How do you set up for pizza cooking?

[wilburpan]

For cooking pizzas, other people with other kamados often set up a pizza stone on the upper rack to take advantage of heat bouncing off the inside of the lid, along with setting up a heat deflector low while cranking the temp up to 600ºF or more. Then they report cracks in the firebox, which is most likely due to the intense heat being trapped by the deflector. 

 

Here's an example: this guy's set up: 

 

 

 

And the result: 

 

And.... I cracked the box!!

 

 

Is this a concern for the KK?

 

And how would you go about setting up the KK for a pizza? My thought was to use the KK baking stone by itself, placed on the upper cooking grid, since the KK baking stone is thick enough that an additional heat deflector may not be necessary. The KK baking stone looks like it’s close to twice as thick as the pizza stone in the picture above.

 

[CeramicChef]

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.

[CeramicChef]

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!

[DennisLinkletter]

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..

[tony b]

Thanks for that tip, Dennis. Not that I ever had any plans/desire to remove my firebox, but good to know nonetheless! (btw - that's not in my copy of the User's Manual.)

[CeramicChef]

Dennis - you're aces in my book!  Great advice and oh, so timely!  I'm doing a pizza cook tonight for a few friends.  Don't have the time to do pizza dough from scratch, so I'm getting the pizzas from a franchise operation, Papa Murphy's.  It's a take and bake deal and I can recommend them highly, especially if you all your favorite toppings, a little more cheese, and only that special touch that a KK can contribute!

 

I'll post some pics tomorrow!  I'm kicking the temp up to 575^o and give it a whirl.  This should be more fun than I've had in a long time with my clothes on!  Yeah, I know, that's a visual you didn't need!

[bryan]

I find that making the dough in a food processor THEN storing the ball in frige 3 days minimum before use, makes the best crust.

(has to do with hydration)

Just break off the pieces you need every day (after 3 days) and return ball to frige.

You have a few days of pizza without the work.