First Pizza

Outlaw56

Large Big Green Egg, Ceramic Grill Store Big Rig with extender and oval ceramic grill placed on top of big rig extender (just above the felt line).  I waited until dome temperature was 600F. Stone temp was 540F. I used parchment paper under the pizza dough. First two pizzas were a little dark on the bottom and perfect on top. Second two pizzas were much darker on the bottom and very little browning on the top.  Parchment paper was definitely charred black. I used parchment paper because I did not have corn meal. From the time I finished the first cook until I completed the second cook, the dome temp dropped and the stone temperature climbed. Im wondering if using corn startch opposed to parchment paper would be an improvement. Im also wondering if I need the ceramic stone higher in the dome. I need all the advise I can get. 

FlyOverCountry

Looks great!

Photo Egg

Do you have an indirect stone a few inches below the pizza stone you are cooking on?
The pizza stone you are cooking on needs a deflector below it or it will get to hot compared to the temp above and your crust will burn on the bottom before your topping properly cook.

Outlaw56

No I do not, but that was definitely something I wondered about. I will give it a try next time I do Pizza. When I made dough, I made enough to try putting some in the freezer to see if I could master that technique. Thanks for your input. 

jtcBoynton

Im wondering if using corn startch opposed to parchment paper would be an improvement. 

NO  NO    ---   NO to corn meal as well.   Normally you should pull the parchment after a minute of cooking. Semolina is good to use.

You need an indirect stone and a pizza stone - two stones.  Using just one will be had to keep the cooking stone at the proper temp - which you experienced.

I need all the advise I can get. 

Here are some general thoughts:

Stones - You want a stone that is at least 5/8" thick made of cordierite. Both the BGE and CGS stones meet this.  If you have a good pottery supply store near you, you can get a kiln shelf.  Pizza stones and kiln shelves are the same thing.  Kiln shelves sell for less than an equivalent pizza stone. While you are at the pottery supply store you could also get some kiln shelf posts to use as spacers in the egg.

Cooking height - The key is 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.

Cooking directly on the platesetter can work ok. It would be harder to control than heating of the pizza stone.  In theory, you could go direct without a stone, if you could find the exact balance point and have precise temp control of the lump. The indirect setup with a pizza stone is just easier to get good reproducible results.

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). 

1voyager

If you have a platesettler, then go with legs down, three 1-2" terracotta spacers, then the pizza stone on top.

Spacers are similar to these:

Outlaw56

Some awesome advise here. Really what I needed. I did error when I stated corn startch, I meant corn meal. I will pick up another stone from BGE or CGS. I will also try the semolina for my next try at making dough. I really appreciate all the input, Keep it comming if you have any other ideas.