Pizza help needed

[sylntghost]

Today I tried pizza in my Kamado joe for the first time.. it sure did suck. I did not have time to make my own dough so I used a pilsbury thin pizza crust. I used a 1/2" thick steel plate on top of my heat deflector with 1/2" copper tees as a spacer between the 2. The dome temp was between 400 and 450 the steel was 430. The bottom of the crust was black long before the top was done. I will never use that store bought crust again. How do you get pizza that the crust is done top and bottom without burning the bottom? Also everything I've read online says steel is a good way to cook pizza. Any help would be much appreciated.

[eddieh70301]

IMO it's hard to get a great pizza on a kamado. The problem is the top heat. It's no where near what the bottom is. I never had a burnt bottom but I have had where the bottom was done but not the top. Unless you had some way of getting the heat to the top of the pizza the top will never cook enough. Not saying it cant be done, Just saying I've never been able to get it right.

Now I just cook them in the oven using the bake setting first then the broiler to finish the top.

I've also started cooking pizza in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. It cooks the bottom nice and crisp and I finish off using the broiler for the top.

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Hi sylntghost,

I know you've got a Shirley and here's how I do mine. Firebox door wide open, half dozen sticks in firebox (purposely jacking temp to 500+), pizza stones on upper rack ( preheat for 20 min, add pizzas, then do quarter turn rotation every 5-7 min on each pie. I'll send pic next

Re steel plate , I've never worked with but I can vouch for stone

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Here's da Pr0n

[Kaptain Kadian]

I have had pretty good luck with my akorn using a stone. I have never tried a steel plate. Pizza stones are cheap at Walmart. I also get the frozen dough balls from Walmart to use for my crust when I don't feel like making dough. They taste pretty good too. I set up my akorn as follows. I light about half a chimney of briquettes and pour on top of a couple big hand full of briquettes in a charcoal basket I made for it and preheat to around 450 dome temperature and 550 stone temperature. I have the smoking stone in my akorn then the cooking grate. I then put the stone on the grate and cook the pizza on the stone. I am going to put 2 fire bricks on the cooking grate next time to raise the stone closer to the dome to try and get some more radiant heat off of it. I have also read to have your toppings out for a while to preheat them a little to help them cook at the same rate.

[Kaptain Kadian]

Here are the last couple I did with the frozen dough balls from Walmart.

[SteveKing]

Your problem was the fake pizza dough. Make a decent dough, if you can buy 00 flour then do so and use that. If you're only going to be cooking at 450 or so you can make your dough a little thicker than a neapolitan style.

I have a blackstone pizza oven. I use antimo caputo flour, and make a 10-12 ounce dough ball out to about 10-12 in diameter - which is a thin crust. I launch my pies when the stone and oven is 525-575. It takes about 3-4 minutes to cook.

[SteveKing]

Notorius Que. You could really benefit by using a full fat mozzerella. Looks like you're using a skim mozz

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Notorius Que. You could really benefit by using a full fat mozzerella. Looks like you're using a skim mozz

So true Steve! I can tell you're a connoisseur but this guy (me) right here is trying to keep head above water with two little kids . Once they're finally in school, I'd love to hit you up on how to do some REAL pizza. Point taken, gotta work the mozzarella angle right. Until then, I'll love in my Shirley with some decent (to me) pizza.

[Piomarine]

I've never attempted a pizza on a smoker. I did do Alton Brown's grilled thin and crispy crust on a Weber kettle with a medium heat fire and it did great! Best part was that once the dough was done (took about 3 hours) the pizzas themselves took all of 4 minutes to cook.

[DAWeeksy]

I forget where i read it, But Take 2 stones and put the original ceramic BGE feet in between the 2 stones - the bottom stone protects the pizza from burning due to direct contact with the fire. i've tried it with and without the extra stone - it definitely works

[sylntghost]

Your problem was the fake pizza dough. Make a decent dough, if you can buy 00 flour then do so and use that. If you're only going to be cooking at 450 or so you can make your dough a little thicker than a neapolitan style.

I have a blackstone pizza oven. I use antimo caputo flour, and make a 10-12 ounce dough ball out to about 10-12 in diameter - which is a thin crust. I launch my pies when the stone and oven is 525-575. It takes about 3-4 minutes to cook.
I will never buy that crap crust again. I knew I was in trouble soon as I opened it.. it was like soggy gum. I may also try 3/4 copper tee as a spacer between my heat deflector and steel plate and cook it hotter. I found a couple of thin crust pizza dough recipes I will be trying.

[MountainMan]

Your problem was the fake pizza dough. Make a decent dough, if you can buy 00 flour then do so and use that. If you're only going to be cooking at 450 or so you can make your dough a little thicker than a neapolitan style.

I have a blackstone pizza oven. I use antimo caputo flour, and make a 10-12 ounce dough ball out to about 10-12 in diameter - which is a thin crust. I launch my pies when the stone and oven is 525-575. It takes about 3-4 minutes to cook.

Best answer..........

I started using 00 flour (my wife is allergic to barley) several years ago and will never use anything else!

[Freddy j]

Your problem was the fake pizza dough. Make a decent dough.

agree. i make pizza on the kamado joe nearly every weekend with same deflector/stone set up & 550f. the store bought dough likely had sugar in it which can cause it to burn.

making dough is simple; get yourself a copy of "the elements of pizza" and/or "the pizza bible"

[MasterTech]

I made a "brick oven" on my gasser with some fire bricks and a couple of thick corderite baking stones --> https://smile.amazon.com/Pizzacraft-PC9899-Rectangular-ThermaBond-Baking/dp/B005IF2YOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496059975&sr=8-1&keywords=Pizzacraft+PC9899+20+x+13.5+Rectangular+T hermaBond+Baking%2FPizza+Stone+for+Oven+or+Grill

I brought the heat up slowly and made sure the stones got hot and it seemed to work pretty well for some heat on top of the pizza. The fire bricks were just some rectangular bricks I used on the sides and back leaving the corners open a little bit. I know these stones may not work on your setup, but maybe it can spark something.

[ncmoose]

I've done pizza on the egg. The margin for error is so thin (IMO) I quit. I do it on my gasser now with a setup with fire bricks (one for the pie and one above) and I've been happy. (sounds a lot like MasterTech)

I have a steel but I don't use it. My experience was the crust getting done much faster than the top.

I would agree with the response about the crust. You don't necessarily need 00 flour but you do need a good recipe appropriate for the task.

[gtsum]

I cooked pies on my primo for years, but it's always a challenge to get the top done enough vs the bottom browning. Full disclosure, I like to cook neo type pies and for those, ceramics just don't cut it. Got a blackstone pizza cooker and much better.

That being said, you need to get your pie as high into the dome as you can to take advantage of the reflective heat (and don't have the top vents wide open obviously). Also, make your own dough. It's so much better (go to pizzamaking.com). Finally, you could hit up a local independent pizza joint local to you and buy some dough balls from them for a couple bucks s piece while you are getting your cooker setup mastered


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[EdF]

gtsum - thanks for that. I've done a fair number of them on the BGE, but you're making me think about a dedicated tool. Second pizzamaking.com big time!

Actually, I'm thinking about that Uuni Pro https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/uuni-pro-the-quad-fuelled-outdoor-oven-pizza-cooking--2#/

I really like the 4 fuel aspect (mainly the stick part) and the size. I see steak along with pizza.

[lunchman]

I've done pizza for a number of years on the Bubba Keg, never a problem. I make my own dough, use one of the recipes in Pizza on the Grill cookbook which I bought when I first got the Keg (check amazon). I get the Keg up to 500 minimum, use the BGE platesetter feet down, place a few balls of foil on top and then use a Lodge cast iron pizza pan which I allow to heat.

The only time it hasn't turned out perfect is when I get lazy, don't clean the Keg out properly and struggle to get temps up where they belong. Then the pizza sucks and takes forever to grill.

I know most folks make use of a pizza stone, but I've always used the Lodge and have had good luck so I stick with it. And I know it isn't going to crack. :-D

Pizza on a Kamado is certainly doable.

-lunchman

[Free Mr. Tony]

I'm sure the dough had alot to do with it, but the answer is pretty simple math. Your dome temp has to somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% to 25% hotter than the stone temp. There are some other variables, but those two readings are going to give you the most predictable results. Get a infrared thermometer if you don't have one.

If you can't achieve the correct correlation between dome and cooking surface in your cooker, the method must change. Cook the bottom until it's perfect, then dome it with a pizza peel to finish the top. Another option is finishing under the broiler.

There are many ways to do it, but you need to work with what you have. If you can get the temps correctly proportional you won't have to mess much with it. If you can't, change your method to put the heat where it's needed most at the correct time in the cooking process. There is no point in letting the bottom burn to try to finish the top. Cook the bottom until it's nice, then finish with another method if necessary.

[pmad]

I do pizza on BGE
600 degrees
Platesetter legs up
Grate
Pizza stone.

[BBQchef33]

dump the crappy crust.. and the steel.. get a ceramic stone... the steel gets too hot (with hot spots)and does not draw moisture from the dough.. a ceramic stone will draw moisture, and give more even heat.

can you go to a local pizzaria and buy a few doughballs from them.??

i cook at 550 in the chamber.. put the stone in and let it preheat with the chamber. stone should be around 400. throw some course ground corn meal on the stone before you put the pizza on it.

heeres some pizzas done in my BGE

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o45/bbqchef33/egg%20pizza/P7040504.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o45/bbqchef33/egg%20pizza/P7040506.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o45/bbqchef33/egg%20pizza/P7040508.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o45/bbqchef33/pizza/IMG00030-20091214-1724_zpsetmgjzut.jpg


http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o45/bbqchef33/pizza/IMG_13571.jpg

[Dmakkk]

This is what I used yesterday with Rao's and fatty topping..

[chet8888]

I've finally gotten my process down with the KJ. Took alot of failed attempts to get there. The key was to settled the dome temp at 450 instead of 700+, and to have my adjustable rig extension set up right. I put one throw away cheap pizza stone mid way up the rack, and then put the rig extender up in the dome, and place the nicer KJ pizza stone up there. There is more than a couple of inches space between the stones. Plus, the cooking is happening so high in the dome, there is some radiant heat bouncing off the dome to cook the top while the ceramic stone sucks the moisture out of the bottom of the crust.

The latest add, which has been huge, is assembling the pizza on a wooden peel covered in parchment paper. Then there is no race against time where the pizza is assembled but then sticks to the peel AND you don't have to load up the stone with corn meal. That works too, but after the 2nd pizza- you are stuck with burned corn meal on the bottom of your 3rd/4th pizza. This way, you slide the pie onto the stone still on parchment, let it set up for a couple of minutes, and then you can slide it out and let the crust continue to leopard/cook.

Last tip is to keep the daisy wheel only about a sliver open (and the holes wide open). You want to have it stay hot but let the heat sort of swirl around in the dome before it escapes.

As for dough- I've made my own using a recipe off pizzamaking forum, but frankly a pre-made own from Trader Joes yields good results without having to work it all throughout the day.