Wood Fired Pizza at 400C... Is it really possible in a kettle or kamado?

  • Hi Guys,

    I wantto get in to wood fired pizza. I have seen many successful pizza cooks on this site and good looking pictures too...

    I am particularly keen however to get as close to neopolitan style pizzas as possible, cooked at 400C in around 90 seconds. I'm sure that you could get a kamado or weber hot enough to cook the bottom (on a stone or deflector) at 400C but how would you get that beautiful wood fired blistering and browning on top unless you could get the flame to draw up the top somehow?

    I know what you're thinking, I should just buy a wood fired oven. But the better half is already flipping out over my desire to buy more bbq gear having bought an awesome GMG DB less than a year ago... I still however want a decent charcoal option for doing quick seared steaks chickens and ultimately rotisserie cooking. If I buy a wood fired oven, squeezing a third (fourth if you count my hibachi) device on the balcony might be pushing the boundaries a little ;)

    I'm thinking that although the kamado holds heat better, a kettle pizza attachment for a Weber (or similar) might cook the top better as the lid stays on while cooking the pizza, providing better heat to cook the top?

    Any thoughts?

    Cheers

  • I am particularly keen however to get as close to neopolitan style pizzas as possible, cooked at 400C in around 90 seconds

    I can confirm that you can do a neapolitan pizza in a kamado, but only one! The moment you open the lid you lose so much heat that the next pizza will not be neapolitan style. Bear in mind that in a Kamado you're cooking with charcoal, not a wood fire...

    The kettle... well look I'm sure it's possible, but IMO the amount of mucking around is just way too much.

    I've rationalised down to 5 bbqs: a gas one for fire ban days, a kamado (primarily for charcoal roasts), a cyprus grill for rotisserie and large scale charcoal grilling, a pellet bbq (primarily for low and slow) and I would not be without a wood fired pizza oven. I have a Maximus, so I feel comfortable recommending that. I've had many sessions of neapolitan style pizza and would not be without one. It cooks awesome wood fired roasts as well! Maximus Wood Fired Pizza Oven Review

  • yes, your Kamado will go that hot, but Pizza cooks perfectly at 240-260C any hotter at the top won't cook and the base will burn.

    and that takes about 10-15 minutes depending on the base and the amount of toppings. I did pizza in the kamado for a couple of years but the chase for a real, quick wood fired pizza led me to the Maximus dedicated pizza oven. No kamado is going to replicate that because the heat comes from above and the stone base never gets that hot that it burns the base, even after cooking a good number of them.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • Forgot to mention that you can (as long as it complies with bylaws etc) use a Maximus on a balcony, just like the pizza party oven:

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  • What price range are we looking at?

    The Akorn and Dragon Kamado peak out at @700F/@350C.($400-$500) The cheaper ceramic Kamado ($1,000) peak out @400C. The more expensive ceramics ($1,500 +) peak out around 500C.

    A kettle doesn't get up to 400C and stay there. You may get a spike @400C when you first dump in the heat beads from the chimney but kettle temps only go one direction after you have added the charcoal with the vents open, and that's down.

    Wood fire oven start from @$1,000 upwards.

    The other key point if you are thinking of since you are thinking of a dedicated pizza oven is how important is that authentic italian wood smoke flavour? If it is important, easy, wood oven is the way forward.

    The Kamado since it uses lump charcoal has "lump charcoal" flavour.
    '
    You can make great pizza on the Kamado and not just at 400C. But if you are a pizza connoisseur you can't beat doing it the old fashion way in a wood fired oven.

    Suggested way forward is to buy an Akorn Kamado, with the left over change from not buying a more expensive Kamado buy the wood fire oven. Narm has a great review on the Maximus Wood Fired Pizza Oven Review

    If you want to cook a few things at a one time own a few Akorns eg three. That way you can cook 6 pizzas at a time or anything else for that matter.

    Edited once, last by 12x7 (September 19, 2016 at 6:52 PM).

  • Hmm... I'm getting the strong impression that my hunch about dome temperature being too low was correct. I guess I may have to investigate a wood oven like the Maximus. Does anyone know if the Pizza Party oven is available in Australia yet? Any other options? How about a suggestion for a rotisserie for the wood oven....

    Cheers

  • The Pizza Party isn't available here as far as I know but someone did bring one in and posted about it.

    I'm not sure what it cost but the Maximus is a brilliant pizza oven and will do what you want. My pizzas take about 3 mins but Narm does his faster. The taste can't be compared to a kamado, they are much better as you'd expect. The people who bring in the Maximus are genuine and very nice to deal with. I can't see any way of adding spit but they will roast quite well and do great bread. If you want a spit, just get one of those cheap spits from Aldi or Woolies which cost about $80

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • If you have a spare couple of hours :D , I'll see if I can post a link to thread Narm and I posted about it back in the old forum.

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • here you go, found it.......

    Maximus pizza oven discussion

    Big Green Egg - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Weber Kettle - Maximus Pizza Oven - Dragon Hibachi - Ziggy Portable - baby kamado - Grillz 2 burner - Cobb BBQ - Converted Gas Bottle Spit - Charbroil Grill2go - Anova sous vide - Digi Q controller - plus Tip Top Temp - Smokeware cap - Grill Grates

  • As a general rule, to get Neapolitan pizzas (cooked in 90 seconds at around 400c) you need the fire in the oven rather than under it.
    Also beware of small ovens at bunnings. The baffle on the pizza party and maximus ovens is their secret of success. I think the uuni oven also makes the heat travel over the pizza on its way out.

  • Thanks for the speedy response! Most of the wildcat ovens have the fire in the same chamber as the cooking. Only two of the models in the range are "offset" so to speak. They look interesting... Although they don't have the same baffle they look to have double the amount of firebricks as the line the sides vertically as well as the oven floor.

  • I have no experience with them, but those models should be fine. I thought you were referring to the other models as I had the impression you might be needing something a bit smaller or more mobile? If you have the dream of a large oven so that you can cook 2 pizzas at once (as I once did) let me shatter it for you :D when the pizza cooks in 90 seconds you can barely keep up with one.

  • I have no experience with them, but those models should be fine.

    I had another look on my PC (I was on my phone before) and thought I'd clarify the above. If you go and inspect one of the Wildcat models, make sure the dome is not too high. For baking bread you want a high dome and lots of heat retention in brickwork, etc. For Neapolitan pizza you want a low dome so that the top of the pizza cooks evenly with the bottom.

  • I'm thinking that the Maximus will be the go to be honest. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger... Just wondering if anyone has bought the powder coated stand? For $300 it's not too expensive but it also doesn't have much in the way of shelving or storage (or aesthetic appeal to be honest!)

    Cheers

  • m thinking that the Maximus will be the go to be honest. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger

    I have the wood trolley and it needed reinforcement (which was very easy to do) but it's still going strong today.

    Giuseppe and Christi are members of SFAF @mywoodfiredoven. They might give you a good deal on the package if you tell them you're from SFAF.
    Now here's an interesting possibility for you: Ring Giuseppe or Christi (number in their ebay ad linked below) and ask them to place whichever oven/trolley configuration you want on ebay, then buy it with ebay's current offer of 15% discount! Enter "CODE15" at checkout.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Portable-w…2IAAOSwFdtXxpL0

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