New member in Colorado

[madbare]

Hey everyone, this is an incredible forum you have here and I am glad to be a part of it.  I started a quest many years ago to make pizza at home they way you can get it in the restaurants.  I still have a lot to learn and am amazed at the wealth of knowledge and sharing on this forum.  Right now I have been researching WFO's and actually made my own Pizza Kettle knockoff for less than $20 and put the video up on youtube.  Now that our fire ban has been lifted I am hoping to get this thing fired up tonight! 

I enjoy all kinds of pizza.  Everything from thin cracker crust to Chicago style deep dish.  My favorite local pizza place is Mannie and Bo's Pizza in Golden, CO.

Steve

[buceriasdon]

Welcome to the forum Steve. I know several folks would be interested in your Kettle Pizza knockoff here. Put up some photos when you can.
Don

[madbare]

Thanks Don,  here are a couple pics of what I did.

I used 8"x25' steel flashing and wrapped the grill 4 times.  I put it on the outside of the grill to help keep the heat inside,unlike the true kettle pizza.  I used a plasma cutter to cut the opening but you could easily use tin snips.  I dropped the tin down 4" on the side so from the grill side to the lid is only 4".  As you can see I put a couple of notches in the metal where the handle is for alignment.  I used 6 hex bolts to raise the grill grate and 4 long carriage bolts for the handles.  I also put a few 1/8 sheet metal screws in around the circumference of the top to help hold the proper shape.  Here is the video I made:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWPUKibdeU&amp;feature=plcp" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWPUKibdeU&amp;feature=plcp</a>

The changes I made since I did the video were adding a couple more bolts for the grate and adding the sheet metal screws.

I like the idea of the Kettle Pizza but it is way over priced for what it is and I thought up this idea while walking the hardware store one day.
I got a Red Sky Stone for the grill as well.  I also put a temp gauge on the side.  
If I can get this fired up tonight I will take some more pics.  

Also, in reality, if you want to make one out of the same material as the true Kettle Pizza, they use 20ga 304 stainless.  I priced this out at a local metal shop and I could get 2 pieces cut to the right dimensions out of one piece of material for $67.  So that is about $34 each.

[scott123]

Steve, while I applaud your DIY inclination, you seem to be unaware of numerous threads,  both on this forum as well as on http://slice.seriouseats.com/ that both cover the inadequacies of the KettlePizza and instructions on how to correct them.

The KettlePizzas biggest drawback is it's height.  It looks like you've lowered it a bit, but it's not enough.  It's second biggest drawback is that it's worthless without a top stone.  You're referencing a less than $20 price tag, which doesn't seem to even include a bottom stone.  If you're going to get good pizza out of this you have to have two stones, one for the hearth and another for the ceiling, preferably only 4" or 5" above the hearth.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the steel looks like it's galvanized.  If it is, I hope you're aware of the dangers of zinc poisoning.
 

[madbare]

Scott,  thanks for your unsolicited concern and criticism and I am well aware of the posts and the short comings of the Kettle Pizza.  I in no way said I created something that fixed these issues nor is any better than the original product.  In your reference to this thing being worthless without a top stone is entirely your opinion and there are many people happy with what it is.  Not everyone is out to make Neo pizza.  The $20 cost does not include any stone.  Last I saw the Kettle Pizza does not come with any either.  As far as Zinc Poisoning, there is no concerns if you you know the facts about zinc and heating it.  Any fumes that are given off by heating zinc react with oxygen to create zinc oxide, which is harmless. I believe the only way you will get any kind of poisoning is eating the flashing itself, LOL!

Now back on topic for those actually interested in the Kettle Pizza Clone...

I got the oven pre-heated up and that took about 45minutes to get it where I could add some wood.  I used Mesquite chunks.  Before I added the chunks I was running around 500F at the stone and up 1" above where my probe is.  I also should mention that I used 1 starter full of charcoal and added another half right before I added the wood.  I also closed the grate after I added some wood and put some coals and wood on top of the grate next to the stone.  Within a few minutes I was starting to see 700F just above the stone and roughly 600F at the stone.  Looking into the kettle I could see a nice layer of flame rolling across the top heading towards the opening.  At that point the temp was close to 900F 4 inches up. 

For this test I used the King Arthur Pizza Blend and I will say it creates just an average crust.  Nothing spectacular but not bad either.  It was quick and easy. 

I created just 2 pizzas, a sausage and a pepperoni pizza, very simple.

I put them on the screens that I use in my oven.  I usually bake them on it for about a minute and then slide off onto the stone.

Once I put it in the oven, first thing I realized that it was just a tad too big to be practical in the oven.  Next time I will use my smaller screens.  I just rotated the pizza as it cooked.  It ended up taking about 4 minutes per pie.  Top and bottom cooked really evenly.

Overall, I am very happy with my project and so far so good.  Beats the heck out of spending $150 for one. Lots more experimenting to do and lots more to learn.

[scott123]

Steve, literally thousands of people make low temperature pizzas identical to yours with just a grill and a stone- with no insert.  Whether you're spending $20 or $150, the goal should be to achieve something better than what a grill can do by itself, not the same.

By producing identical results to what a grill can do on it's own, you've wasted $20- and plenty of time.  And by telling us about it, you've wasted our time as well.

[madbare]

Scott, please take your thread crapping somewhere else.  No one forced you to read this or comment nor really care about your negative opinion....

[Bill/SFNM]

This thread has crossed over the line from the type of acceptable debate that is permitted here. Lively debate, solicited or not, is encouraged. This thread is now locked.