Used Pizza Kettle Mod - could not get the temp above 400 degrees.


 
Ben, I'm interested in seeing your results and your opinion. The video seemed a bit biased.

First I noticed the crust on the PoBoy

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Compared to the hand thrown and then dressed pie going into the Oooni. The one above almost looks par baked. And the Po Boy crust got brushed with Olive oil. If they brushed the Ooni crust with olive oil, it didn't make the time lapse.

The crust below looks soft and stretchy like I'd expect.

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The other nit pick is his "10 seconds" its about 8 seconds on the Po Boy and 12 to 14 on the Ooni and then the Ooni has a charred crust.

Still, it looks interesting but I'd like in a less biased review.

$198 on amazon, with free returns...

 
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I've never seen a crust like that. It reminds me of the part of the dough-making process where the ingredients first come together, before kneading and balling. Do you suppose it could be a very low hydration recipe?

Regardless, I agree, I thought the reviewers were favoring the PoBoy over the Ooni, but I was surprised they ate the one that came out of the Ooni. The char on the bottom of either pie would not fly in this house, unless it was from my wife throwing it at me. :LOL: I just attributed the burnt bottom on both pies to lack of familiarity with the ovens.
 
I cannot vouch for the validity of this video, or any YouTube video from anyone, for that matter. Even though the video pointed out some major differences between both products, my decision was not based strictly on this video, but on a variety of factors. The first thing I noticed was the design. The dome shape is key to (even) heat distribution. The other key item is the thickness of the pizza stone. The thicker the stone, the more heat retention. If you look closely, the Ooni stone is very thin compared to the Pellethead, which is twice as thick, if not more. The third key component is the infrared thermometer. Not only is this a great add-on, that can cost upwards of $100, but it is also key in ensuring that your pizza oven and stone are at the correct temps. Plus, this can be used for all of my other cooks (WSM, Traeger, Weber Kettle, and home oven). No other pizza oven includes this; truly a great value. The final piece to the puzzle is the price. At $199, given everything that is included - this is truly a no-brainer.

I did buy mine on Amazon; great return policy if this doesn't hold up to my expectations. As for some of the points you raise in the video. I too was taken aback by the crust. I have never seen pizza crust like that; it appeared to me that it needed to be proofed much longer and was not "fully formed" to be placed in an oven. It seemed very dry. As for the 10 seconds point - I honestly didn't think much of this. Two seconds here or there wouldn't account for the black crust on the bottom of the Ooni pie. What does make sense is that the Ooni's stone is so thin that the pie was more susceptible to being burnt. BTW - that pizza would never fly in my house; unless it was flying towards me from those attempting to eat it! :D:D:D

BTW - I just came across this article on CCN and thought it was very timely for our discussion here - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/top-pizza-recipes

I will definitely post pictures and provide a truly unbiased review once I cook a few pies and figure out the learning curve of the product.

All the best and enjoy the weekend.
 
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Jumping in late and the conversation seems to have moved on, but I have that same Kettle Pizza rig over a 22" Weber and I love it. I would note that the OP said he had all vents were wide open. The manual says to keep "top vent closed and the bottom vent slightly open." Mine takes around 20 minutes to get up to pizza zone temp which is somewhere around 800 or 900 degrees. If I am cooking several pies I do have to add a couple of chunks of wood as that spikes the temp nicely. I used pretty big wood chunks, like a double first or so. Either lump or Kingsford IIRC.

Lots more options out there though!
 

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When I opened the box the pizza peel was very badly bent. I tried to straighten it out as best I could. The oven is very easy to set-up. The total set-up time was about 15 minutes. I fired it up and it took about 15 minutes to get up to 850 degrees. I slide the pizza onto the stone and turned it every 30 seconds or so. I closed the door while waiting the 30 seconds. It cooks pizza very, very fast. You MUST keep an eye on the pizza and make sure you do not leave it in the oven for more than 30 seconds or your pizza will look like lump charcoal. The total cooking time was about 2 minutes. The top was amazing, the bottom was cooked, but not overly crispy.

On the downside, I then cooked a frozen pizza. I placed it in the oven for about 3 minutes and took it out. The bottom was not cooked at all and the inside was cold. I placed it back in the oven, cooked it for an additional 3 minutes and it was fine.

I used a 1/2 cup of Lumberjack pellets and kept the flames going with the blower included with the oven. The infrared gun is a must-have and definitely helped ensure that both the oven and the stone were at the proper temp. Overall, I could not ask for a better cooking experience. I can't see the need to spend more than I did, $199, for an oven when this worked just as described.
 
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