Question about kettlepizza ring


 
J

Jo Torez

TVWBB Super Fan
I haven't used mine in a while but I plan to use this weekend.

Most of the complaints that I see online are that the bottom of the pizza cooks too fast while the top does not. I don't want to raise the stone because that would defeat the purpose of the ring.

Would it be ok if I attached a rack to the top of the ring and put 2-4 fire brick in one single layer with the cover on top of that. Would that make a more even cook?

Thank you so much!!
 
Jo Torez said:
Would it be ok if I attached a rack to the top of the ring and put 2-4 fire brick in one single layer with the cover on top of that. Would that make a more even cook? Thank you so much!!
Click to expand...
Sure it would work. Might want to clean those bricks good, they will expand and any dirt caught in the pores of the bricks will drop on you pizza

this is what I did to trap the heat down

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?59340-Pizza
 
Wow that disk is awesome! Hmm now that thinking... the brick may not work bc it would make the ring too heavy when trying to fill it. I would be using in the otg for this cook.
 
Jo Torez said:
Wow that disk is awesome! Hmm now that thinking... the brick may not work bc it would make the ring too heavy when trying to fill it. I would be using in the otg for this cook.
Click to expand...

Even the baking steel that KP sells with their "pro" kit makes the whole ring quite heavy and awkward to pick up, due to the shape of the KP and the location of the handles. Without the stone or the baking steel attached to the KP, it's easy to lift by the handles, but when you add the weight of those items, it becomes quite awkward to pick up without having 3 hands. When I need to move mine, I have to take the baking steel off first, find a resting place for it, and even then with just the stone inside, it's still awkward to pick up by the two wooden handles, just due to the position of the handles. It would be easier to lift if the handles were 180 degrees opposed, but the designers chose to use the 2 handle positions plus the attachment bolts in back to provide 3 evenly spaced support points between the grill and the KP.

Jo, I think your idea about using a cooking rack on top of the KP and then putting something on that to deflect heat downward is a good idea. What you use to deflect the heat, is the question... can you get access to a piece of steel that's at least 23" square? I think that would be a little easier to handle than the cooking grate with something else added to that.
 
Jo Torez said:
I haven't used mine in a while but I plan to use this weekend.

Most of the complaints that I see online are that the bottom of the pizza cooks too fast while the top does not. I don't want to raise the stone because that would defeat the purpose of the ring.

Would it be ok if I attached a rack to the top of the ring and put 2-4 fire brick in one single layer with the cover on top of that. Would that make a more even cook?

Thank you so much!!
Click to expand...

Jo, I've used red bricks on the top and it worked fine. Now I use some unglazed quarry tile I picked up for about a dime apiece. That was an easy 60 cent fix. Your instincts are correct, you must have something at the top of the ring to trap and/or radiate heat back down to the top of the pie.

I burned quite a few crusts before I also figured out that you can't have any lit coals directly beneath your pizza stone. I have all my fuel pushed to the back of the unit and I keep that fire burning like a son of a gun so that the flames lick up on to the "roof" I created with tiles and, in a perfect world, flow to the front of the kettle where the air comes in. I pre-heat my stone in my kitchen oven before taking it out to the kettle pizza. I sometimes also stack the hot pizza stone on top of another one on the grill inside the unit. The pizza stones we get in big box stores these days are simply too thin, in my opinion.
 
Joe Milczewski said:
Jo, I've used red bricks on the top and it worked fine. Now I use some unglazed quarry tile I picked up for about a dime apiece. That was an easy 60 cent fix. Your instincts are correct, you must have something at the top of the ring to trap and/or radiate heat back down to the top of the pie.

I burned quite a few crusts before I also figured out that you can't have any lit coals directly beneath your pizza stone. I have all my fuel pushed to the back of the unit and I keep that fire burning like a son of a gun so that the flames lick up on to the "roof" I created with tiles and, in a perfect world, flow to the front of the kettle where the air comes in. I pre-heat my stone in my kitchen oven before taking it out to the kettle pizza. I sometimes also stack the hot pizza stone on top of another one on the grill inside the unit. The pizza stones we get in big box stores these days are simply too thin, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I second all of Joe's suggestions, including the coal arrangement and preheating the stone in the oven.... although this feels like cheating, I still do it.
 
Here are a couple photos of how I set up. Not saying this is the right way, just that it works for me.

Showing the stacked pizza stones with the fuel pushed to the back:
tumblr_nn8a58arqn1s2qn3uo1_400.jpg


And my super fancy thermal mass above the pizza stone:
tumblr_ne7qv1xU6H1s2qn3uo1_540.jpg
 
Hi yes I do always bank the coals and wood in the back. I give the stone about 45 minutes to heat up. (We will be camping so oven is not an option) For me kbb has always worked best. Since I'm making I think 5-6 pies Saturday I usually have to refill once.

I think when I come back I'm going to try cutting off one of the handles with a dremmel, so that the cut side of the hinged grate sits in front and the uncut sits in the back for easier refilling so that I don't have to remove the ring. All I have to use is a set of tongs to refill. I'll also look into the tile because it does look easier to manage rather than the fire brick.

I think the pizza attachment weber has for sale overseas is the right idea. Trust me I am very happy with the one I have and the way it works.

Thank you for your help. Have an awesome Memorial Day And I'll leave you with this pizza recipe.

Garlic bread pizza

In a food processor blend a whole head of garlic, a half bunch of parsley 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and a tsp of Parmesan cheese and a 1/4 cup of oil until puréed

Brush your dough with this mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese and dot some tomato sauce all over (like you were putting pepperoni) bake like you normally would. Serve

Or omit tomato sauce, bake, when finished add procuitto and arugula wile out of the oven and serve.
 
Joe Milczewski said:
Here are a couple photos of how I set up. Not saying this is the right way, just that it works for me.

Showing the stacked pizza stones with the fuel pushed to the back:
tumblr_nn8a58arqn1s2qn3uo1_400.jpg


And my super fancy thermal mass above the pizza stone:
tumblr_ne7qv1xU6H1s2qn3uo1_540.jpg
Click to expand...


Holy moly duh I just noticed your grate is upside down!! <smacked my forehead>
 
I'm learning a lot from these pizza posts. Although I have owned a kettle pizza for almost two months now I haven't been able to use it due to the extremely high winds we've been having. So as I wait for calmer weather which will most likely be after June. I'll make some mods to the performer that's going to be used for making pizzas. Lots of great ideas out there.

Wondering if a cooking grate on top wrapped with a couple of layers of HD tin foil would work. It would be light enough and should hold up for the short amount of time required to cook the pizza.
 
Rich Dahl said:
I'm learning a lot from these pizza posts. Although I have owned a kettle pizza for almost two months now I haven't been able to use it due to the extremely high winds we've been having. So as I wait for calmer weather which will most likely be after June. I'll make some mods to the performer that's going to be used for making pizzas. Lots of great ideas out there.

Wondering if a cooking grate on top wrapped with a couple of layers of HD tin foil would work. It would be light enough and should hold up for the short amount of time required to cook the pizza.
Click to expand...

I know the bloggers over on SeriousEats tried that with foil before the KP pro kit was even developed, and I believe it worked for them. Search the pizza threads over there and you'll definitely start getting hungry for some pies.

Rich, I've been thinking about people's melting rollers on their Performers. Mine is a 2015, so I don't know if the older ones are the same, but I can pull the rollers away from the bowl of my Performer kettle at least 1/4". I would think this much air space would be enough to keep them from melting, although it's probably not a foolproof method.
 
Chris Conro said:
What you use to deflect the heat, is the question... can you get access to a piece of steel that's at least 23" square? I think that would be a little easier to handle than the cooking grate with something else added to that.
Click to expand...

I got my nephew to cut me a 24" round metal plate to put on top of mine. I'm going to use it this weekend, I'll post after the cook and let you see how it worked.
 
Jo Torez said:
I haven't used mine in a while but I plan to use this weekend.

Most of the complaints that I see online are that the bottom of the pizza cooks too fast while the top does not. I don't want to raise the stone because that would defeat the purpose of the ring.

Would it be ok if I attached a rack to the top of the ring and put 2-4 fire brick in one single layer with the cover on top of that. Would that make a more even cook?

Thank you so much!!
Click to expand...

You could also just put a second pizza stone above the pizza - flip it over and you have food side - food side.

When cooking pizza in the oven, especially of there are a lot of toppings, I'll switch the oven from bake to broil when I put the pizza on the stone to cook the top faster than it would cook in just the hot oven. I usually have the rack the stone is on about the second slot from the bottom, so burning the top isn't a problem.
 
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