Pizza temp control - probes and draft controler

jcinadr · Jun 28, 2013

Hope this is not too off topic, but this is my favorite outdoor cooking forum, and since grilling is often mentioned along with BBQing - perhaps baking in an egg is an acceptable question. Trying to budget...

I very likely will be getting a BGE in the next month (probably late next week, but vacation is coming up - so it might get delayed). Trying to figure out what eggcessories I might want. I have a BBQ Guru that I use for my UDS, and will probably use it on my (soon to finish) road MUDS . Which means it will not be available for my wife to use during the week - so not entirely Guru bound.

I love using the guru to turbo my uds to cooking temp. I read tons about doing pizza on an egg, and a draft control just seems like a natural thing to do this with. That said - almost no cheep probes will take those temps (some K Probes will do it). Is there a way to use a high temp (K probe) with a Guru, or am I destine to be a Stoker owner. Likewise, if I want a dumb digital - I know I can get a K Probe thermometer. I assume a remote is not really viable (any would cost as much as the Stoker).

Anyway, how do people handle temp when "BBQing" a pizza.

Yellowhair42 · Jun 28, 2013

I have a Vision kamado and just set the vents and it's good to go.Pizza cook is fairly high temp and I don't see why you would need a temp controller except for "just having it".:noidea:

CharredApron · Jun 28, 2013

The Ideal situation for a perfectly cooked pizza on an ceramic is to have the dome heat equal or higher than the stone that it sits on. This is the challenge. I have read multiple entries on the egg forum and this is a tall order. When I made pizzas in the past on my wood fired oven, I would know when the oven was ready by looking at the dome. When it is white hot, and I mean WHITE HOT, you're good to go. The challenge on the egg is that the plate setter gets way to hot before the dome comes to temp. You want a raging fire without the pizza stone in place. Take the vent completely off the egg and let it rip. Onece the dome is up to temp, open the egg set the pizza stone quickly, and wait for it to come up to temp. The best way to check the temperature of the dome and the stone is with an IR gun. They are available at Harbor freight. You shoot the IR beam at the stone and the dome and ideally, for me, the temperature should be around 750 degrees. Pizza will cook in less than a minute and a half at that tempurature, don't peek! You'll loose the heat!
I hope this helps!
Jed

jsperk · Jun 28, 2013

I just bought this IR thermometer. I will use for pizza tonight. Good reviews on Amazon. Real good price for one that goes up to 1022f.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Non-Contact...420?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a81624d94

Mrpotamus · Jun 28, 2013

I would look at the Auber draft controller. It can be purchased with a high-temp probe, I believe. It can also be set to hold a temp at 500 or 700, or whatever you desire. It is the only unit capable of performing at higher temperatures as far as I know.

Deslock · Jun 28, 2013

Gonna echo the others, pizza is, for lack of a better term, quick & dirty. Have a diffuser of some kind in there and put your pizzastone in to let it heat up, starting from a range 500*-750ish (all work, btw, just modify as needed on an individual basis)it will cook between 4-9 min (average). I'd just get an infrared thermometer & check your stone before putting it on & you are good to go. I have only made a few but got it down rather quickly, I am currently using a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Maverick-LT-02-Laser-Surface-Thermometer/dp/B000FA933K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372451405&sr=8-1&keywords=maverick+ir"]Maverick IR thermometer [/ame]I got off Amazon.

boogiesnap · Jun 28, 2013

yeah, i don't think a temp controller is going to benefit you much at the temps needed for pizza. they really were designed to manage lower temps, not raging ones. i have a stoker and i don't think it will even set that high.

one trick i use to lower the stone temp(think i got it from moose, or maybe vinne)is to wipe the stone with a damp cloth prior to setting the pizza on it.

Squatchie · Jun 29, 2013

I don't have a BGE, but I have sever Weber kettles and a performer. I sacrificed an old 22.5" kettle lid and went to work with the angle grinder. Pic attached. I close the top vent, and leave the bottom wide open. That pulls the heat over the top of the pizza. On the grate, I have laid 5 or 6 thin sized fire brick. I load 4 weber charcoal baskets with a chimney full of lump, and get the oven up to 600-700 in no time. I stand back with a cold one and with my IR heat gun and point the laser dot at the fire brick. When those get 400 or so I slide the pizza on off the peel. I've never used a BGE, but thought maybe you could prop the lid open 4" with a couple fire bricks and accomplish the same draft effect.

Pizza temp control - probes and draft controler

jcinadr

Knows what a fatty is.

Yellowhair42

is one Smokin' Farker

CharredApron

Babbling Farker

jsperk

Babbling Farker

Mrpotamus

Knows what a fatty is.

Deslock

Knows what a fatty is.

boogiesnap

Babbling Farker

Squatchie

MemberGot rid of the matchlight.

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