Little Black Egg

[Essen1]

The plate will be my next upgrade. Need to find a shop local that can do it. 1/4" thick seem about right?

1/4" is what I have installed. Works great.

[Essen1]

Thanks for the tips guys - do the metal shops typically sell the steel plate material or do I need to buy it elsewhere & bring it in?  or where can I pick up a charcoal grate that will be the correct size?  does weber sell it?

Thanks a ton in advanced!

They should sell the plate to you. Most have something like that in stock. Ask for some scrap metal plates.

[bernie516]

I'm looking to make my frist LBE sometime this week, what are your thoughts on the American Metal Craft Pizza Stones?  Thinking abouting us two of them stacked on top of each other... here's a link:

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/american-metalcraft-stone15-15-round-ceramic-pizza-baking-stone/124STONE15.html

[skyno]

Bernie

I would definitely look for a higher end and probably thicker stone - I bought this exact stone from this exact site b/c of the low price and good reviews - it never even made it past the conventional oven to get it "warmed up"  for the LBE (no pun intended) - cracked in half on the second bake at about 550 - if it can't even handle a regular oven, it definitely won't last in the LBE - I tried to use the 2 halves as a buffer on the LBE and it cracked further

I'm still looking for the ideal stone and got some suggestions a few pages back, but I haven't made a purchase yet - still using my old $1 unglazed quarry tile which just recently started to crack as well

Let's keep each other informed on what we find in our stone research

Take care

LJ

[Jet_deck]

I'm still looking for the ideal stone and got some suggestions a few pages back, but I haven't made a purchase yet....

I highly recommend the Primo pizza stone.  They are made in several sizes.  I use it on the 10 stone that I built here: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,11402.0.html

It takes all the heat that I throw at it.  Also, several times the rotisserie motor has quit when I was indoors.  The burner blasts the stone in one small spot and it gets very, very hot.  Google around for the best price on the size that you need. Good luck.

This is an example: http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/PRIMO_GRILLS_PRIMO_PIZZA_BAKING_STONE_FOR_OVAL_J_p/pripr340.htm 
I have no relationship with freds music and bbq, but he seems to run a stand-up operation.

[Jackie Tran]

This is the stone that I use only b/c I have a Primo ceramic grill.  That aside, it is light weight for it's size and was told by the manufacturer that they are kiln fired around 2000F.  So no worries about it taking the heat.   I have also removed it from an 800F primo grill and set it on concrete outside without it cracking from thermal shock.   Don't ask me why I did that, but it can handle the stress.   The side that is not glazed can dust off if scratched or rub against a hard object.   

Chau

[skyno]

I'm really trying to hone my LBE game - this is about my 7th bake and if somebody can advise me on what I can do to really elevate my pies, I would really appreciate it.

Overall, I'm pretty happy w/ my results & still delicious, but I'm consistently getting too much char on the rim of the my crusts while all other areas of the pie could use just a bit more char.

Here's my technique:

1. LBE w/ SP-10 - gradually preheat for about 15 min. until stone is about 600; above the burner is only the main grate, a 16" grate wrapped in foil w/ a hole punctured through the middle & the cooking stone on top of that - the lid is an ash catcher as shown & described as I posted in the middle of the page here:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4753.1020.html

2. Use a fairly high-hydration dough w/ a slow 2-6 day cold ferment from San Francisco wild starter - no sugar / oil - bring all ingredients to room temp

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes (average of 3.5) turning about 2-3 times throughout

If I crank the heat a bit more, the center on both the top and bottom comes out perfect but the crust rim on the top is overdone & I'm not sure how to solve it since I seem to need more heat on both top & bottom but only in the center & not on the periphery

Any tips / ideas / comments?  Thanks again in advanced!  If anyone can diagnose this, it's you guys because I've seen some beautiful results!

[Jackie Tran]

Dude, the char looks great!  I wouldn't change anything about the look personally.  Maybe 30sec less if you want less char.  Your coloring is balanced.

Chau

[skyno]

Dude, the char looks great!  I wouldn't change anything about the look personally.  Maybe 30sec less if you want less char.  Your coloring is balanced.

Chau

Thanks Chau - that's really good to hear! - I guess that I should have mentioned that it is also the taste - for my taste, it seems like the center of the pizza should be cooked just a bit more & it would be right where I want it to be, but I'm not sure how I would achieve this localization in cooking though

Here's another example in the middle of a turn where I also accidentally broke the egg in the middle - too aggressive on the turn I guess - I feel that the middle could use a bit more cooking but the edges are pretty much ready

Maybe if I turned down the burner a little during the cooking process that this may slow the stream of hot air coming over the top and maybe reduce the hotspots on the rim? Or would this just cook the center even less?

[Jackie Tran]

Skyno, I think I misunderstood you earlier.  I thought you wanted more heat to the bottom center crust.   You are talking about more heat to the top center of the pie correct? 

If so, you may try getting the pie closer to the lid ash catcher dome as that portion will catch more of the heat radiating off of the plate.  You may consider switching to a stone up above in the lid if you aren't doing that already.  I believe there are also some posts  (towards the beginning of this thread) about adding insulation inside the ash catcher or up in the dome of the lid.  That may also solve your problem.   

Yes, I think lowering your heat output overall may give the top of the pie more cooking time but that may also lengthen your overall bake time which may give a different crust texturally.

Chau

[pizzablogger]

As mentioned elsewhere, I have a somewhat "ideal" kitchen range in that my broiler does not cycle...it can stay on continuously. However, after several mishaps while experimenting with the set-up and the exterior of the oven now sporting yellowish stains (un-removable) from olive oil flareups, my wife has finally put the kabash on all broiler cooking.

My Weber grill has become nervous at this development.

Lo and behold, in the alleyway behind a row of houses across the street, a discarded grill was awaiting its future destiny. I ran over with a tape measure and took some pictures yesterday. Then, after confirming with neighbors that the grill did not belong to any of them, I just now lugged it to our house.

This is a potentially good candidate for a LBE?

1. The dome profile is definitely "flatter" than my weber grill, which is more conical. The dome profile is almost more reminiscent of a neapolitan-ish oven profile than a vaulted oven.

2. It is relatively large in size, at about 22" diameter. This is good in that I would like to be able to play with larger form factor pizzas like 16".

3. There is already a 6" diameter hole in the bottom where the ash catcher is.  This should make cutting the hole for the burner easier to do.

4. From grill grate to dome top is approximately 7". From reading various posts on LBEs, I am going to target an initial cooking floor to dome height of 3". So, whatever steel, stone combo for the cook floor and ash catcher, stone action I put in the dome needs to total about 4".

5. The lid is hinged, with handles in the front....right where the front vent would be cut    I'm thinking maybe to cut the vent in the side of the grill, allowing me to still use the handle to quickly open the lid while rotating pizzas....any thoughts on this?

Any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!  

[norma427]

Kelly,

I don’t know if you are interested, but Steve (Ev) did really build a nice Franken Weber oven, at Reply 6 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10071.msg109972.html#msg109972

His “little beauty” works well.

Norma

[buceriasdon]

That's a great find. My kettle is not a Weber but I got it to work with trial and error, mostly error It makes no difference where the side vent is placed however I'm sure you will require something in the lid to cut down the volume there and have the side vent work correctly as you mentioned. I look forward to your project.
Don

As mentioned elsewhere, I have a somewhat "ideal" kitchen range in that my broiler does not cycle...it can stay on continuously. However, after several mishaps while experimenting with the set-up and the exterior of the oven now sporting yellowish stains (un-removable) from olive oil flareups, my wife has finally put the kabash on all broiler cooking.

My Weber grill has become nervous at this development.

Lo and behold, in the alleyway behind a row of houses across the street, a discarded grill was awaiting its future destiny. I ran over with a tape measure and took some pictures yesterday. Then, after confirming with neighbors that the grill did not belong to any of them, I just now lugged it to our house.

This is a potentially good candidate for a LBE?

1. The dome profile is definitely "flatter" than my weber grill, which is more conical. The dome profile is almost more reminiscent of a neapolitan-ish oven profile than a vaulted oven.

2. It is relatively large in size, at about 22" diameter. This is good in that I would like to be able to play with larger form factor pizzas like 16".

3. There is already a 6" diameter hole in the bottom where the ash catcher is.  This should make cutting the hole for the burner easier to do.

4. From grill grate to dome top is approximately 7". From reading various posts on LBEs, I am going to target an initial cooking floor to dome height of 3". So, whatever steel, stone combo for the cook floor and ash catcher, stone action I put in the dome needs to total about 4".

5. The lid is hinged, with handles in the front....right where the front vent would be cut    I'm thinking maybe to cut the vent in the side of the grill, allowing me to still use the handle to quickly open the lid while rotating pizzas....any thoughts on this?

Any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!  

[Jackie Tran]

Yo K.  It's a 22" uniflame.  Turn that muther into a franken weber.  If you don't like, you can always cut it up into an LBE.
But for it's size, you'd be one step closer to a WFO making smallish pies. 

Chau

[pizzablogger]

Thanks for the comments Norma, buceriasdon and Chau.

I am likely looking to move from my current house sometime this summer, but that of course is dependent on being able to sell our current home....so it could take a while to move out into a new home.  My wife has already given me a hearty thumbs up to build a brick oven in a new home, when we finally have an actual yard (rowhome in downtown baltimore now).

So I am definitely looking for something more portable to compliment an eventual WFO and I think the LBE set-up is perfect. While it may be true this sized grill would be perfect for a Franken-weber type application, l think I'm going with the LBE set-up.

With regards to regulators. If I got a 30psi instead of the standard 20psi regulator, would that allow me to shorten the pre-heat times in the LBE and potentially save some gas? Thanks --K

[buceriasdon]

Kelly, Is you high pressure regulator adjustable or a fixed type? Mine is an expensive for here in Mexico made in the USA 0 to 60 lbs. I barely have mine cranked open so your 30 lb. regulator should be fine. I have a made in Mexico HP burner and for the first five minutes or so I can't really open the valve up, it seems the burner has to heat up some before I get complete combustion and high heat output otherwise it wants to blow out, which is bad. This may also be because my burner does not sit below the kettle lower part but is inside the lower part. I get an average of twenty five firings from my tank. I have no access to heavy duty foil so I have no foil inside but I do recommend it's use. I just found it was a hassle to keep changing the foil every few firings. Keep us posted.
Regards, Don

Thanks for the comments Norma, buceriasdon and Chau.
With regards to regulators. If I got a 30psi instead of the standard 20psi regulator, would that allow me to shorten the pre-heat times in the LBE and potentially save some gas? Thanks --K

[Essen1]

So I am definitely looking for something more portable to compliment an eventual WFO and I think the LBE set-up is perfect. While it may be true this sized grill would be perfect for a Franken-weber type application, l think I'm going with the LBE set-up.

With regards to regulators. If I got a 30psi instead of the standard 20psi regulator, would that allow me to shorten the pre-heat times in the LBE and potentially save some gas? Thanks --K

30psi? You might as well get a jet engine! 

I started out with a 10psi burner and then upgraded to a 20 psi for my 18.5" Weber. Imho, a 20psi regulator valve is plenty of power, even for a 22" kettle grill.

[buceriasdon]

Yep Mike, I barely have mine turned twice so Kelly should be fine. I've played around with mine and found too much pressure only makes it harder to control the secondary valve at the burner and no gain in heat output.
Don

30psi? You might as well get a jet engine! 

I started out with a 10psi burner and then upgraded to a 20 psi for my 18.5" Weber. Imho, a 20psi regulator valve is plenty of power, even for a 22" kettle grill.

[Essen1]

Yep Mike, I barely have mine turned twice so Kelly should be fine. I've played around with mine and found too much pressure only makes it harder to control the secondary valve at the burner and no gain in heat output.
Don

Don,

What I was getting at was that more power doesn't necessarily translates into better pizzas, or pizze. Nor does it mean one will save gas by upgrading to a more powerful reg valve. Yes, the heat up times will be significantly shorter if operated at full blast but it is also more difficult to control an adequate stone & ambient temperature to bake those pies and simulate the Neapolitan look without burning the hell out of it.

The LBE is a bit limited when it comes to authentic Neapolitan pies but with the right valve, it's a lot of fun and can produce pizze that rival the ones baked in a WFO. At least by looks.

A 20psi valve is more than sufficient. I cannot crank mine up more than quarter without turning my pies into black Frisbees.

[Mmmph]

Bayou Kitchen SP-10. Anyone sorry about their choice of this unit, or its performance, post up.

Forget worrying over a couple hours of tank life or the cost thereof.

20 PSI, 180K BTU...Boom, all good.