Looking for help with PIzza

smokygolfer · July 31

I need help with this. I've tried pizza on my large egg several times and can't get it right.
Part of the problem is that I cannot my egg above 450. Vents are wide open, egg is clean so good airflow. My setup is convector legs up, stainless grate and then pizza stone. So frustrating! All thoughts and ideas are appreciated.

Canugghead · July 31

I don't do pizza on Egg. Based on what I've seen, your problem is conveggtor legs up, you want legs down so you have more space for heat to rise up. No need for the grate, elevate the pizza stone (max 14"?) as far above the conveggtor as possible.

I'm sure others with more experience will chime in.

Couple of examples:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/s4/zbvvysmlxrli.jpeg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/3p/omzg9erk0e56.jpg

RRP · July 31

A simple question or two...OK? Can you ever get your egg higher than 450º for anything? Have you ever calibrated your dome thermometer? And are you giving your egg enough time to get hot?

Canugghead · July 31

^^^ three 😂

hoosier_egger · July 31

Load that thing full of lump. Like up to the bottom of the fire ring. There’s no reason why it won’t get up to higher temps other than not enough fuel.

fishlessman · July 31

when you say vents wide open. your top vent needs to be removed and sitting on the ground.......then start closing the bottom vent when it approaches your cook temp. put the top vent on after the cook. as cunugghead mentioned, legs down helps, you want that extra airflow. 900 dome temp is easy, 1200 dome temp takes a little longer

if you are looking to cook between 500 and 700, keep a watchful eye on things. 900 to 1200 and the dome bands expand and the dome can drop out

Buckwoody Egger · August 1

the higher the desired temp, the longer i wait to close the lid after lighting.

zaphod · August 1

I've done pizza with the plate setter legs up and with it legs down. no difference. Since I got the basket for it, I now go legs up (in the basket) with a stone on the SS grill. Sometimes I add a second stone and pizza on the multi level rack.

so I don't think that legs up or down does not matter.

what matters is why you can't get the temperature up past 450. My brother from another mother @RRP asked the question I had in mind - do you ever get the temp above 450 for any of your cooks?

How do you light the egg and how do you bring it to temperature.

RRP · August 1

zaphod said:

I've done pizza with the plate setter legs up and with it legs down. no difference. Since I got the basket for it, I now go legs up (in the basket) with a stone on the SS grill. Sometimes I add a second stone and pizza on the multi level rack.

so I don't think that legs up or down does not matter.

what matters is why you can't get the temperature up past 450. My brother from another mother @RRP asked the question I had in mind - do you ever get the temp above 450 for any of your cooks?

How do you light the egg and how do you bring it to temperature.

Thanks. Now I'm starting to wonder if the OP was even legit and just a troll trying to stir the "fudge" before Friday night's brown water let 'er rip night!

smokygolfer · August 1

Thanks to all for the comments suggestions and photos. I have had the temp beyond 450, but not with the conveggtor in. Maybe I'm not patient enough. I'll give it another try.

zaphod · August 1

you ask 5 people how to light the egg and you'll get 10 opinions.

that said, here is what I do. I am no expert.

fill to the top of the fire bowl - I use a basket, so I fill the basket completely
i make two wells, left and right, in the lump. at the same time I look for flattish, longish pieces and set them aside
open top and bottom vents completely
speedilight starter cube in each well, light them and cover them with the flattish pieces I set aside to make a "tent" over the burning starter. If they start to smoke I uncover them - a smoking starter is a smothered starter and you want lots of oxygen in there
after 5 or 10 minutes you should have lots of red and burning lump around each starter
close the dome. some people mix up the burning lump with the cold, i stopped doing that
keep an eye for the temperature hitting 350F - that can be VERY quick depending on the type of lump, the weather (wind), or that day's fire, but should only be a few minutes
at 350F load up the egg with your cooking grates/platesetter/and so on and close the dome again
some people set the vents at this point to the temperature they want, I leave top and bottom wide open
watch the temperature dive - a cold plate setter will drop me down to 200F or - if I did not let the initial lighting get going enough - even lower.
while that plate setter (if using) and the grates/grills warm up, the fire is continuing to burn and establish at some point the temperature will start rising maybe 10F degrees every 5 seconds or so
when you are about 50F degrees away from your set point start closing vents. I close the top and bottom the same amount. the idea is to *slow* down the temperature so that it coasts to your desired temperature. If you reach your target and then adjust, you will overshoot and then undershoot and turn your temperature into a yoyo

that's what I do. total time about 20 - 30 minutes. I have never had problems getting to any temperature I want.

smokygolfer · August 3

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Tonight’s dinner turned out pretty well! Didn’t use the eggpander, put placesetter in legs down and separated the pizza stone from the placesetter with some pieces of firebrick.

zaphod · August 3

looks like you are on the right path - what temps did you acheive?

smokygolfer · August 3

Got to 750. Maybe could have gotten hotter, but that's the temp I was looking for.

JohnInCarolina · August 3

Glad you got this sorted. There is not much value in cooking pizza any hotter than 750F on the BGE, by the way. Mostly all you accomplish is to burn through lots of lump.

If at some point you do want to make true Neapolitan style pizza, I recommend getting a portable pizza oven. Lots of folks here have one to complement their Eggs.

zaphod · August 3

yep, I don't do Neapolitan pizza, 550F is all I need for a good pie.

Canugghead · August 3

Nice looking pies, glad to see you nailed it. Did you scan the stone temp?

As JIC said, I'm one that uses a portable gas pizza oven. Since I usually make at least eight pies at a time, doing it in the Egg would make lump producers super happy.

Looking for help with PIzza

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