Jose Andres Zapata

I had been wanting to try picaña, and I stumbled onto a couple of pieces at Walmart of all places. After a bit of research I started by making cuts on the fat cap and seasoning with plenty of salt and some pepper. I started the cook by searing the bottom first and then flipped it and let the fat cap cook until it was a bit crispy and the internal temp was about 90 to 95 deg. I pulled it and cut into steaks and then returned to the fire for searing the sides and cook to an internal temp of 145 + -. It is a nice cut of meat, full of flavor and super juicy. I love the cooked / crispy fat too.

Kabobs.... Beef, marinated with ginger and soy sauce. Mahi Mahi, just oil salt and pepper. Croutons and Orange pieces. Spinach and roasted tomato salad.

For moving it... take out all the removable parts and use a mover's blanket. Use the blanket as a sling. It makes it considerably easier to handle. And allows for 2,3 or 4 people to carry it.

Thank you Thunder!

I also think that the fire coming from below on Kamados hits the stones too hard. On a traditional wood fire oven the fire sits at the same level with flames shooting above to the dome. Marc Vetri on his book Mastering Pizza suggests a floor temperature of 600deg. With that in mind I created a setup using 2.5" insulating brick between my deflector and pizza stone. I shoot for 700deg dome temp and and about 580deg for the stone. They take about 3 to 4 mins to cook. Not exactly Neapolitan specs, but happy with the results. Here are photos of my setup and results:

Just the lump charcoal is great. If you like mushrooms, out of any topping they absorb the most smoke. I love them. Looking forward to see your finished pizzas.

Thank you Ski-Freak. I did not buy the Kamado with the intention of making pizzas, but fell into a rabbit hole and have had a lot of fun making them. New England is beautiful!! Thanks for the back and forth and good luck to you as well.

The first dough I really liked on the Kamado was a recipe from the New York Times.... from Roberta's pizzeria in Brooklyn. A quick search will find it for you. It can be used the same day with a few hours for rise or even better the next day. Also I received Marc Vetri's Mastering Pizza book and now love his recipes for dough. He has many different combinations of dough for WFO, Gas Ovens, different temps and even a section for pizza on Kamados. My now favorite is the Neapolitan at 60% ( I adjust up a couple percentages) hydration. You need to prepare the dough at least a couple of days before for this one. One day for the poolish starter. One day for a full mix and rise of combined dough. At least 5/6 hours for balling up and final rise. The refrigeration has been key I think for foolproof leopard spotting. I get it everytime if I refrigerate the fully mixed though for at least 24 hours and have the Kamado at 650 to 700 deg. Good luck!

Thank you very much for the feedback Ski-Freak. It must be my pizza cooking then...

From Marc Vetri's book Mastering Pizza - Cacio e Pepe 1/2 Cup Ice 3/4 Cup Pecorino Romano Pepper EVVO - I used my previously prepared Garlic confit... (EVVO, Garlic, Thyme sprigs... baked in the oven at 250deg for a couple of hours). For the dough, from the same book, Neapolitan dough at about 62% hydration ( I adjusted up a bit from the original 60% hydration). Poolish starter. I make the dough balls at about 310 grams instead of 250. My wife prefers a bit thicker dough. Stretch the dough to about 10" instead of 12" so that you have a bit thicker bottom. Spread the ice evenly over the dough and cook as usual. When the crust is done and the water warm to hot... pull it out and add about 1/2 cup of the Pecorino Romano and a fair amount of pepper to taste, making a bit of a sauce with the cheese. Drizzle with the EVVO. Cut into slices and finish with the rest of the Pecorino. One of my favorites now!

Thank you Bongowillie!

Great setup Ski-Freak! You will love the new firebox. I specially like the charcoal basket and ash pan... so easy to clean out. I noticed that my gasket is narrower now... I thought it was a factory thing, but revisiting the photos above I noticed the gasket is the full width of the ceramic thickness. How long did yours last? I wonder if my hot firings has accelerated the demise of the gasket.

Thank you Inarngr. Lose the fear, it just takes a bit of practice, observation and adjusting to refine. Cheers.

The gap is 1.25" between the two stones.

Thank you Freddy.