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Bad Pizza Cook!

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Buckeye Fan
Buckeye Fan Posts: 50
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I usually use Royal Oak but picked up a bag of Cowboy lump. I cleaned out the egg totally and loaded the new lump to the fire ring. I lit the fire in 3 places and sat with a beer and watched thick foul smelling black smoke pour out of the egg for about 25 minutes! I could not get the fire above 400 degrees so I put my little fan set up by the lower vent. I made my good pizza dough and homemade sauce then whipped up a meat lovers pizza looked really good on the peel.

Put the pizza on and 10 minutes later one half of the bottom was burnt black!!!! I don't know if the fan caused the front half of the crust to burn that quick. Was the Cowboy lump a problem? Why am I having so much trouble getting the egg over 400 degrees? Just looking for some help from the group.

Thanks,

Buckeye Fan
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Comments

  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
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    Well what was the pizza setup? You did have the plate setter in legs down, some sort of air spacers like the three green feet and then your pizza stone. You left the pizza stone in for 45 minutes to get to temperature and then put the pizza on??
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Here's a couple of questions. Have you removed the fire box and cleaned out the ash that builds up under the holes in the bowl?

    I'm supposing you were using a platesetter. And gunk on that to burn off?

    The platesetter and pizza stone can be very hot, nore than 500F, and the dome therm may still read 400.

    However, because just one side of the pizza was burnt, and you were forcing air, I have to think it was air flow blockage causing the problem.
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  • Buckeye Fan
    Buckeye Fan Posts: 50
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    The set up was direct cook on a raised rig. I have not taken the fire box out. I do use a small shop vac and shove the hose in the bottom vent behind the fire box on both sides. Maybe I should take everything out and check for ash build up.
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  • B&BKnox
    B&BKnox Posts: 283
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    I agree about the thick smoke (mine is grayish) coming off the cowboy for 25 minutes or so. It also seems dense and if not loaded carefully you can get lower temps. I have my bottom vent almost wide open and DFMT about 1 inch open and tear drops full open and grill was only 350, This 45 minutes after lighting, my stone was not as hot as usual and my crust came out almost soggy, cooked pizza 18 minutes, about 7 more than usual. Pizza also had a heavy smoky taste and I added no smoke wood.

    That being said on another cook I cleaned out the box carefully reloaded the fire box and trex'd steaks getting grill over 800 with the cowboy lump. Not a fan 0f cowboy thou, like RO, but really hard to find now.

    Go Blue!
    Be Well

    Knoxville TN
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  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
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    You have identified your problem, direct cook. Not recommended or the pizza will burn on the bottom.
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  • Farffle
    Farffle Posts: 7
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    I have used Cowboy before with good results. Not sure what the problem would be. I would agree though that pizza should be done indirect with a stone.
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  • Longrifle
    Longrifle Posts: 130
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    PhilsGrill wrote:
    Well what was the pizza setup? You did have the plate setter in legs down, some sort of air spacers like the three green feet and then your pizza stone. You left the pizza stone in for 45 minutes to get to temperature and then put the pizza on??

    I am new to the egg and your answer leads me to a question. I read the book with arived with the BGE and it said to place the pizza stone on the plate setter. You say there needs to be space between the plate setter and stone. Just for the record I am going with your advice. But I would like to know why, would you please enlighten me.
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  • Buckeye Fan
    Buckeye Fan Posts: 50
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    Oh man what a rookie mistake! Geez, I have cooked 4 pizzas and they have been really good. What was I thinking. I put the CI grid on the egg then a raised grill that I made and then the pizza stone. None of the pies I have done in the past few month's had a burnt crust like this one. Just a sill mistake that shows I am still in the rookie stage of cooking on the Egg. Can't wait to cook another pizza. This should have been very obvious. Looking a little stupid here. Don't hold it against me Guys & Gals.

    Buckeye Fan
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