First time kettle pizza on the Weber oven... post in progress

[SixZeroFour]

First off a HUGE thank you to Agent ? for going above and beyond in helping me secure the pizza oven. This guy is a true WKC All-Star and if I were more confident in my cooking skills I would dedicate this cook to him    Greatly Appreciated Sir!

I used a recipe from the forum for the crust - it's pre made and ready to go. The little monsters should be home soon to help construct pies and make a disaster of the place

The Heineken performer is up to bat so I figured it was only fitting to salute with the appropriate beverage!




Here's a test fit pre-charcoal:




Stay Tuned...

[Nate]

That's a nice setup. Can't wait to see some pizza.

[SixZeroFour]

Well here it is... and it was pretty damn good if I say so myself!

Think I will play with the dough a bit, but for my first go it tasted great and was really easy to do.





Thanks for looking! and thanks again Agent X!

[G]

Looks good Matt.  Glad you were able to secure the pizza accessory.  Any idea what temps you achieved?

[SixZeroFour]

No, unfortunately something was screwy with my maverick probe... I think it may have gotten a bit wet somehow as I was getting the HHH error on the screen.

It was real straight forward - The instructions say to light 100 briquettes (which I believe is a full chimney?) and place in the centre of the grate. I let it warm up for a good 20 min before the first pizza went on. Mental note to use more flour on the peel next time    The pizza oven also will fit on the kettle with the gourmet system cooking rack in place but you need to remove the center bit. 

I did a super simple no yeast recipe for the dough and it was quite good. Might try something a little more fancy next time - any tips or observations appreciated!

[MrHoss]

I was getting the HHH error on the screen

That Weber attachment sure is perty.

There is an upper limit to what my Maverick et-33 will go to...and I think I recall something about a limit for the wires to be exposed to.  Be careful not to pooch out your Maverick with too high a heat level.

I started using Italian super fine flour...I think they call it 000 fine?  Found it at a Italian food shop and been using it ever since.  I was in Europe some years ago and this stuff was all they used.  It makes for some great textured doughs and is great for either thin or regular thickness types.  Just be sure to add some light olive oil and salt to the blend.  I proof my yeast in warm water before adding.

[MacEggs]

Looks great, Matt!  Is there no temperature gauge with this unit?

One thing I do know ... and that is 100 lit briquets can get a kettle very f___ing hot!
Did you use any wood for heat?

Be careful using a Performer. I have seen others melt the plastic thingys ... the ones for the lid bale. Can't remember what they're called. 


I have used the following pizza dough recipe many times. It makes some nice pies.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/new-york-style-pizza.html


Chasing_smoke put me and the WKC onto it in this thread:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/other-recipes/pizza-dough-2383/

[SixZeroFour]

Be careful using a Performer. I have seen others melt the plastic thingys ... the ones for the lid bale. Can't remember what they're called. 

Glad you pointed this out... I went and checked my performer and sure enough the bale rollers were both melted. Looks like a stand alone kettle for pizza tonight.  I think a composite washer between the roller and the bowl should cure the issue.

No temp gauge on the accessory but my maverick should be back up and running tonight so I'll try to get a temp this time. It was VERY hot but I had made sure to keep the coals away from the side of the kettle. I followed the provided instructions from Weber exactly re the 100 coals so I think I will stick with that. Seemed to cook nicely in there and quite fast.

Thanks for the recipe as well!

[MacEggs]

Looks like a stand alone kettle for pizza tonight.

Yeah, that's what I use for my KettlePizza adaptor. A dedicated KP only kettle.

The first time using the KP, I used my everyday kettle, and I burned out all of the delicious seasoning that had accumulated. 

It scraped off no problem, but I was back to square-one with the seasoning process. 

[1buckie]

The Surface of the Black Planet..............................

[rich]

> ... will fit on the kettle with the gourmet system

Good to know, thanks.

Your dough looks pretty puffy to me, nice.
So, the top, was it thoroughly cooked?
I find what saxart states elsewhere, about getting the kettle Very hot, to be true.
After all, the exhausting heath is what cooks the top.
Anyway, great looking pizzas, man.

[saxart]

604-
Good looking pizza.   

Dang that Heineken kettle looks beautiful!

I agree with the others.  I wouldn't be using a Performer or any kind of a colored kettle with the Weber Pizza Oven.  It seems when that unit goes on top of the kettle, it REALLY holds a lot of heat inside.   I'd be worried about popping porcelain on the bottom of the kettle.   I use a run of the mill 2012 Black OTS kettle that my daughter got me for Father's day a couple years back.  The black seems to handle the heat, and nothing extra on it to burn off or melt.

Of course, I've been known to use the "100 briquettes" (basically a full chimney) as the manual states, and then add another half chimney of unlit briquettes, and a couple small chunks of small oak.  Moar heat!!!   

[5280Jeff]

Great looking pies! Beer and pizza, can't beat that  What was the cook time?

[SixZeroFour]

> ... will fit on the kettle with the gourmet system

Good to know, thanks.

Your dough looks pretty puffy to me, nice.
So, the top, was it thoroughly cooked?
I find what saxart states elsewhere, about getting the kettle Very hot, to be true.
After all, the exhausting heath is what cooks the top.
Anyway, great looking pizzas, man.

Thanks Rich. I agree, get it nice and hot and open the lid for as little as possible. Keep it closed for 6 min before peeking. Mine took about 6-7min each - cooked but not crispy on top.

604-
Good looking pizza.   

Dang that Heineken kettle looks beautiful!

I agree with the others.  I wouldn't be using a Performer or any kind of a colored kettle with the Weber Pizza Oven.  It seems when that unit goes on top of the kettle, it REALLY holds a lot of heat inside.   I'd be worried about popping porcelain on the bottom of the kettle.   I use a run of the mill 2012 Black OTS kettle that my daughter got me for Father's day a couple years back.  The black seems to handle the heat, and nothing extra on it to burn off or melt.

Of course, I've been known to use the "100 briquettes" (basically a full chimney) as the manual states, and then add another half chimney of unlit briquettes, and a couple small chunks of small oak.  Moar heat!!!   

Hey thanks Art!, sadly I just sold the Heineken performer today. It was a really nice setup but my plan was to use it as the dedicated pizza cooker. Since that didn't pan out I'm now also running a Darth Vader Pizza Rig