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Burning Pizza!

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mumbee
mumbee Posts: 3
edited April 2012 in EggHead Forum

We have tried cooking pizza a few times now, different temps and rack heights, anybody have any suggestions?  We bought our bbq last year and love it, hope we can figure this out.

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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Tell us about your setup. Platesetter, spacers pizza stone?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • mumbee
    mumbee Posts: 3
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    This week we tried this, plate setter, cooking grid elevator, cooking grid, and then secondary cooking grid. The pizza was raised partway into the dome for cooking.  We had hoped that if the pizza was further away from the charcoal it wouldn't burn.  Trmp 550, then dropped to 450 when lid opened to put pizza in.  First pizza maybe 10 min and second 5 min.

  • mumbee
    mumbee Posts: 3
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    oops forgot, we used the green egg pizza stone

     

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    I'm assuming you are burning the crust?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • BRush00
    BRush00 Posts: 367
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    I've only done pizza's once (thin crust, store bought pizza, a last minute decision), they turned out quite well.  What I did was:

    got the fire going nice and hot (probably around 500 or so, can't recall 100%)

    Plate Setter, legs DOWN
    Pizza stone (BGE Brand) directly on plate setter
    Pizza directly on stone.

    Close dome and cooked for 10-15 minutes.  second pizza turned out better than the first, as the stone had by that time, had more time to come up to temp.
    [Insert clever signature line here]
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    The problem with that is that the platesetter will see the radiant heat from the lump and get overly hot. With the stone on the platesetter it will do the same. If you put some small spacers in, I use 3/4" plumbing tees, you will keep the stone at the ambient temp.

    I think mumbee's problem might be that he has too much space between the platesetter and stone.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • MikeP624
    MikeP624 Posts: 292
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    Won't raising the pizza higher and higher in the dome expose the pizza to higher temps.  The dome temp is usually 20 to 30 degrees hot than the grate temp.  Maybe with all the extra height from the grid elevator and secondary grid the pizza is at a much higher temp than you thought.

     

    Just a thought, i have yet to try a pizza.  Just tried to reason it out based on what i have read on other threads.

  • BRush00
    BRush00 Posts: 367
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    Interesting thought Little Steven,

    So you're saying we should have *some* space in between the plate setter and pizza rock to avoid the pizza rock getting too hot and turning a "crispy/crunchy" crust into charcoal itself?

    What if a guy were to just use the stainless steel grate in between the plate setter (legs down) and rock?
    [Insert clever signature line here]
  • Fliehigh
    Fliehigh Posts: 76
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    I think that would work.

     

    I cooked 2 pizza's last night and turned out great, my setup was as follows:

    Plate setter legs down

    Pizza stone setting on a carrying rack and then placed on the platesetter (of couse the puizza was on the stone)

    Dome temp around 550 and I cooked them for about 10-15 each.

    The steel rack would give you about the same spacing I have between my stone and the platesetter.

    I love Pizza on the Egg.

  • gtk10583
    gtk10583 Posts: 77
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    Does your pizza dough have any sugar in it?  That will cause the crust to burn easily.
  • RichardBronosky
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    I've only done pizza's once (thin crust, store bought pizza, a last minute decision), they turned out quite well.  What I did was:

    got the fire going nice and hot (probably around 500 or so, can't recall 100%)

    Plate Setter, legs DOWN
    Pizza stone (BGE Brand) directly on plate setter
    Pizza directly on stone.

    Close dome and cooked for 10-15 minutes.  second pizza turned out better than the first, as the stone had by that time, had more time to come up to temp.
    BGE tells you to never use their plate setter legs down. It diverts the heat and flame-ups directly into the gasket.

    You should be doing:
    PS legs up > grate > pizza stone

    Also, 10 minutes is an ETERNITY for pizza. I turned a pizza black on the bottom in 4 minutes at 600°. What I go for is 2.5 minutes at 650°.
    I finally took the plunge and bought my large Big Green Easter Egg from Roswell Hardware in Roswell, GA 03/31/2012
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Where does BGE tell you to use the platesetter legs up?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Interesting thought Little Steven,

    So you're saying we should have *some* space in between the plate setter and pizza rock to avoid the pizza rock getting too hot and turning a "crispy/crunchy" crust into charcoal itself?

    What if a guy were to just use the stainless steel grate in between the plate setter (legs down) and rock?

    I found I wasn't getting the results I wanted with the PS legs up and started with the plunbing tee's, 1/2" first and found 3/4" better. Using the copper fittings was not my idea BTW, lots of guys on the other forum used them. The higher you can get the whole setup in the dome the better results will be.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
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    Where does BGE tell you to use the platesetter legs up?
    they told me to do that when I put a claim for a new gasket.
    The sad part is, I had it that way when I crisped my gasket doing pizza in the first place. 

    One thing that a lot of people aren't mentioning here, and probably a good variable) is how long there are preheating their pizza stones for.  
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • RichardBronosky
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    Where does BGE tell you to use the platesetter legs up?
    they told me to do that when I put a claim for a new gasket.
    The sad part is, I had it that way when I crisped my gasket doing pizza in the first place. 

    One thing that a lot of people aren't mentioning here, and probably a good variable) is how long there are preheating their pizza stones for.  
    Ditto.
    I finally took the plunge and bought my large Big Green Easter Egg from Roswell Hardware in Roswell, GA 03/31/2012
  • B-Eph
    B-Eph Posts: 9
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    Another thing that I have read somewhere along the line was to spray the pizza stone with water immediately before putting the pizza on the stone. I've done it and it seems to work.

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    That may be a storyline they are trying to hold now but they originally used the up or down capability of the thing as a feature. The logo is on the top for goodness sake

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
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    That may be a storyline they are trying to hold now but they originally used the up or down capability of the thing as a feature. The logo is on the top for goodness sake
    amen. There are so many recipes with plate setter up/down out there. I bet they were even from BGE in their little cook book that came with my egg. I was taught to use it either way for certain cooks. This is all new trying to CYA with the gasket issue
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
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    Little Steven's plumbing tee suggestion works great. He suggested it to me a few weeks ago and since then I've gotten perfect results. Another variable is the dough. I've found that store bought dough isn't good for the bin temp cooks. I think that it has too much sugar in it. I make my own dough using the recipe from the BGE cookbook and it works well.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    And besides, what is the difference to the gasket is there if the legs are up or down anyway? The thing is still the same height with round(ish) ceramic disc at the same height either way unless I'm missing something. Maybe stike could do a rendering

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
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    Do you rotate the pie every 5 minutes to even out the burning?

    I also use brick spacers around the edge of the stone, so the center has an insulating air space.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
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    And besides, what is the difference to the gasket is there if the legs are up or down anyway? The thing is still the same height with round(ish) ceramic disc at the same height either way unless I'm missing something. Maybe stike could do a rendering
    Theory is that legs down puts the stone at gasket level and the heat rolls out right there and fries that gasket. Legs down the stone is down on the fire ring a I guess does not blast right on the gasket. I do legs up for low and slow and have been doing legs down for pizza but changed to legs up with grate for pizza. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    I'll have to look at my platesetter but unless the feet are offset I can't see why there would be a height difference either way. :-?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Eggbertsdad
    Eggbertsdad Posts: 804
    edited April 2012
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    A couple of things: 1) Plumbing tees? Are they special in any way or just the ones you get at the hardware store? 2) As mentioned earlier, the dough may have a higher sugar content thus burning at a high temp.
    Sarasota, FL via Boynton Beach, FL, via Sarasota, FL, via Charleston, SC, via The Outer Banks, via God's Country (East TN on Ft. Loudon Lake)
  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
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    I'll have to look at my platesetter but unless the feet are offset I can't see why there would be a height difference either way. :-?
    the platesetter has feet. The feet elevate the stone off the fire ring. If you don't use the feet (ie, inverted) you lose the height provided by the feet so the stone is lower. 

    And think about this.....the fact that they call it inverted tells me that it is made to use both ways. If it were only intended for use feet up, then why would they even have feet. They could easily have made it without feet and it would work exactly the same way. as feet up.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
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    Plumbing tees are found in the plumbing dept at lowes, Home Depot, or any hardware store. 3 of them might cost a grand total of 2
    $2.50.

    @doc I rotate my pies every few minutes to even out the crust.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Just normal tees, you can use 90*'s if you want but I think the tees are more stable.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    That's copper tees BTW

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
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    That's copper tees BTW
    PVC might be a little smelly!
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    I meant as opposed to brass or black pipe wiseguy :D

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON