Weber Pizza Oven - Build and first cook pics

[Smiter Q]

Thanks for sharing. What did you use to cut through the bottom and the top?

Also... this is a stone I see a lot of folks use for WEBER kettles.
It is shaped like a " D " .. which would allow more airflow.
http://www.amazon.com/Stone-20-5-Inc...ef=pd_sbs_ol_5

[bob80001]

Originally Posted by mikeTRON

Be sure to post photos of your next "tests"

Is that an 18.5" or 22.5" weber?

It is an 18.5" weber. The stone in there is 16" - which might be just right for the larger 22.5" kettles, but appears to be too large here. I will post new pics. Planning on cooking on it again this weekend.

[bob80001]

Originally Posted by Smiter Q

Thanks for sharing. What did you use to cut through the bottom and the top?

Also... this is a stone I see a lot of folks use for WEBER kettles.
It is shaped like a " D " .. which would allow more airflow.
http://www.amazon.com/Stone-20-5-Inc...ef=pd_sbs_ol_5

I used a jigsaw to make the cuts. The doohickeys that were welded on to the bottom to insert the legs in were kind of a pain, but I got around them. The grill was in such bad shape that one was already missing, and another mangled. I could have made the circle a little larger and they would have been easier to get by.

I like the "D" shaped stone idea...Moose suggested the same. Unfortunately they are too large for this grill. If anyone sees one that will fit in an 18.5" kettle, let me know!

[bob80001]

I tried it again this Sunday. I made 3 modifications from the last cook:
1. Raised the pizza stone up on 2 refractory bricks (so it is maybe 1.5 inches higher)
2. Moved the stone all the way to the front of the oven
3. Added foil to the inside of the lid
Bonus: I also took the advice of several and kept the volume of toppings down

This worked a bit better than before. I was not able to get browning on the cheese in the oven, but it was getting close. I still finished them under the broiler. I had a little bit of trouble with the foil - a large bubble formed and stuck to it. It happened a second time after I fixed it, so for the last pizza, there was no foil - I just got rid of it. I also think i had the lid off too much on that last one, or it might have turned out even better. I was a little gun shy on burning the crust, so I was checking it, so maybe things would've worked out better if I could keep the lid on at the end. I may still be trying a new, smaller stone.

[Moose]

Don,

I bought a 16 inch 3/4 thick granite stone I was going to use for the pizza oven, but after looking over a number of posts on the pizzamaking forum, I'd seen a few folks create a D shape with firebricks and foil, with the round part towards the front of the grill. This is why I plan to use the grilled pizza stone when I fire my LBE up, because of the "D" shape, which creates a "vent" which forces hot air to flow over the top of the pizza. That said, I think it might be worth it to go to a stone/masonry shop and see if they can cut you a D shaped stone from granite. I use mine in the oven and it's really a great heat conductor...PM me if you have any questions...

[FltEng]

A 15 inch pizza stone works great in a Weber mod like this. Anything larger cuts down on the airflow inside the kettle.

[bob80001]

Did the third cook tonight on the weber pizza oven. I replaced the larger 16 inch pizza stone in the oven with the smaller - maybe 13ish inch stone that has been in my oven for the last few years. It was a cheap stone that cracked as soon as I put the first pie on to cook...BUT...I think it solved most of my problems. I also did a minor mod to the lid so the heat could not get between the inside of the lid and the pizza pan mounted up there. So I'm off to buy a better quality - but smaller stone. The proof's in the pics...see below.

And thanks everyone for your help!

[1_T_Scot]

Cool Project! Thanks for sharing.