If this is a new topic for you, you might want to check out the original post with a number of insightful comments and questions on my build HERE:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92652
There is a link in the above thread in one of the posts that details all you need to know about building one.
Here's what it looked like after I built it about a month ago:
Since then, I removed the foil from the inside of the lid as others indicated it will burn up pretty fast.
A number of you have been inquiring whether I had used it yet, and truth be told, it had to be backburnered for a while. But this Friday, the missus and a buddy of mine told me it was time to fire this puppy up - no more excuses. So that's what I did!
Friday night we made dough using Peter Reinhart's recipe, and let it sit in the fridge till Sunday. We also made an additional batch of beer and butter dough ( I also posted this a while back if you want the recipe) on Sunday using the breadmaker. Sunday afternoon, I made up a batch of my homemade pizza sauce and let it cool.
One of the concerns I had was what to use as a heat deflector, but gtsum who posted quite a bit on this topic here uses a 10 inch steel metal bowl 1/2 way filled with sand with good results in his build, so I decided to try that:
I fired up the kettle, and decided I would go for a target stone temp of 675 degrees. Man, this thing makes a lot of noise. You can't see the flame very well in this pic, but it was about 8 inches high, and I only had it cranked up about 3/4.
For the stone, I used my grilled pizza stone specifically made for 22 inch Weber kettles:
The great thing about this stone is its "d" shape. With the d side positioned exactly opposite the front vent, it allows the hot air to move over the top of the pies for a convection effect.
It only took about 20 mins for the stone temp to reach 675 degrees. Time to make pizza! We made 3 different pies. Sausage, sage and mushroom, pepperoni and sausage, and a classic neapolitan style. Here's the sausage, mushroom and sage just before we put it in the kettle:
Each pizza took under 4 minutes to cook, and we rotated them about every 45 seconds. I didn't take pics of the other pizzas before we cooked them, but here they all are after they were done.
Neapolitan with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil:
Pepperoni & sausage on the beer and butter dough:
Sausage, mushroom & sage:
The pizzas tasted GREAT! The bottom of each crust was slightly blackened like you'd get in a wood fired oven, so the outside was nice and crispy, yet the inside was soft and chewy. And the beer and butter crust was way better than Peter Reinhart's revered recipe, which I probably won't make again.
My only complaint is that the top of the pies were not quite as done as the bottom, but I know there's an easy solution to it, I just haven't figured it out yet.
For my first time, I'd say it worked out very well, and I plan to start using this regularly, also experimenting with new dough recipes and hotter temps. The pizzas this thing cranks out are way better than anything I've had from an oven, and I know with a little time and some experimenting, it will only get better.
To date, I have about $135 invested in my FrankenWeber Pizza Kettle...worth every penny and then some!
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92652
There is a link in the above thread in one of the posts that details all you need to know about building one.
Here's what it looked like after I built it about a month ago:
Since then, I removed the foil from the inside of the lid as others indicated it will burn up pretty fast.
A number of you have been inquiring whether I had used it yet, and truth be told, it had to be backburnered for a while. But this Friday, the missus and a buddy of mine told me it was time to fire this puppy up - no more excuses. So that's what I did!
Friday night we made dough using Peter Reinhart's recipe, and let it sit in the fridge till Sunday. We also made an additional batch of beer and butter dough ( I also posted this a while back if you want the recipe) on Sunday using the breadmaker. Sunday afternoon, I made up a batch of my homemade pizza sauce and let it cool.
One of the concerns I had was what to use as a heat deflector, but gtsum who posted quite a bit on this topic here uses a 10 inch steel metal bowl 1/2 way filled with sand with good results in his build, so I decided to try that:
I fired up the kettle, and decided I would go for a target stone temp of 675 degrees. Man, this thing makes a lot of noise. You can't see the flame very well in this pic, but it was about 8 inches high, and I only had it cranked up about 3/4.
For the stone, I used my grilled pizza stone specifically made for 22 inch Weber kettles:
The great thing about this stone is its "d" shape. With the d side positioned exactly opposite the front vent, it allows the hot air to move over the top of the pies for a convection effect.
It only took about 20 mins for the stone temp to reach 675 degrees. Time to make pizza! We made 3 different pies. Sausage, sage and mushroom, pepperoni and sausage, and a classic neapolitan style. Here's the sausage, mushroom and sage just before we put it in the kettle:
Each pizza took under 4 minutes to cook, and we rotated them about every 45 seconds. I didn't take pics of the other pizzas before we cooked them, but here they all are after they were done.
Neapolitan with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil:
Pepperoni & sausage on the beer and butter dough:
Sausage, mushroom & sage:
The pizzas tasted GREAT! The bottom of each crust was slightly blackened like you'd get in a wood fired oven, so the outside was nice and crispy, yet the inside was soft and chewy. And the beer and butter crust was way better than Peter Reinhart's revered recipe, which I probably won't make again.
My only complaint is that the top of the pies were not quite as done as the bottom, but I know there's an easy solution to it, I just haven't figured it out yet.
For my first time, I'd say it worked out very well, and I plan to start using this regularly, also experimenting with new dough recipes and hotter temps. The pizzas this thing cranks out are way better than anything I've had from an oven, and I know with a little time and some experimenting, it will only get better.
To date, I have about $135 invested in my FrankenWeber Pizza Kettle...worth every penny and then some!