Pizza Tips

Use the plate setter then elevate your stone as much as you can.  You can use bricks on the grate to get it higher in the dome.  You can go with 500 - 600 on the temp.  A lot of us use parchment paper when you first put it on the stone.  You can pull it after a minute or so - It helps prevent sticking.  Good Luck! - Post Pics....

awm said:

Can someone let me know what the benefit is of removing the parchment paper is? All the pizzas I've cooked so far I have trimmed the edges of the paper and left it on the whole cook. It seems to make it very easy to remove the pizza when it's done cooking.

I like parchment and I remove it. At 600º any pieces sticking out beyond the pie can burn. I leave the paper under for 3-4 minutes, then grab the paper to spin the pie 180º. Tongs against the pie crust and slide the paper out. 

I use semolina on the stone rather than corn meal since it doesn't burn as quickly.  I use platesetter legs down with spacers on top and the pizza stone on top of the spacers.  I have 2 peels - a wooden one for putting on the pizza and a metal one for removing it.

The most important thing is to allow the pizza stone to get hot before putting on the pizza.. It can take 20-30 minutes for it to fully heat up. I use an IR thermometer to measure the stone temperature.

MatAlexander said:

@skiddymarker Thank you!

@flynnbob Legs up or down?

@MatAlaxander You can really do it either way.  I used to do legs down with bricks.  The main thing is to get the pie high in the dome. Now that I have the AR, I don't use the platesetter anymore and my ceramic stone (not pizza stone) is a little lower than the platesetter with the legs down.  Here is an old pic.  Watch your crust.  I like pulling the parchment and you can put cornmeal, etc under the crust then if you like.  Don't worry, it will come out great but watch that you don't burn your crust.

Thanks flynnbob