jonj

😉

Looks great, @Poochie!

I've done several about half that size. Rub of choice, then in refrigerator overnight. Next day it let rest on counter for 1 -2 hours to shed some of the chill while the KK heat sinks. Smoke at about 200-215°F grate temperature until roast center is 110°F (for rare) or 112°F (for medium rare). Pull and open the vents to get the KK up to about 500°F, then sear just above the charcoal for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes per side. Foil and towel then place in cooler to rest while center temperature reaches desired serving temperature. An 8 pound roast takes about 4 hours to reach 110-112° internal temperature, so 10 hours for your 14 pounder may be too long. But, like a brisket, it will hold in a cooler for several hours.

Excellent meal, @remi!

Excellent progress and report! No bandsaw perhaps, but all the appropriate tools (including chain mail glove). Very nice work!

Well, you are certainly committed to the concept, if not the actual practice... 😉

Great to see you back in action, @Basher!

Nice!

It seems to me Dennis would want to know what the rotisserie weight limitation is on the 42, since it has three sets of forks. Both single point load and distributed (two and three items on the spit).

Cool video!

To be sure the bricks get hot for pizza, I start the fire in the center and don't move it to the side until it has become mostly embers.

I have an Alfa 4 Pizze, which I have had for a few months, and think the floor temperature is at least as important as the dome for pizza. One can always hold the pizza on the turning peel up toward the dome to finish the top if it lags the bottom. I use this to check the floor temp: https://www.thermoworks.com/ir-gun/

Welcome back, @Basher!

Welcome to the group. What part of Missouri? I grew up in Easyville, in SW between Purdy and McDowell.

Everything looks terrific, @Troble! Wish I was there to try some!

Experimented with fire-based equipment for dinner last night. Regular pork chops (I usually buy mutant monster pork chops but wanted to try normal ones for a change) on the KK16, whilst also cooking brussels sprouts in the Alfa wood oven. In retrospect, I ended up starting the sprouts about 15 minutes too soon in the Alfa and the fire was still too hot, but a good learning experience. I will also go back to monster chops in the future. The thin ones don't have much of a margin between not ready and overdone. Certainly not one of my better cooks but it was fun juggling two fires. Next time I will instead use the KK23 (which is located next to the Alfa) instead of the KK16 (in a screened porch some distance away).

@braindoc, I checked out the Duparquet pans. Very nice!

I use All-Clad Copper Clad (a discontinued line) and Bourgeat almost exclusively or when I don't, I am using cast iron. All the copperware has stainless steel liners, except for one Irish skillet which has a nickel lining. I checked out tin lined but quickly determined its inherent limitations were not for me. Nor were Mauviel copperware, at least those made at the time I was buying. The All-Clad has stainless steel handles, which stay cool. The various Bourgeat have cast iron handles, which do not stay cool. Bourgeat is what I use when temperature control is critical as it has a thicker copper layer; the All-Clad for day-to-day. However, Bourgeat copperware is incredibly heavy so just be prepared if you go that direction. Brass handles are a good way to go to the emergency department for burn care /s. My cookware is "vintage", I bought most of it 30+years ago and still use it daily. Copper does require cleaning, but so do many things. I find a great deal of satisfaction in using high quality tools, whether cookware, KKs, woodworking and hand tools, and glassware. YMMV, as TonyB often says.

Wow @Basher, those are BIG ovens.

Wow!

Hello and welcome. We are looking forward seeing your cooks.

So, first cook on new equipment and a completely new-to-me method... What could possibly go wrong? Actually, not too much and all user error. A couple of mis-steps of not starting my normal dough the day before and instead trying a new, same day dough recipe, with marginal yeast (I didn't check the dates before starting the dough), and not realizing until 30 minutes into the fire that my IR gun was food service rated (500°F), not the 1000° I needed (fixed the latter with ThermoWorks Labor Day sale while waiting on the fire). All things considered, it still made decent pizza. Fire started easily and hot Without an infrared gun of the correct range, I had to guess at the floor temperature. This is pizza #3 of 3. The dough never relaxed so every stretch and launch was an adventure. However, we did get three tasty pizze out of the Alfa: artichoke hearts, kalamata olive, and goat cheese; San Marzano tomato, Canadian bacon, mushroom, and mozzarella (the one with the goofy shape); and margarita (tomato, mozzarella and basil). I'm okay with my first effort. They all tasted fine, but the artichoke hearts, olives, and goat cheese was the favorite. Next time, I'll use my regular dough mix, with fresh yeast, and appropriate IR temperature gun (20% off!). Thanks again to @tekobo and @MacKenzie for their advice and help. Much appreciated!

Cooking pizza in a wood-fired oven on a September afternoon in the midwest United States is hot and thirsty work!

Okay, below are a few pics of the unboxing and semi-final location of the Alfa 4 Pizze. All in, it took about 4 hours to uncrate, peel off the **** vinyl from the stainless steel parts, remove the firebricks and clean them, check all the bolts and screws for tightness (only two were slightly loose - neither critical), make a ramp (one of the plywood sheets, screwed into the pallet), roll off the oven, and clean everything with stainless steel cleaner and metal cleaner (copper colored shell). That was Friday. Today a couple of friends came over and we rolled it around the house to the patio over 3/4" plywood sheets. This took about only 15 - 20 minutes (3 plywood sheets with two people moving the sheets and two rolling the oven), followed by another 20 - 30 minutes attaching the two side shelves, replacing the firebricks, and a final clean. It rolls very easily for the weight, similar to our KKs. Removal of the 8 firebricks lightened the oven by around 120 pounds and equally important, lowered the center of gravity considerably making it much easier to maneuver. Since you asked, here are some unboxing pictures. Crate in garage, positioned so the crate can be removed between the door track/guides: Crate off; parts are in the cardboard box; firebricks protected by paper inserts between them; and the protective vinyl film: Back view: Very well packaged shelves, chimney, cap, door, and an extra firebrick just in case. Very little assembly, just bolt the handles to the oven door and the shelves to the side of the frame, insert the cap on the chimney and the chimney to the top: Film finally off; ready to remove the back wheel stop, attach the plywood ramp and roll it off: Off the pallet; Cleaned and polished: In place on the patio, with chimney, shelves, firebricks, and door in place. This is position one of three possible locations on the patio, pending a few trial runs: I also have a 4.5' x 2' prep table which is the same height as the oven deck I can move over when using the oven. I'm waiting for my cooking wood delivery to seriously cook anything although I may try a few pizze with some bonfire wood to get some experience.I'm happy with it so far. I will say the Alfa cover is no match for the KK Sunbrella covers: it's pretty thin, although fitted. I may need to get a more sturdy one before serious winter arrives.

One can't say Alfa doesn't protect their stainless steel parts...