Pizza Help Please

Big-R

Got our large this weekend and had to try something new and exciting Sunday night. Got the fire to 700 degrees in 15 minutes so i think i got the firebuilding right.[p]Anyway, I put the pizza stone on the grate and let it preheat to 500 degrees for 20 minutes. Using homemade dough, pressed thin, slid the pie on the stone. 8 minutes later it was nice and crisp on the bottom but not brown on top.[p]Question... any trick to top brown the pie while cooking? The temp stayed at about 475 through the bake.[p]No matter, the pie was great.[p][p]

nikkig

Big-R,
We do our pizza's on a pizza stone on top of the plate setter. We do ours at 550 for about 8 minutes, calzones for 15 minutes. From what I understand, you want the double layer of ceramic to keep the crust from getting too done before the top, and the plate setter also lifts the pizza farther from the fire.[p]~nikki

Shelby

Big-R,
Nikkig has it the way I do it. Plate setter on the grill, pizza stone on the plate setter. This rises the level of the pie making it easier to get off the stone and adds a ceramic mass. Like stated, the additional mass lets you cook the pizza a bit longer without burning the bottom. I cook mine about 12 minutes or so at around 5-600 degrees.
Sounds pretty good for a first pizza on the first weekend of the egg. It only gets better.

Big-R

Shelby, thanks for the advice. However, what's a plate setter??

fiver29

<p />Big-R,[p]Here is the picture from the whats new page.[p]5

[ul][li]What's New at the Big Green Egg[/ul]

Spin

Big-R,[p]The trick to pizza is having the dough and toppings finish at the same time. The cook requires lots of heat in the dome area to melt the cheeses in the short time it takes to crust the dough. Your Egg vents the hot air when you insert the raw pie and this heat needs to be quickly regained. A well heated Egg does most of the reheating. Cooking with the bottom vent wide open and controlling the temperature with only the top vent forces the hot air down onto the toppings. Remove the top vent conpletely just after insertion of the pie to quickly regain dome temperature, adding it back on to regulate once the temp has risen to cooking temperature.[p]Spacing the pizza stone up to the opening lip level will help a lot with insertion and removal of your pies. The plate setter does this very nicely, along with adding a layer of ceramic under the pizza stone to help avoid overheating the stone.[p]Spin