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Need help with pizza

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flmtrain
flmtrain Posts: 15
edited June 2012 in EggHead Forum
Ok, so tried pizza two times this week and failed. First time, I bought fresh dough rolled it out and put it on a pizza pan. I had my large BGE set up with the plate setter legs down and a BGE pizza stone on top. Egg set right around 480-500 degrees going for about 20 minutes before adding the pizza. The pizza would not slide off the pan so I put it in the egg figuring after it cooked awhile I could slide it off but that did not happen to easy but I got it on the stone direct after ten minutes. Only the crust baked and got done the rest of the pizza stuck to the stone and did not bake. I left it on but then the cheese was turning brown. Then I tried again last night with a frozen pizza same set up but put the pizza right from the box to stone still same problem pizza stuck and never baked cheese got done turning brown. I have read about cornmeal but then a lot of people said put nothing on the stone and when baking pizza on the stone in the oven I never have a problem. Need help please! Thanks, Frank
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  • BigGreenJon
    BigGreenJon Posts: 45
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    I've baked at least a dozen pizzas and I only use a bit of cornmeal on the pizza stone. Never once had a problem with pizza sticking.  I have never used it but some folks here use parchment paper and have reported great results.  
    Lucky to have a LG Egg My Blog: http://manvsgrill.blogspot.com/
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  • Kristinnn
    Kristinnn Posts: 133
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    i roll dough out on my kitchen counter with some flour and use the super peel to move it from the counter directly to the pizza stone.  I let the dough cook a couple mins in the egg then take it back out with the peel and top it..then put it back in.  I normally do platesetter legs up, grate, then pizza stone.  Last night i was cooking other stuff directly so i heated up the pizza stone in the oven and put it over direct heat raised grid and it worked just as well.  
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Put the crust on parchment paper before putting on the stone and your problems will be fixed. many remove the paper after a few minutes but I don't and have never had any problems. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • B&BKnox
    B&BKnox Posts: 283
    edited June 2012
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    First preheat the the pizza stone in the egg for a minimum of 45 minutes, 1 hour better.  I go legs up on setter, grid on top off setter and stone on that.  I also use parchment paper under the pizza, makes it easy and idiot proof.  Roll your dough on the paper and assemble pizza and move to stone.  At 450 mine can cook for anywhere from 11 to 19 minutes depending what I load on pizza.  I cook DFMT off and use a flash light and peek at an angle so face is not above vent.  When it starts to brown, I carefully open dome, be aware of flashback, and lift crust to see doneness of bottom of crust, lightly browned I usually pull.  Perfect almost every time.  The egg makes the best pizza.
    Be Well

    Knoxville TN
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  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
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    Sounds like your stone wasnt hot enough.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Sounds like your stone wasnt hot enough.
    i agree with that
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • MikeP624
    MikeP624 Posts: 292
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    If you have lots of toppings and thick dough, the middle of the dough will not cook before you burn the bottom and over cook your cheese.

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  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
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    Sounds like your stone wasnt hot enough.
    i agree with that
    I know plenty of people do it here, and it works for them, but........
    When you put the stone direct on the plate setter (legs down), it will take longer to get that pizza stone to temp. 
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
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  • flmtrain
    flmtrain Posts: 15
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    Thanks everyone, looks like I am ready for my third pizza try tonight. I am going to put the setter with legs up then grid on that then the stone. I will leave the stone to heat up for 45 minutes before putting on the pizza. Is my temp sound correct, 480-500 degrees? Since my cheese burned before my crust was done, I will back off the temp to 450. As for the parchment paper, I know it's a dumb question but where do I buy that and if I can use my stone in my over without paper or cornmeal why on the BGE do I need parchment paper? Just asking, I want the pizza to turn out so I will try just about anything right now. Thanks again for all your great help.
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  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
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    I know ypu want a good pizza but....Just try changing 1 thing at a time. Too many changes and you won't know what worked or didn't.
    I think you should be okay with just flipping the plate setter and keeping the temp.
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
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  • rickHP
    rickHP Posts: 49
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     As for the parchment paper, I know it's a dumb question but where do I buy that and if I can use my stone in my over without paper or cornmeal why on the BGE do I need parchment paper?


    You buy parchment paper in the supermarket in the same aisle as foils and plastic wrap, although I know it's harder to find in some stores than others.

    Are you cooking the pizza directly on the stone in your oven, or on the pan on the stone? The cornmeal/paper has more to do with easing the transfer of the dough from the pizza peel to the stone to make sure it slides off easily than anything to do with actually cooking it.

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  • flmtrain
    flmtrain Posts: 15
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    I have been making my own pizza dough and sauce for years. I bake the pizza right on the stone. Put the stone in the over at 450 degrees. After the stone is in the hot over for 15 minutes,  I roll out the dough, then pull the stone, put the dough right on the stone, add sauce, cheese and topping then back in the oven. Pizza has been perfect every time. The pizza slides off easy after it is baked. I thought the BGE pizza would be the same but I do understand what people are saying to put legs up then grid then stone so the heat gets up under the stone but needing 45 minutes in the hot BGE before putting on the pizza just seems like a very long time. I am going to try it. Thanks, Frank
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  • rickHP
    rickHP Posts: 49
    edited June 2012
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    FWIW, I have a ceramic insert in my home oven, equivalent to a very thick pizza stone. Running the oven at 550 on convection takes at least 45 minutes to heat up the stone to 550 degrees surface temp, measured with an infrared thermometer. So I am not surprised to hear the advice to run the Egg for 45 minutes to get the stone to a hot temp.

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  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
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    I sprinkle cornmeal on my peel. Build my pie on the cornmealed peel. and as long as I have enough cornmeal (I'm  talking about 2tbs. max) and I don't leave my pie sit on peel for more than 10 or 15 minutes I'm set. Never tried the other way because this way has worked flawless for me.
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