Pizza method working well for me

radamo · July 2015

One of our favorite things on the egg is pizza. I finally feel like I have an easily repeatable method for getting the top done properly at the same time that the crust is crispy. I go with the platesetter, legs up, then grid with 3 fire bricks on edge. I put the stone on top of the fire bricks. Setup looks like this:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/t9/yx7x412l7ire.jpg

The egg gets heated to about 600 and I let it sit for at least 45 minutes to get the stone heated through. I then prepare the pizza and sprinkle a little corn meal on the stone prior to sliding the pizza onto the stone. This one was done with crushed San Marzano tomatoes (drained a bit to remove extra liquid). I then added some fresh basil to the tomatoes, fresh ground black pepper and then sprinkled some garlic powder on the edge of the crust, Now for the cheese I added some grated mozzarella and some grated lucatelli. Toppings were simply sliced onions and anchovies on half. Put on the egg and let go for about 11 minutes and check it out to ensure doneness. This one went about 12 total.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/55/73lixb1g333z.jpg

TexanOfTheNorth · July 2015

Looks great! Nice to have a method that works.

buzd504 · July 2015

That looks great.

I've said this before, but that 45 minutes that it takes your stone to get to temp is almost the exact time/temp it takes to perfectly roast a head of garlic - chop the top off of the head, brush it with some OO and just set it on the stone.

jonnymack · July 2015

buzd504 said:

That looks great.

I've said this before, but that 45 minutes that it takes your stone to get to temp is almost the exact time/temp it takes to perfectly roast a head of garlic - chop the top off of the head, brush it with some OO and just set it on the stone.

Excellent idear, consider it stolen...ahem I mean borrowed.

One extra question, I like that pizza stone, what kind is it?

DoofusOfTheDay · July 2015

buzd504 said:

That looks great.

I've said this before, but that 45 minutes that it takes your stone to get to temp is almost the exact time/temp it takes to perfectly roast a head of garlic - chop the top off of the head, brush it with some OO and just set it on the stone.

Great idea!

Trixie_Belle · July 2015

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

Trixie_Belle · July 2015

and by the way.....that pizza looks perfect!

onward_2_victory · July 2015

Thanks for posting this method. I'm pretty new to the egg, but pizza is something I've been wanting to try. I've read quite a bit about slightly different methods (particularly for raising the stone up in the dome). I don't have a fancy or homemade AR, so I may have to pick up some firebricks and give this method a shot this week.

radamo · July 2015

jonnymack said:

buzd504 said:

That looks great.

I've said this before, but that 45 minutes that it takes your stone to get to temp is almost the exact time/temp it takes to perfectly roast a head of garlic - chop the top off of the head, brush it with some OO and just set it on the stone.

Excellent idear, consider it stolen...ahem I mean borrowed.

One extra question, I like that pizza stone, what kind is it?

It is a BGE brand stone... it is for the large. I have an extra large egg and at some point may get the larger stone but then I need a new Peel (paddle to put the pizza on the stone) and I don't want to spring for both just yet.

radamo · July 2015

Trixie_Belle said:

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

Fire bricks are the bricks actually used when making a fire place. They can handle high heat. I don't really know if regular bricks, foil wrapped or not, can handle that heat. Here on Long Island and garden center with paving stones carrries these bricks.

Trixie_Belle · July 2015

radamo said:

Trixie_Belle said:

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

Fire bricks are the bricks actually used when making a fire place. They can handle high heat. I don't really know if regular bricks, foil wrapped or not, can handle that heat. Here on Long Island and garden center with paving stones carrries these bricks.

Didn't see fire bricks at Lowes. I'll try another store locally. Thank you!

northGAcock · July 2015

Trixie_Belle said:

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

Trixie, et. all .....the difference is the blocks you purchased are made of formed concrete. Concrete can break down under high heat or split if they get wet while hot. If you loose one, no big deal, it was not expensive and you can replace.

Brick like you build a house with are a baked clay product. They can withstand high heat as that is largely how they are made. The fire brick, (one notch above regular brick) are capable of tolerating much higher temps, and are used in building the hearth and inside chimney of wood burning masonry fireplaces. It is the best brick if you want to ensure that you make a single purchase. I would continue using what you have and if they crumble, then upgrade. You would most likely need to purchase the firebrick at a brick manufacturer. They are not expensive and should last you a life time. I have quite a few under my house and would be glad to share....but the postage would prob cost more than you going to pick some up locally.

I use a shelf riser from my wife's kiln to elevate mine. I have attached a picture for you. As you can see, these are small, light and much easier to handle than bricks. They are available in a variety of heights. You can get these from a pottery supply store. These can withstand temps far higher than you will ever reach in your egg. Here is a link to one if you would like to purchase on line or in the Seattle area. http://www.seattlepotterysupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=sps_ecat&Category_Code=KPS

I use these (I have multiple heights) to raise my grid as well. Keeping it simple in SC....we don't need no stinkin accessories.

Trixie_Belle · July 2015

northGAcock said:

Trixie_Belle said:

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

Trixie, et. all .....the difference is the blocks you purchased are made of formed concrete. Concrete can break down under high heat or split if they get wet while hot. If you loose one, no big deal, it was not expensive and you can replace.

Brick like you build a house with are a baked clay product. They can withstand high heat as that is largely how they are made. The fire brick, (one notch above regular brick) are capable of tolerating much higher temps, and are used in building the hearth and inside chimney of wood burning masonry fireplaces. It is the best brick if you want to ensure that you make a single purchase. I would continue using what you have and if they crumble, then upgrade. You would most likely need to purchase the firebrick at a brick manufacturer. They are not expensive and should last you a life time. I have quite a few under my house and would be glad to share....but the postage would prob cost more than you going to pick some up locally.

I use a shelf riser from my wife's kiln to elevate mine. I have attached a picture for you. As you can see, these are small, light and much easier to handle than bricks. They are available in a variety of heights. You can get these from a pottery supply store. These can withstand temps far higher than you will ever reach in your egg. Here is a link to one if you would like to purchase on line or in the Seattle area. http://www.seattlepotterysupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=sps_ecat&Category_Code=KPS

I use these (I have multiple heights) to raise my grid as well. Keeping it simple in SC....we don't need no stinkin accessories.

THANK YOU!!! The next time I'm in south Seattle, I'm stopping by the pottery supply. I totally appreciate the education. You rock!

Wanasmoke · July 2015

I have used that exact method and found it to be very predictable. I usually have a very thin crust so only about 8 min on the stone. Pavers double wrapped in foil seemed to handle the heat fine. Used them because I had them laying around so we'll see how they last.

Your pizza looks great btw!

fljoemon · July 2015

Fire Bricks can be purchased at Ace Hardware stores. You can order it online and then get free shipping to store. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1366795

Trixie_Belle · July 2015

I'm totally making pizza this week. Can't wait!!!

YukonRon · July 2015

Aluminum beverage cans of your choice, 3 of them, works very well too.
Pizza at our house has become an event with the family. The children, and their friends all are here when we do pizza on the BGEs. In fact, the neighborhood kids start texting MBW and I around 0900, (which is early for the summer break ours do not reanimate until around 1100 or later) to see when we will start doing them. The above are all great ideas and proven functionality. I may have to purchase fire bricks one day, but at least for now, empty Coors Golden cans seem to be in large supply here. I suppose I will use those until they are gone......just sayin'.

DoofusOfTheDay · July 2015

YukonRon said:

Aluminum beverage cans of your choice, 3 of them, works very well too.
Pizza at our house has become an event with the family. The children, and their friends all are here when we do pizza on the BGEs. In fact, the neighborhood kids start texting MBW and I around 0900, (which is early for the summer break ours do not reanimate until around 1100 or later) to see when we will start doing them. The above are all great ideas and proven functionality. I may have to purchase fire bricks one day, but at least for now, empty Coors Golden cans seem to be in large supply here. I suppose I will use those until they are gone......just sayin'.

How do you use aluminum cans? That seems like it would be awfully tippy with a pizza stone on top and sliding pizzas on and off.

YukonRon · July 2015

Not really. I have had no problems. I have friends that put sand in them. I have not. I suppose I have done it, I dunno, about 50 times(?) with no issue. I did 12 one night, a lot of fun, a lot of kids, that I never thought would stop eating. It is a great way for you to sneak the dreaded vegetable in without them freaking out.

onward_2_victory · July 2015

Trixie_Belle said:

Excuse my girly ignorance. Fire bricks? Where to purchase? I bought some concrete bricks for landscaping from Lowes and wrapped in foil. Will those work?

I looked for fire bricks today myself, but couldn't find them at any of the big chain stores, (Lowes, HomeDepot, etc.). I had a few people including my local BGE store who recommended something called "splits." I went to a local stone store where they had them in stock and sold them individually. They told me they were essentially fire brick 1/2's and were designed specifically to handle the heat of a fireplace. They thought they'd last a lifetime unless I dropped them. Hope you can find something that works. Anyway, what I bought looks like this:

radamo · July 2015

Splits are a great option. My local supplier was out of them or that is what I would have had. Cheaper and lighter... although cheaper is relative, the bricks were only like $2 each.

Pizza method working well for me

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