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Second Attempt at Pizza - Too Smokey

Iceman5705
Iceman5705 Posts: 83
edited June 2012 in EggHead Forum

Guys,

Did pizza sunday and monday night.  First cook was at 425 and it turned out great, slight smoke flavor - everybody loved it.  Pie was about 12".

Last night did it at 475-500 and the pie was about 18" and I noticed quite a bit more smoke flavor.  The wife actually said she like the center cut peices more because they weren't so smokey.

Is it because of the higher temp there were more VOC's present?  Too much heat?  I started the lump (100% Oak Lump) in three places and let it get up to 550 over about a half hour.  Platesetter legs down with BGE XL pizza stone.

As always, thanks to all for your feedback.

Ice

Comments

  • The_Buffalo
    The_Buffalo Posts: 455
    Let the EGG heat up a little long...make sure there is no smoke coming out of the top when it reaches temp. When it's at temp let it sit there for a few mins. I do my pizzas at about 525 degrees.

    Sometimes it depends on the cook before...try not to let dripping fall on the place setter...this could cause a smokey taste in your foods too.
    Coming to you from the Mothership!
  • xraypat23
    xraypat23 Posts: 421
    I won't start cooking pizzas till it's been over 500 for over a hour.
  • RAWRIGHT
    RAWRIGHT Posts: 8
    I made my first attempt at pizza this weekend and tossed in a few apple chips, I had the same feeling pizza was good but too smokey.  I did 450 since it was a papa murphys pizza, I was hoping leaving the chips out and going hotter and faster next time might reduce the smoke flavor.
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    What was your setup? Ive never experienced smiley flavors on my pies. I cook mine at 600 with the plate setter legs down. I then put spacers on the PS and place the stone on them. Let the egg stay at temp for at least a half hour before cooking. As others have said, no smoke should be visible, even at lower temps. You will only see heat vapors.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    "I won't start cooking pizzas till it's been over 500 for over a hour."
    ?
    really?
    i find by the time i am at 500, the VOCs are gone.  might wait fifteen minutes, but can't imagine an hour.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Yeah...I give the stone time to come up to temp....maybe 30 minutes or so. An hour seems like a lot.
  • Kristinnn
    Kristinnn Posts: 133
    i have cooked 3 so far.. 
    platesetter legs up, grate, then pizza stone.. first was at 500 with publix dough..burnt it a little on the underside and just a touch doughey in the middle top so the second and third pizzas i did at 400-450 but i cooked the crust for a couple minutes first (until there were air pockets)..then topped it and put it back in and they came out great... i used the super peel to transport and the pizza was prob 14" or so
  • Kristinnn
    Kristinnn Posts: 133
    and i didnt notice any smoke flavor..no one else said anything either
  • xraypat23
    xraypat23 Posts: 421
    idk stike, i just like to let it sit there and all come to temperature evenly, platesetter, stone, dome. Might be slightly anal, but I'm figuring on using most of the coal in the basket for a high temp cook.
  • jimi1234
    jimi1234 Posts: 101
    I have only made pizza once and I also found it to be too smokey. I set up similar to Kristin with the plate setter legs up and the stone on the grid. My dome temp was approximately 525 deg.

    I let it run for quite a while (maybe 45 mins) and I never got to the 'good smoke.' The smoke was still the thicker white smoke even after all that time. Do you get the blue/clear-ish kind of smoke on high temps?

    Admittedly, my plate setter is pretty dirty. Maybe it was the crap on that getting burned. Maybe I should attempt a clean burn with the plate setter in before attempting another pizza. Should that improve my pizza? 


  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    "Maybe it was the crap on that getting burned"

    thjat's exactly what it was.  you were basically trying to cook a pizza during a high temp burn.

    come to think of it, that can happen with the entire insides of the egg.  so maybe x-raypat's one hour rule isn't so strange after all
    :-/

    my rule is always 'if it smells good, it's good to go'
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Guys,

    Did pizza sunday and monday night.  First cook was at 425 and it turned out great, slight smoke flavor - everybody loved it.  Pie was about 12".

    Last night did it at 475-500 and the pie was about 18" and I noticed quite a bit more smoke flavor.  The wife actually said she like the center cut peices more because they weren't so smokey.

    Is it because of the higher temp there were more VOC's present?  Too much heat?  I started the lump (100% Oak Lump) in three places and let it get up to 550 over about a half hour.  Platesetter legs down with BGE XL pizza stone.

    As always, thanks to all for your feedback.

    Ice

    Same lump both times?


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • I made my first attempt at pizza this weekend and tossed in a few apple chips, I had the same feeling pizza was good but too smokey.  I did 450 since it was a papa murphys pizza, I was hoping leaving the chips out and going hotter and faster next time might reduce the smoke flavor.
    leave the chips out. Bread gets crazy smokey and does not need any help. 


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    My last box pizza was really smoky almost hard to eat... I was impatient tho.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    C-Y, i add a little oak (small amount, twigs, that sort of thing) to my pizza cooks.
    lots of wood fired pizza places around here.  touch of oak works well
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante