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Heylo Wilbur.. Heat in a glazed ceramic pot and a KK are two different beasts.. Don't worry about your KK firebox.. It's massive and the refractory material's "service/working" temp is 2,200ºf Charcoal does not get much over 1,800ºf in your grill.. Once it's expanded and contracted a couple of times, never remove it and you will never have issues with it.. Remember don't/never remove your firebox to clean your grill.. They get wedged into place and will get crazing but they are just fine.. leave them. Baking stone up on your upper grill.. NO heat shield.. First "trial" pizza.. try about 575º dome.. If the top is uncooked when the crust is finished it's not hot enough.. If the top is getting browned/burned and the crust is not ready.. turn it down a bit. At high temps you only use the top damper to adjust. Small changes are apparent quickly. Have fun with them and take photos..

As I said earlier, remember it's condensation that get's the vapor/smoke to transfer to your food.. The colder the food.. the more condensation. I'll take big thick steaks out of the fridge for an hour and a half warming up to loose the inner chill on a slab of granite to ensure no cold center. Then throw them into the freezer for about 5-8 minutes prior to putting them into the grill to chill just the very outside of the steak. Takes a long time to get the cold out and the cold back into the center.. meat is insulating.. Tad of smoke and now you have a smoke profile on your steak..

It is seriously rough and dangerous territory around here, cactus, rattlers, coyotes and mountain lions. And ranchers who shoot dogs. My wife won't let them hunt. Couch potatoes all. They stay safe and I'm cool with that.

Wilbur - try this link here in the KK Forum. Has some pics of a set up for calzones. http://komodokamado.com/forum/topic/4835-first-calzones-on-the-komodo-kamado/ Here is another showing a pizza set up. http://komodokamado.com/forum/topic/4799-ken-forkish-pizza/ Be sure to let us know how it goes!

Wilbur - hope work is easing up on you. How often do you have to take call? For my pizza cooks, and I've only done 2 so far on The Beast, I get my baking stone high in the dome. I haven't used a heat deflector down low. I take The Beast only to 550° and leave it at that. I heat soak for a couple of hours and then I can cook 3-4 pizza and not worry about recycle times. I generally do thin crust. I haven't done any Chicago style deep dish and have only done a single thick crust. YMMV. Be well.

I have two Black and Tan, three Treeing Walkers, and one Beagle. Actually my avatar there, Dixie, is a Treeing Walker mix. All rescues.

Black and Tan