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First pizza attempts on the 26-inch kettle

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    First pizza attempts on the 26-inch kettle

    So, I finally cooked my first pizzas on my 26 inch kettle and the results were ..... OK. I’m sorry I don’t have pictures to share but am hoping to get some tips.

    I used Meathead’s Roman pizza crust recipe on both attempts (which I actually like).

    My first attemp:
    Pizzas stone placed on two fire bricks on top grate. Used full chimney of lump charcoal in a C-configuration on the charcoal grate under the stone. Placed unlit lump on top of lit lump charcoal as well as a few chunks of oak wood. Lid was cracked open slightly and bottom and top vents opened all the way. Pizza stone temp never got above 300 degrees. The temp on the charcoal side never rose above 450 degrees. Pizza took a long time to cook and never developed those nice leopard spots and crusty bottom.

    Second attemp:
    Placed full chimney of lit B&B Briquettes into my SNS and 4 pieces of oak. Pizza stone set directly on the cooking grate, with the edge of the stone set just above the edge of the SNS. Vents wide open and lid cracked slightly. Temps on charcoal side 600+. Pizza stone temp barely above 300 degrees. Pizza cooked a little faster than first attemp but still took longer than expected. Tasted good but still no leopard spotting on the crust and no browning on the bottom.

    I did feel with the SNS that the flames were more what I was looking for. Maybe I should be using more wood? I watched a few YouTube videos of folks achieving what I wanted so I am a little disappointed that I could get the same results. I did notice that in all the videos folks are using the 22 inch kettle. I am wondering if the perfect pizza crust is harder to achieve in the 26 inch kettle because of the amount of space and the need for a lot more fuel. Perhaps a baking steel is better than a stone in the kettles?

    Anyone getting the perfect pizza on the 26 inch kettle? Tips/suggestion are mucho appreciated.


    #2
    You might be on to something with the 26 being bigger, but I switched to a steel and the results are noticeable. I do pizzas in the WSCG, but that is a different animal.

    Comment


      #3
      I have not tried pizza on the 26 yet. Frankly, I probably never will, because I have my Akorn, and that is where I bake my pizza.

      But, if I was going to try it, I would use my Vortex. I would place the Vortex in the center of the grill, and place a full chimney of lit coals around the perimeter. Then I would place perhaps 1/3 chimney of lit coals inside the Vortex. Place your stone on the fire bricks, not on the grate, directly above the Vortex. I bet with that setup you could get up to 600 degree stone temps.

      I don't know how hot B&B briquettes get, but I use Kingsford Competition when I want really hot temps in my 26" inch kettle.

      IMHO, if you have a kettle, and you don't have a Vortex, you are wrong, and you need to correct the situation immediately.

      Comment


        #4
        I say go big like this and put some wood chunks on the upper grate too.

        Click image for larger version  Name:	WDI4SJCRxRB7uBhLp4GkJi2HiTTxW80Mzp20hbpu_6BANTbTnS2EfF2fGXhETavw1v9cBRiPKYBWG05Pbue0MF-2p4rygUVdf8TB2hqwP-CXEb15AThNYt3bK66vzCu0iHgSLilsJKx2Y0udE6OhqrcqTMs7XtceGNQLYc6gVKtxqvZlbUKZQhN4c8l24me4E18d7qv7jLMRmZG2kpRDW7uHsW0AurwRsEw69phI2ve7lOsdeVDwJoqIhn3aJSf Views:	1 Size:	599.8 KB ID:	686484
        Click image for larger version

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        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Can't argue with that! Do you use stone or steel?

        • Attjack
          Attjack commented
          Editing a comment
          Using a stone and a Pizza Que. It is hard to get the temps up. You gotta throw a lot of fuel at it. I have long ago done pizza on the 26. I think maybe a smaller grill like that 18 might be beneficial.

        • ColonialDawg
          ColonialDawg commented
          Editing a comment
          Yea, I kind of think the 26 might be too big to do pizza. Every cooker has pros and cons.
          Last edited by ColonialDawg; May 28, 2019, 12:15 PM.

        #5
        I’ve never made pizza on the kettle but just thinking out loud for a sec. if you were to take let’s say a vortex and place it so that the large opening of the funnel was pointed up and filled it with a good quality lump, put your grate, stone block and then stone wouldn’t that get pretty hot. I have a wood pizza oven and I found that the key to the best pizzas, for me at least, is to really heat the stone floor for like an hour or 1 1/2 and not with a massive fire either, enough let’s say 2 logs 500/600 degrees. Granted this isnt really spur of the moment cooking but it produces good results. Would the vortex not achieve those temps in a Pizza application as when I do wings the needle is pinned and yes I know the thermometer isnt the best either. Just a thought.

        Comment


          #6
          Another thing you can try is preheating your stone/steel in the oven at it's max temp which is normally ~ 550*. If you do this, be very careful moving it to the grill. It will take two people if you have to open any doors 'cause you will need both hands on the stone and extra insulation between your hands and the stone.

          Comment


            #7
            I think I may have solved my pizza challenges on the 26 inch kettle.

            I used the SNS. Started with a chimney of lit lump and placed a small oak log on top of the lit coals. In the indurect side I placed 2 fire bricks about 12 inches apart and placed my pizza stone in top of the bricks.

            I closed the top vent but cracked the lid open on the indirect side. Temps on the direct side were roaring. I may have smoked out my lid thermometer, the needle went all the way around and was on the 200-degree mark, so at least 800 degrees. Pizza stone temp was around 450 closest to fire on my IR thermometer.

            24 hours prior, I had made a neopolitan style dough using 1000g 00 Caputo flour, 650g warm water, and 10g instant rise yeast. That gave me 6 individual balls of dough.

            Simple tomato sauce with 28 ounce can Cento San Marzano tonatoes, 2 minced garlic cloves, sea salt, and some fresh oregano pulsed in a food processor.

            Simple pies - mozarella and parmesan only for the wife and kids. For me a burrata mergherita pizza. Eack pie cooked in about 5-8 minutes.

            Crust was nice and crispy with decent leopard spotting. Bottoms were crispy but not much char. Taste was awesome.

            Setup

            ​

            Finished pizza

            Click image for larger version

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            My Barrata Mergherita pizza. If you never tried Burrata cheese, it is awesome. Just cut the mozarella balls in half and scoop out the creamy curds and put them on the pizza after cooked.

            Click image for larger version

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            Comment


            • gmascolo51
              gmascolo51 commented
              Editing a comment
              Looks awesome, I think you got it figured out. Enjoy

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