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Pizza on the Egg questions

Sooner Egg
Sooner Egg Posts: 578
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
apparently I've cooked enough meat on the egg; steaks, burgers, chops, ribs, chicken and brisket, now my wife and daughter want pizza done on it.....I have made the crust and it is currently doing a 3 day slow fermentation in the fridge, now for the logistics; I'm accepting any and all suggestions with regards to the plate setter and pizza stone; legs up? legs down? pizza stone on the egg feet?how long to preheat the pizza stone and at what temp? All suggestions are greatly appreciated. :)

Comments

  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    I have good luck with the plate setter legs up, grid and pizza stone on grid. With this setup I use parchment paper under the pizza.

    My other setup uses a perforated pizza pan on the grid without the pizza stone, plate setter legs up as above. All I do is grease the pan with shortening and toss the rolled out dough onto the pan. It's easy on, easy off with the pizza pan. While one pizza is baking I can make another using several pans. Crust turns out crispy with the egg at 500 dome.

    Good luck and have fun!
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    I go Platesetter legs down. Little green feet on platesetter, supporting pizza stone. The theory is that it allows some air circulation while rasing the food level up slightly. Not sure if it does any good but it works for me. I use this same setup for most of my baking.
    Picture456789030-1-1.jpg
  • Panhandle Smoker
    Panhandle Smoker Posts: 3,018
    I cook pizza once a week or so and still playing around with different things. I use a large and an XL so the configurations differ a little. On the large I use the plate setter legs up and a short elevated grid. I have not used the stone at grid level yet I find it easier to get to the pizza with a peel above the felt line. Grid level would work if you do not have an elevated grid. You might consider some sort of spacing on the grid to get your stone above the felt line. I usually cook about 450. Good luck, After this you will find yourself doing pizzas more often especially since you have a little one. :laugh:
  • Panhandle Smoker
    Panhandle Smoker Posts: 3,018
    You dont experience the dough not cooking all the way to the center. I used similar spacing on my Xl and it didn't seem to cook the dough good in the center. Maybe I needed to pre heat longer with that set up. :ermm:
  • JohnB
    JohnB Posts: 183
    I put the plate setter legs up (mainly so if the egg gets hot it won't direct heat/flames directly towards the gasket). I put the grill/grid on top of the plate setter legs and the three ceramic feet that came with the egg between the stone and the grill/grid.

    I like to cook my pizzas between 550 and 600. They take about 5-7 minutes each. Be sure to turn them 180 degrees once during the cook.

    I don't use parchment. I find if you put enough corn meal on the peal and jiggle the dough when you put the dough on, then the toppings on, making sure the dough slides around each step of the way, it comes off pretty easily onto the stone.

    good luck
  • On my large, I use the platesetter, legs down, with the pizza stone directly on top (no feet). Big raging fire, allow it to max out (as hot as you can get it) and heat the setter and stone for at least 30-45 minutes (while you press out the dough,etc). I hand-stretch the dough onto parchment, top it (lightly; restraint is key to good pizza), and peel it onto the stone. After 1.5 minutes, you can slide out the parchment, if you'd like. If the stars align and your stone is fully preheated, the crust will be completely done & nicely browned/charred in spots just as the cheese is bubbling. It takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the temp, dough thickness, and amount of toppings.

    Here's a photo on my blog: http://bouillie.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/big-green-egg-first-fire/ Pizza was the very first thing I cooked on the egg! I've since learned to trim down the parchment to prevent overhanging paper corners, which tend to burn.
  • Jersey Doug
    Jersey Doug Posts: 460
    Based on my own unhappy experience burning out the gasket on our Small Egg I would use the plate setter legs up. The pizza stone on the porcelain grate on top of the legs will work fine. I stabilize the Egg at 450º and then let it preheat for at least 30 minutes while I prep the ingredients and assemble the first pie. They cook in 10-12 minutes.

    (I mostly use the Large Egg for pizza now. 12" BGE pizza stone on the Spider as a heat deflector. 14" pizza stone on the porcelain grate up in the done on the Adjustable Rig. Same time and temperature as above.)
  • 407BGE
    407BGE Posts: 187
    I have the adjustable rig and think that getting the pizza higher up in the dome helps with the heat off the dome. I put the stone on the grill on the top level and put round pan to deflect the heat from hitting the bottom of the pizza stone.

    I run it full for 1 hour which is around 700.

    The pizza take about three minutes and are much better than you can get at the local pizzeria.
  • 407BGE
    407BGE Posts: 187
    I have the adjustable rig and think that getting the pizza higher up in the dome helps with the heat off the dome. I put the stone on the grill on the top level and put round pan to deflect the heat from hitting the bottom of the pizza stone.

    I run it full for 1 hour which is around 700.

    The pizza take about three minutes and are much better than you can get at the local pizzeria.
  • Sooner Egg
    Sooner Egg Posts: 578
    thanx for all the suggestions......tomorrow night is pizza night so no worries
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    You 'should' preheat everything 1 hour before putting the pizza on. Works for me.
  • mojo
    mojo Posts: 220
    I like the idea of raising the pizza stone with the green ceramic feet. My large is built in to an outdoor kitchen, and the feet are resting beneath the BGE! Could I use fire bricks instead or would that be too high? Based on the fact that 407BGE uses the top shelf of the adjustable rig, I would guess that fire bricks would be just fine.
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Small firebricks would work, or cut off copper fittings, or just balled up aluminum foil.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Maybe this sounds silly, but what is the easiest way to get a round shape? Mine all wind up looking like I tore a page out of a magazine!!!
  • Topo Gigio
    Topo Gigio Posts: 98
    The most effective method for me is to have each ball rise in its own round tuppeware or bowl. When its time to shape its easier to start with a circle piece of dough as opposed to cutting 1 big mass into 2 or 3 non-round pieces.
  • Topo Gigio
    Topo Gigio Posts: 98
    The most effective method for me is to have each ball rise in its own round tuppeware or bowl. When its time to shape its easier to start with a circle piece of dough as opposed to cutting 1 big mass into 2 or 3 non-round pieces.