Weber WSM Pizza vs. Bakerston Pizza Oven

RemoGaggi · 10-15-2017, 10:58 AM

I got a Bakerstone Pizza Oven last Fathers Day. It goes on top of a propane grill, gets super hot, and makes great pizzas in about 5 minutes. The problem is, that it takes about 30 minutes with the gas grill on High to get up to temperature. I have a 6-burner Summit and even using 4 burners to get this oven going, it eats a LOT of propane.

I also have an 18" WSM and after researching pizza on the WSM, I came up with this setup to see how it would compare to the Bakerstone. The main challenge with pizza on the WSM is the lack of heat getting to the top of the pizza for browning - the dome metal is too high and not thick enough to concentrate the heat needed for good browning. I had an old grate, added some bolts and made a sandwich of sorts with 2 pizza stones. The distance between the top and bottom stone is 3", same as the Bakerstone. The amount of charcoal was that of a large coffee can (I use a homemade chimney starter made from an old Costco coffee can). The charcoal is spread evenly under the bottom stone.

While others have used the middle section of the WSM to make the fire, I decided to keep the fire in the bottom and not using the middle section at all (egg style).

Here's the basic setup

Here' the first pizza cooking

After 10 minutes, the first pizza was done, but not quite as browned as I would have liked it. (I forgot to take a pic). But, here's pizza #2, chicken & carmelized onions & mushrooms.

This one came out much better. It also took about 10 minutes. I think I put pizza #1 in a little too soon and should have waited longer to get more heat.

Overall, the pizzas came out very good, especially pizza #2. The crust was crunchy, but not overdone. The toppings were hot enough to burn your mouth. Pizza in the WSM, didn't quite match that of the Bakerstone, but I also didn't have to burn a lot of propane either. I think next time, I will use more charcoal and move the top plate down a little to maybe 2-2.5" from the bottom. A minor drawback is that you can't watch the pizza cooking as the lid has to be on, but check after 5 minutes and you'll know what to do from there.

It's always fun to tinker, so please let me know your thoughts.

aerotech11 · 10-15-2017, 11:08 AM

That pizza looks great. I recently purchased the kettle pizza kit that will fit either 18.5 or 22.5 weber kettle and works like a charm. The kettle gets up to around 900 degrees and we timed a pizza @ 2 minutes 15 seconds. Came out great with perfect crust and toppings cooked just right. Highly recommended.

EdF · 10-16-2017, 03:41 PM

Sounds great, aerotech11. And nice innovations, RemoGaggi!

10-16-2017, 03:41 PM	#3
EdF is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-25-17 Location: Atlantic Highlands, NJ	Sounds great, aerotech11. And nice innovations, RemoGaggi! __________________ Large BGE. KBQ C-60, Uuni Pro, TEC Cherokee FR, Polyscience SV machine. And their helpers.

10-15-2017, 10:58 AM	#1
RemoGaggi Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-28-13 Location: NorCal Name/Nickname : RemoGaggi	Weber WSM Pizza vs. Bakerston Pizza Oven I got a Bakerstone Pizza Oven last Fathers Day. It goes on top of a propane grill, gets super hot, and makes great pizzas in about 5 minutes. The problem is, that it takes about 30 minutes with the gas grill on High to get up to temperature. I have a 6-burner Summit and even using 4 burners to get this oven going, it eats a LOT of propane. I also have an 18" WSM and after researching pizza on the WSM, I came up with this setup to see how it would compare to the Bakerstone. The main challenge with pizza on the WSM is the lack of heat getting to the top of the pizza for browning - the dome metal is too high and not thick enough to concentrate the heat needed for good browning. I had an old grate, added some bolts and made a sandwich of sorts with 2 pizza stones. The distance between the top and bottom stone is 3", same as the Bakerstone. The amount of charcoal was that of a large coffee can (I use a homemade chimney starter made from an old Costco coffee can). The charcoal is spread evenly under the bottom stone. While others have used the middle section of the WSM to make the fire, I decided to keep the fire in the bottom and not using the middle section at all (egg style). Here's the basic setup Here' the first pizza cooking After 10 minutes, the first pizza was done, but not quite as browned as I would have liked it. (I forgot to take a pic). But, here's pizza #2, chicken & carmelized onions & mushrooms. This one came out much better. It also took about 10 minutes. I think I put pizza #1 in a little too soon and should have waited longer to get more heat. Overall, the pizzas came out very good, especially pizza #2. The crust was crunchy, but not overdone. The toppings were hot enough to burn your mouth. Pizza in the WSM, didn't quite match that of the Bakerstone, but I also didn't have to burn a lot of propane either. I think next time, I will use more charcoal and move the top plate down a little to maybe 2-2.5" from the bottom. A minor drawback is that you can't watch the pizza cooking as the lid has to be on, but check after 5 minutes and you'll know what to do from there. It's always fun to tinker, so please let me know your thoughts. __________________ Mak 1, PKGO, Akorn Jr., Gabbys 22"w/ Weber SS Performer, Blackstone 22" & Pizza Oven.

10-15-2017, 11:08 AM	#2
aerotech11 is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 03-24-17 Location: Mesa AZ Name/Nickname : Ric	That pizza looks great. I recently purchased the kettle pizza kit that will fit either 18.5 or 22.5 weber kettle and works like a charm. The kettle gets up to around 900 degrees and we timed a pizza @ 2 minutes 15 seconds. Came out great with perfect crust and toppings cooked just right. Highly recommended.