slashed to get rid of it so with all the discounts I got it for something like $10). I used the top on the UDS, but I had the bottom in the garage somewhere.
Digging around I found it and the handles etc. I bought a pizza stone for $10 and a peel for $15. This morning I started the build.
Here are all the parts:
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1601.jpg)
Tracing the cutout on the kettle bottom
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1604.jpg)
Used a grinder to make the cutout
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1606.jpg)
All assembled with handles and top vent. Had to put the handles on top since if they were on the side the unit wouldn't fit inside the Smokey when storing it.
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1607.jpg)
Stone on the Smokey
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1608.jpg)
The finished product
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1609.jpg)
Fit checking the peel
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1612.jpg)
When not in use, all fits together for storage.
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1613.jpg)
Well it took about 30 minutes and about $28 in parts to make. Off to the store to get some ingredients for a pizza or two so I can try this baby out. I'll post the results later tonight.
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very cool. do you think you can get the pizza stone hot being so far away from the coals? I hope so. this is going to be good.
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That looks like it will do the job Gus! Nice work!!! I'll be lookin for your pizza! Don
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Great job on making your pizza oven. I hope that stone gets hot enough. You may need a Vortex-type insert to direct the heat to the stone. Just a thought.
Art
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I think a Captn Jack style mod of elevating the coal rack with some beer cans and some lump coal might be in order.
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I think a Captn Jack style mod of elevating the coal rack with some beer cans and some lump coal might be in order.
The plan is to elevate the bottom with bricks and a cast iron grate. And I am using lump coal.
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Very, very clever, Gus! I like it a lot.
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Good idea Gus!
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Okay here is the rest of the story.
Here is the charcoal basket (it is one from a 18" WSM that I picked up.) I set it on a grate to raise the fire.
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1614.jpg)
Filled with lump coal
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1615.jpg)
The pizza ready to go in.
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1617.jpg)
All done
(http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/gusrobin/IMG_1619.jpg)
After action review:
Things started going wrong from the beginning. The first thing was my deck light went out so I had to use a flashlight.
Then the pizza stone broke into 3 pieces ( buy cheap, get cheap)
I was worried about getting high temps, but the chamber got over 572* since that is as high as the Maverick will read. The maverick probe I placed on the stone got to 435* before I removed the probe.
The cheese melted nice but the crust was pretty crispy (spelled- BURNT). I attribute this to (1) too high heat and (2) with the cracked stone let a lot of direct heat to the crust.
I raised the charcoal by laying flat bricks on the bottom and having that grate I showed before. I think just putting it in the charcoal basket at Smokey's normal height would have worked. Also, I need to get a quality stone or steel.
To some it up, with the changes noted above, I think I have a winner. Once you got over the crispy crust, the flavor and taste was very good.
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Awesome looking mod Gus! Pizza looks delicious to me!
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That's some ingenuity Gus! Very nice job! 8)
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Love the "homemade " pizza oven!
Cheap pizza stones :'(
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Clever idea - good job! You'll get it dialed in - you're experiencing the same thing as anyone cooking on a hot fired pizza oven for the first time.
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very kewl (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
I've been trying to get Bruce at OldSmokey to make a pizza lid
although it would be easier on the 14" or 18" than it is on the 22"
raising the fire pan with 5 cans is the easy way to raise it from 8" below the grate to 4½" below
and the sheet metal fire pan works better with lump than a wire grate. the little pieces don't fall though
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OS_Grill_RiserRing_005_zpsd3dfdaf0.jpg)
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OS_Grill_RiserRing_004_zps67a1af04.jpg)
you can use Weber charcoal baskets, but you don't need them. just put the coals in a neat pile
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OSmokey_019_zpsa42eaf6d.jpg)
it will get HOT! (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OSmokey_021_zps66f5f654.jpg)
you can use the 14" cast iron griddle from Lodge for a pizza stone ($12)
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OSmokey_006_griddle_zps8d5e8272.jpg)
the other thing I really want Bruce to make for the 22" is a rotisserie ring (http://i50.tinypic.com/20ztyfl.gif)
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/CaptJack50/BBQ/OldSmokey_rotisseriering_001_666_zps3f571d05.jpg)