Weber Grill Pizza Oven Conversion - Homemade KettlePizza

I've always wanted to build an outdoor pizza oven. The problem is, it takes up quite a bit of space and the cost is pretty high. I recently stumbled on the KettlePizza Pro. It essentially turns any kettle style grill into a pizza oven. Although cheaper than a pizza oven, the price tag was still relatively expensive. I figured I'd try to build one of my own. In the end I was able to create a pizza oven attachment for roughly $50 and it easily got up to temperatures nearing 700F.

Step 1: Initial Steps

I started off by contacting a local metal fabrication company and asked for a 6 foot by 7 inch piece of 18 gauge steel. I had originally planned to use stainless steel but it was going to cost $78. I opted for regular steel for $45. They also were able to put it through a roller to assist the ring formation. I fit the ring onto my 22 inch Weber Grill and marked it with a sharpie. I put on the lid and marked the top and bottom lines. With the measurements in place, I went back inside to start drilling and cutting.

Step 2: The Metal Ring and Pizza Slot

I first drilled two holes and connected the ring with a couple of nuts and bolts. Then I put my pizza peel on top of the ring and marked 4 inches on either side fore the slot width. Next I drew two lines for the top and bottom cuts. I made the top 1 inch shorter on either side. This slot size was designed for a 15 inch pizza peel I picked up at a local restaurant supply company for $7 and a 15 inch pizza stone purchased from Amazon. With the pizza oven opening drawn, I cut out the slot with my angle grinder fitted with a cutting wheel. I used a metal file to grind off the sharp burrs.

Step 3: Handles

I then cut two 5.75 inch long pieces of 2"x2" scrap wood for the handles and fit those to the ring. These were spaced a few inches away from the oven's opening. I used four, 6 inch long carriage bolts and 12 nuts to fix them to the ring. The last thing to mount was the thermometer. With everything assembled and mounted where it needed to be, I took the the handles and thermometer off, took the oven outside, and gave it a few coats of high temperature paint only on the outside surfaces.

Step 4: The Dough and the Pizza

For the dough, I used a slightly modified recipe from SeriousEats.com. 20 oz of High Gluten Bread Flour, 0.3 oz Kosher Salt, 0.2 oz Sugar, 0.2 oz of yeast, and 12 oz of water. I mixed all the ingredients, covered the bowl with cling wrap, and left it out on the counter for a few hours to jumpstart the yeast. I then split it into 4 dough balls and placed it in the fridge for 2 days to develop the flavor. On the day of the cook, I pulled the dough out and left it on the counter to warm up a bit. I sliced the fresh mozzarella and placed it on a paper towel to wick away some of the moisture. For the sauce I just used a good brand of peeled whole tomatoes. I drained out the juice and used an immersion blender to buzz them up into a sauce. I started some charcoal and placed some chunks of wood around the edges of the grill and waited for the stone/grill to get up to temperature. The pizzas came out fantastic and I believe they were some of the best I've ever made at home. The dough was moist and chewy on the inside and the outside was super crunchy and crisp. The bottom and edges had those slightly charred bits that give the curst a delicious flavor!

Comments

[yopauly]

It's the ring just supported by the grill on the bottom and fits inside the lip of the lid? Do the 4 carriage bolts hold the lid up?

[Dandeman321]

Fits inside the lip of the bottom of the grill, where the lid rests. No the carriage bolts just mount the handles. The lid of the weber sits right on top of the metal ring.

[yopauly]

Thanks! I've put this on my project list. I've already modified my Weber to use as a smoker.

[tmessink]

Hi, Great job!
I need a little help. I could not tell from your post where your horizontal cuts were from to the top and bottom. They look like about 1 1/2" to 2" from top and bottom. Is this correct?

Thank you!
Tom

[Dandeman321]

I uploaded a second picture with the dimensions. 2" on the top portion and 1.5" on the bottom!

[Dandeman321]

Hey Tom! Good question. Let me measure it when I get home this evening.

[stumitch]

I picked up a similar pizza/rotisserie set up a few years back for my Kettle and had a pretty rough time getting the temp up high enough. My piece even has a door to retain heat. So... a couple of questions... how much charcoal? Did you use a chimney to get it going? Did the wood pieces go on the same level as the charcoal, or on the rack with the pizza stone... I think that is what you are saying, I just need clarification. Good post and it looks like some nice pizza came out!

[Dandeman321]

I used a full chimney and got it fully lit. The bottom of the grill had a full layer of coals that were all lit and hot. Added in some wood around the outside rim then placed the grate and the stone on that and waited for it to warm up. When the thermometer reached >500F I threw the pies on! Hope that helps.

[stumitch]

Makes sense... Just load it up huge with fuel! Thanks for replying, I will give it a shot soon.

[ewillyp]

tell me about your heating technique that you used that you achieved the optimum temperature, this is going to be a game changer for my work's Friday BBQs

[Dandeman321]

I just put a nice layer of lit charcoal down. I added more if the temperature was not hot enough. Just like using it as a grill. I also added some bits of cherry wood for added flavor.

[ivak245]

What is the pizza resting on?

[mcopado]

He says it in the part talking about the dough- it's on a pizza stone.

[cacorro]

You can also use a travertine tile for a pizza stone, they hold the temperature nicely, really easy to clean and inexpensive.

This oven mod is awesome! I’m building it!

[Dandeman321]

Thanks! Yeah I've heard about that travertine tile. I'll have to check that out if my stone breaks.

[Dandeman321]

Yup! Just a 15 inch pizza stone from Amazon. Clarified it in step two.

[Cueball21]

Great job!!!

You can buy ones like you built for over a hundred bucks on Amazon; so you 'done good!'

I agree that stainless steel is overkill. After all, its only role is to contain heat; no food will touch it.

Have you tried to raise the height of the pizza stone to make it more or less level with the rim of the kettle bottom's edge? Raising it to that level should make placing and taking 'pies' a lot easier. I'm thinking about 3 fire bricks should do the job of raising the coals rack where the pizza stone sits to that level. It might take some adjustment with an angle grinder.

Again, GREAT JOB!!!!

[Dandeman321]

Thank you! Yes, that was my motivation for the project. The full Kettle Pizza kit with a stone and pizza peel was nearly $200 on Amazon! I have not tried raising the stone. I didn't have much trouble at all getting the pizzas in and out since they were smaller. Just gotta make sure you have enough flour/corn meal on the bottom so they slide nicely. The photo/angle is a bit deceptive, it's probably about an inch and a half below the lip of the grill insert.

[charlessenf-gm]

" took the oven outside, and gave it a few coats of high temperature paint "

What color? It does not look 'painted' in the pics!

Neat trick BTW!

Save the bit you cut for the access/opening maybe figure a way to use it as a 'door' for your oven to retain even more heat.

[Dandeman321]

Silver high temp paint! That is a great idea! I think i threw that piece out unfortunatly. I'll have to look in my scrap pile and see if I can find it.