Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Pizza Tips??

Eggtucky
Eggtucky Posts: 2,746
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
It's the only thing I've ever totally trashed on the egg...have a fantastic dough recipe and homemade sauce...but getting the darn thing off the peel and onto the stone is trouble every time...totally wasted a large sausage, pepperoni, black olive, double pepper, double cheese last night. Looked like a damn hot pocket after I scraped it off the stone and trashed it! Have tried dry peel, floured peel, corn mealed peel....regardless, the dang thing just won't slide off the peel and onto the stone..ideas?..tips?...suggestions??..maybe the dough is too wet??..loading it up too heavy??...dunno...good news is..let 'er cool down for a few hours and did an overnighter pork butt..it's lookin scrumptilicious!!...

Comments

  • Perhaps you should assemble your pie on a pizza screen and put the screen with the pizza right on the stone. Should be no problem getting it in & out of the EGG that way.

    Rascal
  • Good Eats
    Good Eats Posts: 136
    Don't know why but pizza is one of my favorites on the egg... here is what I do everytime with lots of success. Platesetter legs down, little green feet on top of that and a pizza stone on top of that... cornmeal on the pizza stone... 450 egg stablized, drop on the pizza for about 20 min and you're done. Don't know what is happening with yours, pizza is really easy... maybe others will chime in.
  • Keith
    Keith Posts: 6
    If you have an adequate amount of cornmeal on your pizza peel and your pizza's are still consistantly sticking to the peel, then you are likely letting the pizza sit on the peel too long. Basically, you want to put the dough on the peel after you assemble the pizza and go right onto the cooking stone without a lot of delay. Don't give the dough time to stick to the peel.

    Place the tip of the peel on the back edge of the stone . With one swift motion, jerk the peel back out from under the pizza.
  • icemncmth
    icemncmth Posts: 1,165
    Well the real problem is you have to know what type of pizza you are making...If you are using a recipe that says bake in oven at 350..then do that on the egg...

    If you are like me and like to make Neopolitan style pizza then I cook with plate setter legs down...1/4" copper pipe between the plate setter and pizza stone..All you are trying to do is put some air between the stone and setter...Then I use a wooden peel and lots of cornmeal..

    I shape the dough by hand...usuallly in the air...and then place on the peel and put toppings on..I give the peel a little shake every once in a while to keep it from stiking. ( I use a very high hydration dough}

    I have my egg running wide open...on the bottom and no daisy wheel on top...I have put lump all the way up the firewall ...almost touching the plate setter..about 2" below that..

    I have had my egg running for 30 mins or more...It is very hot..Most of the time my temp gauge
    at the top of the egg says around 900 deg..but if you measure the temp on the stone it is well over 1000deg..

    I do a quick one motion jerk and the pizza slides off the peel ....If for some reason it still wants to stick...I just grab some fishing line and run it quickl under the pizza.

    Pizza on stone...lid shut...3 mins later I burp the egg and check to see how much longer...

    Depending on the hydration of the dough and the humidity in the air ..it is ether done or needs
    30 secs to 1.5 mins...

    I really don't put any cornmeal on the stone becuase if the stone is hot enought the pizza will not stick...

    I open the egg and grab the pizza with my hand and quickly slide it onto a pizza pan..wait a
    min then cut and serve..

    That is the pic of the BGE stone...I now use a larger stone by Primo..

    182671499-L.jpg
  • You can use parchment paper on the peel and build your pizza on that. It slides onto the stone easily and in a few minutes, after the dough has set up, you can pull it off. I've never tried it on the egg, but it worked in the oven.

    Patty
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    I make life easier with parchment paper when baking pizzas. I know its cheating but my dough has a high moisture content and its thin- so I'd make a mess on the stone without using parchment. I dont like the cornmeal trick because I don't like to eat cornmeal with my pizza. I have seen a peel with roller surface that will roll a pizza off and back on the peel again but I'm not interested in that, I need simplicity.
    Until I find a better way to move my thin crust pizza around, parchment paper is my friend.
    Good luck, have fun.
  • TRex
    TRex Posts: 2,714
    I'll second the parchment paper idea. I also use it when baking cookies. It's a life saver.

    11-18_cookie1_web.jpg

    TRex
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    Ohhhh boy. Say, mind if I have a couple of those with my coffee? :cheer:

    I made chocolate chip oatmeal in a pan yesterday using parchment paper. Tip; Rub pan with shortening first then line with parchment- the parchment will stick to the shortening and conform much better to the bottom and sides of the pan.
    Cookies rule.
  • Eggtucky
    Eggtucky Posts: 2,746
    Thanks guys 'n gals...good suggestions all...I like the little fishing line trick too!!...I'll try the parchment paper...good idea for the cookies too!...I think part of the problem is I'm building the pizza too large and too heavy also...I really load the stuff on!
  • mikeb6109
    mikeb6109 Posts: 2,067
    parchement paper!!! that is the answer, itried cornmeal but then you are crunching on these small dirt like texture abd to my opinion ruins the pizza.
    here is my set up.......
    2007_10180011.jpg
    2007_10180016.jpg
    and finally the end results!!
    2007_10180018.jpg
  • How hot can you get it and still use parchment paper?
  • icemncmth
    icemncmth Posts: 1,165
    Clay Q wrote:
    I make life easier with parchment paper when baking pizzas. I know its cheating but my dough has a high moisture content and its thin- so I'd make a mess on the stone without using parchment. I dont like the cornmeal trick because I don't like to eat cornmeal with my pizza. I have seen a peel with roller surface that will roll a pizza off and back on the peel again but I'm not interested in that, I need simplicity.
    Until I find a better way to move my thin crust pizza around, parchment paper is my friend.
    Good luck, have fun.

    One other thing you can do is just you flour..but you have to watch out..because flour will catch fire!...

    182671201-L.jpg
  • JDub
    JDub Posts: 23
    If you place the dough onto the peel after it has already been shaped, and put flour and cornmeal between the dough and peel, it will slide off nicely. Keep peel horizontal or all of your toppings will end up on one side of the pizza. If you shape the dough while it is on the peel, it will become stuck and the results will be as you described.

    Good luck, I made pizza last night and it was great.