Pizza Help

KenHawk · September 2010

Day 6 of LBGE ownership:
I tried pizzas again.
It didn't work as well this time.
I only had BGE Lump Charcoal just past the airholes. (I didn't refill it.)
I lit it with my (new) MAPP torch.
After about 30 to 45 minutes it was over 500 F.

I threw on three pizzas, one at a time.
Since I couldn't get the (Italian deli bought) crust as thin, it took a little longer than it did the first time I tried pizzas. It was about 15 minutes per pie this time.

The crust was a little chewier too. The third one turned out best. (Did I not let it get hot enough?)

One more fact - it was about 65 F with a light rain in the Twin Cities tonight. (I didn't think that would matter.)

The whole time I was cooking, with no lid, I was around 400 F. It never came back up to 500. And frankly, I'd like to cook 'za around 600 or higher if it's possible.

What recommendations do you have for me?

PhilOsh · September 2010

I am gradually learning how to do a pizza the way I like it. If I understand you right, you are cooking with the top open. Please, close the top, and control your heat with mostly the bottom vent. Don't give up, I cooked some real good ones tonight.
Phil

HungryMan · September 2010

"I only had BGE Lump Charcoal just past the airholes. (I didn't refill it.) " My guess why it never came past 400.

Hillbilly-Hightech · September 2010

I'll let the "Eggsperts" handle the pizza specifics, but 30-45 minutes to get up to 500? wow, that seems like a long time!!

I use some paraffin starter cubes, a regular fireplace lighter (no "torch" of any sort), and an old set of bellows to blow air into the bottom vent. If I leave the dome up & the bottom vent wide open, in about 15 minutes I can get waaaay past 500 (in fact, if I leave to say, go to the bathroom or check the Egg Forum on my computer & lose track of time, I've come back & had the Egg at 600-700)!!

So I never have understood how folks could have problems getting their Eggs up to temp - mine is just the opposite, if I don't watch it & start shutting the vents down after about 10 minutes or so, I'll overshoot the temp.

Anyway, that's what works for me - and the total cost of all that stuff was about $10 (for the starter cubes, as I already had the fireplace starter from an old gassy grill, and I already had the bellows from an old fireplace).

Oh, and I will say 1 thing about your pizza - I cook mine @ 400 for ~15 minutes. After ~15 minutes, I'll open the dome & look at it, if it looks done, I'll take it off, if not, I'll close the dome for another few minutes.

I also don't get why folks cook their pizzas at 500-600 degrees - Can anyone elaborate as to why higher = better for pizzas?

At any rate, I tried a pizza @ 500 once... ONCE & ended up burning the bottom crust while the middle of the pie was still gooey... that was enough for me to go back to the method that has never failed me.

Anyway, hope this helps - oh, and YMMV...

Little Chef · September 2010

Ken: Pizza is the main cook that I do NOT skimp on lump! Full load, burning hot. Also, the platesetter and pizza stone (with green feet or some sort of spacer in between), allowed to pre-heat as the egg comes to temp. We did pies last night, and again, we found 550* dome ideal, but with the pizza stone verrry well preheated. I suspect the last pizza came out the best because that is when your ceramics (stone) was at its hottest. Keep up the good work, and soon you will be turning out the best pies you have ever had!

KenHawk · September 2010

Okay, I'll load up the firebox next time.

I should have said that I did use the place setter, legs down, and the feet to hold my stone up a little higher.

Just for clarification, can I get to 550 with the daisy wheel on? I think I'd like to be able to leave the DW on to help brown the top of the pizza. I did have it completely off.

Would a Guru, Eggcelerator, or some other fan help me? I hear an old pair of bellows works?

Little Chef · September 2010

You can get to 550 EASY, and well higher with the DFMT on! Just need to make sure you have plenty of lump. Our oldest Egg is 14 years old, and we have never resorted to use of a fan (except a Digi-Q for low n slows over that we just started using over the last couple years). I would not suggest using bellows either, as that sounds like a recipe to a face full of ashes. :blink: Truly, it is all about fuel and air flow. Too little of either, and you are out of luck. And again, a long pre-heat of the pizza stone is key to a crisp crust.

Hillbilly-Hightech · September 2010

As was stated by Little Chef, yes, you can easily get to 550 - however, as I'm first lighting the Egg, I have the daisy wheel off, the dome up, and the bottom vent wide open.

Then I use the bellows (technique described below). Once the coal is going well, I'll then place whatever accessories I need inside the dome (platesetter, pizza stone, etc), and then close the dome, while leaving the daisy wheel off & the bottom vent open. As the temp starts climbing, I'll then put the daisy wheel on, and start adjusting both the daisy wheel & the bottom vent to achieve my desired temp.

As far as using the bellows, if you stick the tip of the bellows into the bottom vent & use them accordingly, you will (should) not get coals blowing up into your face.

Of course, I guess it goes without saying that if you have your face over the open dome (grate & fire ring) while using the bellows, I suppose it's possible to get a face full of embers / sparks.

So, just stick the tip of the bellows into the bottom vent & crank back & forth on the handles with nice, gentle strokes. The tip of my bellows is copper (I think, or maybe brass), and it's not really long enough to touch the coals (besides, the bottom vent only allows access to the vent door & the bottom of the fire box, so the coals are sitting on top of the grate) - the only coals which may fall through the grate into the ash pan are very small, and shouldn't be that likely to burn your bellows.

I liken it to connecting jumper cables to a battery - if you stand over the battery with your face down by the battery, you may get a face full of acid if the battery 'splodes, but if you stand away from the battery while connecting the cables, you're pretty much A-OK.

Mikee · October 2010

I just got my small egg last week and looking forward to making a pizza on it; small pizza's. I've been making pizza for about the past 10 years in the oven. To get the crust to my liking I use a ceramic pizza stone and preheat the oven for 30 minutes at 475*. Although I can't recommend what temp to cook at on the egg, I would say the amount of time to preheat should be similiar. The stone has to be hot and up to temperature to cook the dough.
Cooking pizza on the egg will be a new learning experience for me. I personnaly like a dark crust, brown with a hint of black, that is chewy and tough. In other words, when you bite it you have to struggle to pull it away from your mouth. If I want something soft, I'll buy a doughnut.

Deggman · October 2010

I have a XL and my set-up is platesetter legs down, grate on top, then pizza stone. I fill the with lump just past the holes, but I get a raging fire going, up to 625* but I only cook at 550*, as soon as I light the egg everything goes in and I leave the lid open. Last night I lit the egg and took a quick shower and it was ready to go at 625*, then I close the lid, put the daisy wheel on and leave bottom wide open. Before I put the pizza on, I wipe the stone with a wet rag. It takes about 8 minutes a pizza. One thing to remember is that when it comes to topping less is always more! If you pile a whole bunch of junk on top of your pie then that's what you will get, junk! Keep trying you will get it!

Pizza Help

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