Question on pizza stones

[TMB]

I'm building a pizza oven/grill and I plane for it to get very HOT but I'm not use to using pizza stones so the question is this.

How hot can a pizza stone get and still be useable time after time?   The stone will not be heated directly but it will face 600 to 700 degrees (I hope) cook after cook.  Any thoughts and advice would be welcome, and yes I will use it for other types of cooks.

I went to see my bother in-law for a few parts and Kimmie ask what in the world was I doing??  I told her the truth, "I'm building a pizza oven" I told her!   She looked at me with those beautiful GREEN eyes and said "Have you lost your freaking mind"!  You just bought a new Rec-Tec and now you want another grill.  I said No I'm making a pizza oven, you know the food that goes with BEER real well.  She said OH ok tell me when it's MILLER TIME!

No Art, this is not the other grill/oven I was telling you about.  This is different yet easy to make and with my knees I need EASY  

[drholly]

Pizza stones are great - have used them many years. But (in my experience) sooner or later they break. A few years ago I went another direction - steel. there are many "pizza steels" out there - just do a google search. I found the key is to get a heavy / thick one. Mine is 1/2" thick and weighs a ton. It takes a while to heat up in the oven or on the grill, But it holds the heat for about a month! It is stainless steel - easy to clean - hard to lift. I love it and do not use the "traditional" stone any longer. To me it was like going to Grill Grates.

[Pam Gould]

Tommy after about 450º the stones will crack, depending on how thick they are..I think you need one of them plowing disks we were looking for at the gathering one year.  .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[hikerman]

Tommy, I'm not sure how hot you can get a pizza stone without having negative impact. I would guess that they are not all created equal.

I bought a 17"X17" stone and use it on my GMG D. Boone by taking the grease pan out and center the stone over the burn pot. Works great. Somewhere I had a thread here on it.

[africanmeat]

A good pizza stone will be good for 600f .

[TentHunteR]

How hot can a pizza stone get and still be useable time after time?

I don't think it's so much how hot they get, but rather how slowly they are heated.  My understanding is that they really need to be heated up slowly.

Something you might want to consider (if they'll fit) are fire bricks.  Some folks seem to prefer them over a pizza stone.

Try Googling: "fire bricks instead of pizza stone."  You'll find all kinds of info.

[Pam Gould]

Tommy..I got some fire bricks from Menard's, like a Lowe's or Home Depot , each brick is 9 x 4.5 inches and 1.25 " thick. Hope that helps.  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[teesquare]

Just an option....Fire brick oven floor....and a pizza STEEL that sits in it, and is removable. Best of both worlds ....Steel does not break and is relatively cheap to replace when desired.

[muebe]

I am with Doc on this one. A thick pizza steel is the best option for durability and heat retention.

Pizza stones have an advantage due to being porus and can whisk away moisture from the dough as it cooks creating a great crust. But they are fragile and can crack.

I think with the temps you will be running a steel is a better choice. Go thick or go home however. Too thin and they will lose heat quickly.

A true pizza oven will cook a pizza in 4 to 6 minutes.

Just be aware they are not designed to cook thick pizzas.

[1Bigg_ER]

Get a lodge cast iron pizza pan.

[Eatin Smoke]

I agree w/ the steel (love mine) but if you want a pizza stone, try these:

http://www.axner.com/cordierite-shelf-15roundx58.aspx

I've taken this particular one to 750 - 800 w/out any issues.  In fact, when my pizza stone gets dirty, I heat it beyond 700 for a couple of hours and it comes out looking brand new.

[Tenpoint5]

Tommy this should be right about your speed!! Should help speed things up as well knowing how long it takes you to design a cooker!

[TMB]

Tommy this should be right about your speed!! Should help speed things up as well knowing how long it takes you to design a cooker!

Rome was not built in a day    These things take time and $$$$$$ which I have less and less each day

[BAM1]

I've researched about every pizza stone on the marketto use in my Kamado Joe and most are only good from 450 -600.  I believe the pizza stone the big green egg people makes will go to 800.  It's pretty pricey, around $90 dollars but that's the one I'm leaning towards

[Saber 4]

Just a thought, would a piece of Marble counter top maybe scrap leftover from where the sink cut out goes be thick enough to hold the heat and not break? Might be pretty cheap or free from the right counter top guy.