Pizza - direct or indirect?

martinhd28

Happy Sunday !

Are folks cooking pizza using the plate setter for indirect (i.e. PS, grid, pizza stone), or just putting the pizza stone on the grid with no PS?

Also - what temperature should I be going for?

Thanks!

Eggdam

Indirect for sure.  I do platesetter legs down with a ceramic pie plate as a spacer (with out spacer the heat will deflect into your gasket and will be very hard on it) then the pizza stone.  I assume you are using fresh dough.  I cook around 575-600ish.  Be sure to let the pizza stone preheat about 20 mins or so before sliding pizza on.  I usually use parchment paper to slide the pizza on stone and then pull it out after a min or two.  Be sure if you use parchment to keep it trimmed close to the size of the pizza or it will light up.

hapster

Go indirect... Plate setter, grid, and then stone... if possible raise the stone a little higher in the dome.

Let the stone heat up for about 45min before you put the pies on... I usually do my pizzas around 500-600... Don't see the need to go much higher than that

Have fun... take pictures

Botch

Most do indirect, but you can do a pizza direct, on the grate, without a stone at all.  That's how I used to do pizzas on my gasser.  You'd toss the dough onto the grate without toppings, get it just starting to brown on the bottom, then flip it onto a peel, browned side up, add toppings (lightly!) and slide back on the grate to finish.

This doesn't work for heavier pies with a lot of sauce and/or cheese, but for lighter summer-style pizzas (sliced raw tomato, arugula, artichoke heart slices, etc) it works great; a bit fussier to make, however.   

 

EDIT:  Come to think of it, I've not done a pie on the Egg this way yet, and the flat side of my CI grate would work perfectly for this.  Next weekend's menu!  

smokesniffer

+1 with Eggdam and Hapster. The egg makes wonderful za. Enjoy.

martinhd28

hapster said:

Go indirect... Plate setter, grid, and then stone... if possible raise the stone a little higher in the dome.

Let the stone heat up for about 45min before you put the pies on... I usually do my pizzas around 500-600... Don't see the need to go much higher than that

Have fun... take pictures

Thanks - how long should the pizza take at 500-600?  I'm going light on toppings (sauce, light cheese, and a bit of leftover smoked back rib meat)

ElCapitan

It doesn't take long, 5-8 minutes.  I usually watch it through the top vent to make sure it is not burning.

martinhd28

Update - I tried two pizzas.   One was a great success, the other was a miserable failure.  

Per the above advice I went indirect and got the egg to 550 - it didn't want to go higher than that.  Put on the first pizza, and it cooked in about 10 minutes. 

I then opened the lid and put the second pizza on the stone.  Temp dropped to about 400 and simply wouldn't go any higher.  I think my problem was (a) not enough lump and (b) I didn't do a good enough job brushing out the airholes.   Anyway the second pizza went straight into the bin.   Burned crust on bottom, doughly crust on top, and barely cooked toppings.   

My other CRITICAL error was not using parchment paper to get the pizza on to the stone (reason being I was too lazy to buy it).   The first one went on the stone cleanly, but the second was disastrously only got about 3/4 on, with some hanging over the side, which I had to try to salvage, leading to folds in the crust.  So stupid.  Lesson learned.    

Anyway I'm still very encouraged by the success of the first pizza and will try again soon!

Griffin

Buck the trend. Grill it directly.

 

 

 

 

Griffin

More info here

martinhd28

Griffin said:

More info here

Wow - very cool.  I'll try that.  I guess I have nothing to lose other than a $1 ball of dough!  

SenorHuevo

Yesterday did very well with the legs up place setter, grate, ceramic spacers, and baking steel. 

Big +1 on the parchment -- cut it close to size and you're golden. 

SenorHuevo

I liked it.

Skiddymarker

Pie looks good, sorry to hear the second was not up to par. 

I like the setter legs up, find I have better temp stabilization to cook three or four pies. Parchment make the whole process idiot proof, speaking as a complete idiot. I also wipe the stone with a damp cloth between pies, I like a cooler stone. 

Most store bought dough likes cooler temps, in the 500º range - made to cook in the household oven. 

Carolina Q

Botch said:

EDIT:  Come to think of it, I've not done a pie on the Egg this way yet, and the flat side of my CI grate would work perfectly for this.  Next weekend's menu!  

Botch, I've used that method on the old Weber a few times, but it's been years. Istr having to place the coals around the perimeter of the fire grate, not directly under the pie. Weber's version of indirect. I've never tried it on the egg either, but I would imagine a platesetter with the pie right on the grid would accomplish the same thing. Be interesting to see how it works for you.