Question about the Lodge Pro Pizza pan

Duganboy

Do you preheat the Lodge CI pan in the egg, like you do a regular pizza stone or do you just put the pizza on it and then put in BGE?

TIA

B&BKnox

I haven't used one but assume you have to preheat, CI takes a while to get warm, if no preheating then toppings will get done and crust would be doughy

Duganboy

Lodge website just gives instructions for conventional oven and they just put it in the oven.  Somebody will know.

Cowdogs

No point comparing it to a pizza stone. It won't do that same thing, preheated or not.

RichardBronosky

I let it preheat, while cooking oiled mushrooms on it, while preparing the crust. I try to get the youngster's pizza on the pan when it is 350°-450° because they like a Papa John's style crust. I let it get up to 700°-900° before I put the grown up's pizza on. We like a chewy, crusty, Neapolitan style (wood fired brick oven for 90-120 seconds) crust. It take less than 3 minutes. Putting $0.58 red clay bricks from Home Depot under the pan gets the pizza higher in the dome so the convection melts the cheese.

Setup

• LBGE firebox filled into the fire ring with lump
• platesetter legs up (BGE says this is the only way to use it)
• CI grate
• red clay bricks
• 14" Lodge CI Pizza pan
• Publix pizza dough on parchment paper trimmed tight to the shape of the crust

I remove the parchment paper in less than 1 minute on the hotter cooks

RichardBronosky

No point comparing it to a pizza stone. It won't do that same thing, preheated or not.

I had a pizza stone for 10 years prior to buying this. What do you expect to be different? The cast iron conducts a little bit more efficiently than a stone so it will char the crust quicker... which is what you want for a Neapolitan or NY style pizza.

Cowdogs

No point comparing it to a pizza stone. It won't do that same thing, preheated or not.

I had a pizza stone for 10 years prior to buying this. What do you expect to be different? The cast iron conducts a little bit more efficiently than a stone so it will char the crust quicker... which is what you want for a Neapolitan or NY style pizza.

I agree it would get hotter faster, but it seems it would be more prone to uneven heating because it's thin. I suppose that if you strike the right balance between dome temp and pan temp, you'll get a good pizza.

tgkleman

I let it preheat, while cooking oiled mushrooms on it, while preparing the crust. I try to get the youngster's pizza on the pan when it is 350°-450° because they like a Papa John's style crust. I let it get up to 700°-900° before I put the grown up's pizza on. We like a chewy, crusty, Neapolitan style (wood fired brick oven for 90-120 seconds) crust. It take less than 3 minutes. Putting $0.58 red clay bricks from Home Depot under the pan gets the pizza higher in the dome so the convection melts the cheese.

Setup

• LBGE firebox filled into the fire ring with lump
• platesetter legs up (BGE says this is the only way to use it)
• CI grate
• red clay bricks
• 14" Lodge CI Pizza pan
• Publix pizza dough on parchment paper trimmed tight to the shape of the crust

I remove the parchment paper in less than 1 minute on the hotter cooks

I was under the impression you should use fire bricks inside the egg, in that a regular brick could crack / explode.  Any thoughts?

Duganboy

I let it preheat, while cooking oiled mushrooms on it, while preparing the crust. I try to get the youngster's pizza on the pan when it is 350°-450° because they like a Papa John's style crust. I let it get up to 700°-900° before I put the grown up's pizza on. We like a chewy, crusty, Neapolitan style (wood fired brick oven for 90-120 seconds) crust. It take less than 3 minutes. Putting $0.58 red clay bricks from Home Depot under the pan gets the pizza higher in the dome so the convection melts the cheese.

Setup

• LBGE firebox filled into the fire ring with lump
• platesetter legs up (BGE says this is the only way to use it)
• CI grate
• red clay bricks
• 14" Lodge CI Pizza pan
• Publix pizza dough on parchment paper trimmed tight to the shape of the crust

I remove the parchment paper in less than 1 minute on the hotter cooks

Thanks Richard.  I have a great affinity for iron skillets, dutch overs, cornbread pans, etc.  Have gotten into having pizza every Friday night and I'm just sorta jonesing to try the CI pizza stone.

70chevelle

I don't use the CI pizza pan, but I make pizza's in my #10 Griswold pan.  Occassionally it's warm from sauteing the toppings, but it's room temp most of the time.  I put it right in the oven or on the egg (@550*)and my crusts come out fine every time. 

Duganboy

Thanks Chevelle.  #10 Griswold is a collector's piece.

Chubbs

Regular bricks are fine. I put them on the fire ring for a cheap raised direct solution. No problems.