Custom Steel Pizza Oven


 
j biesinger

j biesinger

TVWBB Platinum Member
I've been toying around with some different pizza oven set ups on my 22" kettle and had limited success. The key problem has always been how to get the top brown in the same amount of time as the bottom. I was inspired by an article where they authors combined a kettle pizza ring, a stone on the bottom, and a pizza steel plate on the top. With that thought in my head, and the inability to sleep at 3:30 am Saturday night, I came up with an idea. We are planning to cook pizzas for about 15 people on Saturday, and given the 4th in this week, I needed some one to build it for me in 48 hours or less. After driving to one place and the guy suggesting I try another place, and that guy suggesting another guy, and that guy agreeing to do it on Tuesday, I figured it was some kind of fate. I gave him my kettle on Tuesday morning, took a look at the pizza oven on Wednesday morning so he could make a mod, and I picked it up that afternoon.

Here's what we came up with. When I first looked at it, he hadn't tacked the top plate on yet and I suggested he reduce the head space to 4". My wife thought about using the top deck as a second oven, which might be the most brilliant part of the oven (big props to her). It's all really heavy gauge steel and weighs a ton.
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Preheating with cherry wood. It took some time to get up to temp, so I spent some time stoking the fire with a heat gun
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bottom deck
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top deck
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pizza #1 (Jim Lahey no knead dough, bechamel sauce, leeks, ****akes, red pepper sausage)
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pizza #2 perfection
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action shot
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I know steel is the new pizza stone, but I'm definitely not used to cooking on it. I had some bottom scorching, and may have to try using cornmeal. But the initial run was very promising as I had crisp top and bottom and the dough was cooked through in 10-15 min

I was pretty cool how both decks ran about the same temp, and each having about the same amount of head space. I started a pie on the bottom deck and switched it to the top once I was ready to load a second in. I'm thinking I could be running three pies at once if the spent twice as long on the top as on the bottom

I'm hopeful that I can get the cooking nailed down, as I have the hard part (top browning) figured out, now I just need to manage the bottom. Either way, I love how the oven is one piece and super easy to set up and run.
 
I recommend adding lifting eyes so the crane has a place to lift it on/off. :D Seriously, that is a pretty cool design ...and your pizza looks fantastic!
 
I like this idea. Looks great. Any idea how much heat is radiated from the metal surround? I am curious how it will work with a Performer given it has a composite table in close proximity to the kettle and the table. Also can you give us a rough idea what the cost was to build this thing? The idea of the top plate for cooking the top of the pizza and then using the top plate to cook a second pizza is brilliant. Can you alsp post dimensions if some of us wanted to have one made or make one ourselves? This is a winner.
 
way to make your idea a reality - kudos to you! I can only imagine the weight of that thing, can't wait to see how you deal with that - from here it looks like the steel could be half as thick & still work, or that could be built over a custom fire pit & still use the kettle lid. I'm not knocking your design, the metal guy looks like a craftsman.

I also keep picturing some John Solak styled smash burgers, or breakfast on those "griddles".... I'll enjoy watching what you do with this.
 
Bob Ivey said:
<snip> Also can you give us a rough idea what the cost was to build this thing? The idea of the top plate for cooking the top of the pizza and then using the top plate to cook a second pizza is brilliant. Can you alsp post dimensions if some of us wanted to have one made or make one ourselves? This is a winner.
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I'm guessing $200, 120 pounds (not a money conversion :) )
 
He quoted me at $80 for the materials and $100 for the labor. I'm thinking you could probably get it done for less, but given that fact that he could do it in less than 48 hrs and was willing to work off my grill, I wasn't in a position to complain.

the plates are 12" x 18"
the ring is 7.5" high. I'll try to get the arc length, but what he did was roll a larger piece (74") and cut it down to a 12" slot
bottom plate is tacked at 2.5"
top plate is 4" over that

I might consider reducing the height of the ring and the head space between plates. Although you do need room to launch the pie off the peel, and I just saw 12" x 15" baking stones that I might try in the oven.
 
Bob Ivey said:
I like this idea. Looks great. Any idea how much heat is radiated from the metal surround? I am curious how it will work with a Performer given it has a composite table in close proximity to the kettle and the table. Also can you give us a rough idea what the cost was to build this thing? The idea of the top plate for cooking the top of the pizza and then using the top plate to cook a second pizza is brilliant. Can you alsp post dimensions if some of us wanted to have one made or make one ourselves? This is a winner.
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I don't think it would be any more than from the kettle itself, if not less

Clint said:
way to make your idea a reality - kudos to you! I can only imagine the weight of that thing, can't wait to see how you deal with that - from here it looks like the steel could be half as thick & still work, or that could be built over a custom fire pit & still use the kettle lid. I'm not knocking your design, the metal guy looks like a craftsman.

I also keep picturing some John Solak styled smash burgers, or breakfast on those "griddles".... I'll enjoy watching what you do with this.
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The weight is pretty manageable, I can carry it with one hand. It fits very snugly and when it drops in, it's a little tricky to get out (you kind of have to pull up on the front and back in a rocking motion)
 
j biesinger said:
The weight is pretty manageable, I can carry it with one hand. It fits very snugly and when it drops in, it's a little tricky to get out (you kind of have to pull up on the front and back in a rocking motion)
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How about adding a couple of handles. Easier to carry and probably easier to lift off of kettle?
 
you could have him take a grinder to the bottom to reduce the size or shape it a bit, and a stone on the bottom might help. So I'm guessing 40-50#, it looks bigger (4" gap helps put it in perspective). I got a welder last summer (built a jig for a product I manufacture---<inductive sensor>). I'm not telling you anything you need to hear lol, you'll probably be cooking sous vide on it at a bbq comp before long. Keep posting pictures of this (and everything else!).
 
JB - excellent idea and the results are just phenomonal! Love it! You mentioned takes some time to get up to temp, perhaps some small venting on the sides and back of the insert ring to increase airflow? I'm bookmarking this one - the results speak for themselves!!
 
Phil Perrin said:
Very cool! But yet another toy I don't have room for.:( Luckily,I have the wood burning oven!
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Have you posted an update lately? I remember you building it, and struggling with it on the first try. I was wondering if you got it working right
 
Jeff, That is AWESOME!
Looks like a nice heavy 11 gauge... is it stainless?

and Chris, Shiitake has two i's in it. ;)
 
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