This topic came up somewhere else and I wanted to share my info on using clay pots for cooking. There are a zillion flower pot cookers out there on the web. From my research and speaking with pottery guru, the best material to use for a clay pot oven seems to be raku clay mixed with kyanite. All clay pots will crack from thermal shock but this mixture is said to be the most durable.
I haven't tried this mix at all but I was interested in the answer and it wasn't so easy to find.