Pizza on the BGE

Schrammy

What is the best way to cook pizza on the egg?  Do I need to evelvate it, similar to pizza oven cooking...do it use corn meal, stone, etc...

I welcome any feedback.  Thank you

drumdudeguy

I usually do pizza and wings. First the wings. I add the platesetter legs up with the cooking grate. I cook the wings 45 mins at 375 degrees. When finished I remove the cooking grate and flip the platesetter over (legs down). Then I place the pizza stone directly on top of the platesetter and let it heat up for 20 mins. Then I put the pizza on (usually Papa Murphys). The pizza cooks at 425 degrees for 15 mins.

TheToast

I've tried loads of variations and raised up on fire bricks is absolutely the way to go. Here's a guide: 
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/pizza.htm

Ive cooked 10 pizzas in a row like that - all great. 

Some corn meal on the pizza peel helps the pizza dough slip off and onto the stone, but scrape off any excess between pizzas that is left on the stone or it burns

johnnyp

Wait until a little later today.  Eventually @DoubleEgger will get around to posting the Pizza throwdown and hopefully the stars will come out in force 

johnnyp

But to answer your question.  Use a pizza stone. Elevated in the dome if you can.  Cornmeal isn't necessary, but I like to use parchment paper. 

DoubleEgger

johnnyp said:

Wait until a little later today.  Eventually @DoubleEgger will get around to posting the Pizza throwdown and hopefully the stars will come out in force 

It's done sir. 

UncleBilly

+1 for parchment paper.  Plate setter with legs down, three fire bricks turned on their side with a BGE pizza stone on top of the bricks.  Wife rolls the dough out on parchment paper.  The paper and pizza are placed on a flat pan to transport to the Egg.  The paper/pizza is super easy to slide off the pan and on the pizza stone.  For our dough recipe 5-6 minutes at 550-600 degrees cooks the pizza to perfection.  

jtcBoynton

The is no best way.  There are many styles of pizza and each has an optimum way to cook.  Generally, pizza on the egg is cooked with an indirect setup and then an elevated pizza stone.

It is important to get the stone close enough to the dome to get the right amount of radiant heat coming off the dome. If the stone is too far from the dome, the toppings will not be done by the time the dough is cooked. If the stone is too close to the dome, the toppings will burn by the time the dough is cooked. The proper height will depend on the dough recipe, cooking temp, dough thickness, and amount of toppings. Many find the sweet spot to have the stone 2-3" above the felt line - but remember you will need to dial it in for yourself. We all make our pizzas a little different so take all the advice as a starting point and make adjustments for your personal style.

The corn meal / semolina / flour / parchment use is for providing a slick surface between the raw dough and the peel (not the stone). Raw dough directly on a peel will not slide off onto the cooking surface.  Do not put any of these on the pizza stone.  Once the pizza dough cooks a bit, it will set and release from the pizza stone (it will however stick when first put on the stone - so make sure your placement is accurate, because you cannot move it until it sets).   Corn meal is used a lot - it works well for allowing the dough to slide and is a common pantry item.  Semolina works just as well and matches the flavor profile of the pizza dough better than corn meal, but it is not a common pantry item so many people are not familiar with it.  Parchment is great if you are prepping multiple pizzas (allows you to move them around on the kitchen counter as you want). It slides off the peel nicely. You do need to remove it part way through the cook.  Flour is the best in matching the taste and texture of the dough. You do need to work quickly because it will adsorb moisture from the dough and stick to the peel.

Another tip on prepping the egg is to make sure the ceramics have been thoroughly heated before cooking (at least 45 minutes). 

platypusrex

+1 on getting the ceramic plenty hot, I run it 500+ degrees for 15 minutes before starting to cook. Easiest method I know is to use the platesetter covered in foil, buy the 10" Mama Mia thin crusts from Mal Wart, and cut out parchment paper in 10" circles to place under each pie. Easy peasy, they taste great!

victor1

Many have their own special technique and probably all good.  Trial and error will get you to whats best for you.  For me, I go with PS,  legs up, grid on legs, BGE elevated grid next and BGE pizza stone on top.  I bake at about 700 degrees, 8-10 minutes.  Found that parchment paper works great when preparing a couple of pies.  I like thin crust and found that Caputo 00 (red bag)  makes an excellent crust.  For sauce, my current favorite is Jersey's Italian gravy.  I've had a couple failures but believe pizza on the egg is as good as it gets.

jbreed

I'm at 6300ft elevation, so may be a little off for some. When we do pizzas we are doing 4-5 18in pizzas at a time.  parchment paper does not work for me and 18in is too big for my pizza slider.  I use thin wire grates (Amazon 3 for $9.99).  My setup is upside down woo (raised) with pizza stone on top to get the air flow going.  I then just put pizzas already made on the grate right on top of the pizza stone at 450-500 for 3 minutes, turn 180 degree and cook for 3 mins more.  I found the metal grate creates enough airflow that my crust doesn't burn.  Hope this helps.

Stormbringer

Lots of different setups and temperatures, learning what works for you is a fun journey. This is where my treo led me to:

https://thecooksdigest.co.uk/2016/08/24/cooking-pizza-with-a-big-green-egg/