Kettle Pizza clone

[swamprb]

For those that are using the basic KP is there anything that you would change?

Like the height, or opening size etc. Any steel or stone on the top? Kettle lid a necessity?

Is the thermometer useful to you or do you use an IR thermo?

Also, someone had posted links to the KP specs, I've searched but been unable to locate them-any help would be appreciated.

[blksabbath]

The thermometer works, but isn't necessary.  I use an IR thermometer for stone/steel temp.  I use a baking steel (just a square one) up top as well as the lid.  It seems like it might help contain the heat since the square steel doesn't cover the whole top.

Overall the design is pretty simple and works well.  The opening is big enough to launch and retrieve pies without problems.

If I get time this afternoon, I can measure mine and post them up.

[Nate]

Things I would change:
1. Make the KP extension fit tight to the bowl and lid
2. Make a cover or door, something like the WSM has, to close up the KP so that you can shut down the fire without having to take everything off. I have the steel and its heavy and gets super hot. I don't like to mess around with removing that after cooks so I just let it burn out.
3. The opening height could be a little taller, I'd say to the bottom of the steel roof should still work

I put my kettle lid on just to keep the heat. I'll remove it and close the bottom vents if the air temp gets to hot for my liking. Not to mention, the steel fas 2 large slots in it.

I also use the KP thermometer but don't know how accurate it is. I also use my IR to check stone and steel temps.

[blksabbath]

One more fun idea.  Add a door like @Nate said above and add notches or holes for a roti...it'd be dual use.

[Jon]

One more fun idea.  Add a door like @Nate said above and add notches or holes for a roti...it'd be dual use.

I like the creativity of this. But just one thing, wouldn't the pizzas keep falling off?

[swamprb]

Is kettle height an issue for anyone?

[varekai]

Here is my version of a pizza cooker. After reading A LOT about wood fire permanent brick ovens and the kettle pizza then how people were adding bricks and stuff to the inside of the lids to "keep the heat low", so i  came to the decision that my idea might work. So I took a donor lid and started with a cutting wheel on my grinder. It went really well. Came out pretty clean looking I think. An anticipated plus is that once I get my stone warmed up and the kettle heated up with a small pile of coals behind the stone, I can just spin the lid around to the "back" and I can add pieces of oak to raise the temp and get a pseudo wood fire going then spin the lid to the front to add the pizza. No lifting the lid and losing the heat like used to happen with my tilted lid cooks. Next time I do this I will leave the bottom lip on the lid through the opening....click link below to see my build album

https://www.flickr.com/photos/varekai/albums/72157669475074430/with/25753000394/

[swamprb]

 Next time I do this I will leave the bottom lip on the lid through the opening....click link below to see my build album

https://www.flickr.com/photos/varekai/albums/72157669475074430/with/25753000394/

@varekai

I imagine the lid gets out of round without the lip? 

[varekai]

 Next time I do this I will leave the bottom lip on the lid through the opening....click link below to see my build album

https://www.flickr.com/photos/varekai/albums/72157669475074430/with/25753000394/

@varekai

I imagine the lid gets out of round without the lip? 

I doesn't really get out of round, but if you push down or back it will kind of splay out... I do have the piece that i cut out of the front and I could technically cut the lip off of it and reattach it somehow...but we'll see. I also have another 22" kettle with froze up daisey wheels so that could be a donor lid also.

[WinnipegKettle]

Here is my version of a pizza cooker. After reading A LOT about wood fire permanent brick ovens and the kettle pizza then how people were adding bricks and stuff to the inside of the lids to "keep the heat low", so i  came to the decision that my idea might work. So I took a donor lid and started with a cutting wheel on my grinder. It went really well. Came out pretty clean looking I think. An anticipated plus is that once I get my stone warmed up and the kettle heated up with a small pile of coals behind the stone, I can just spin the lid around to the "back" and I can add pieces of oak to raise the temp and get a pseudo wood fire going then spin the lid to the front to add the pizza. No lifting the lid and losing the heat like used to happen with my tilted lid cooks. Next time I do this I will leave the bottom lip on the lid through the opening....click link below to see my build album

https://www.flickr.com/photos/varekai/albums/72157669475074430/with/25753000394/

I've been looking for a lid for a while now but no luck. Thanks for the pictures and the "spinning the lid" idea.

[Darko]

Is there a certain size that the opening should be?

[varekai]

@Darko , my opening was based on the width of my pizza peel since that was what was going to be going in and out.. The stone is already in the kettle so that's what made sense to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zavod44]

It could be a little lower, but cast iron or fire bricks on the top is a must,  The key to the whole thing is reflecting the heat back down to melt and brown the cheese. 

[gchenworth]

@varekai I'm inclined to believe your solution is both simple and elegant.  Adding kp means extra heat rising higher into the dome... which creates the need for baking steel or some other internal lid.  I'm planning to cut an old lid next weekend.  If you were doing it again would you leave the rim intact instead of cutting all the way through the lip?  How high is the horizontal cut.  I taped off for a cut 4.5 inches above the rim of the lid.  I think it should be as low as practical that still allows for easy loading and unloading pizzas while forcing the exiting hot air close to the pie surface.  If you were doing it again, how high would you make the cut?

[varekai]

@gchenworth , I believe my opening is also in 4-4 1/2 range... only as high as I need to get a pizza in and out safely, the convection of the heat flowing across the top of the lid and out is what i was shooting for WITHOUT losing all my heat, so far so good.  And I would DEFINITELY leave the rim intact. this is making me want to cook a pizza!!!