Pizza making. Your tips, tricks and traps.

[red 928]

LOL

[stealthn]

Timely thread, just got a Gozney Roccbox and made some dough in the bread maker. Tonight will be the first fire up.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

[908/930]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

What is wrong with you people? When you grill a pizza, GRILL it! Put it on the grill grates and let it go! If they're too far apart, get a cookie cooling rack, and put it on there. Freaking primadonnas with their stones and pizza ovens and Oonis and such...

Problem is my old gas BBQ won't get anywhere near 800f, a steel cover over the grill to trap heat would be a possibility though.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by 908/930

Problem is my old gas BBQ won't get anywhere near 800f, a steel cover over the grill to trap heat would be a possibility though.

I never needed 800 degrees for the crust to get crunchy and burnt, while everything on top was in a pile of molten cheese.
Why do you need 800 degrees when you have open flames licking the bottom of the crust? 800 degrees if for when you can't get open flames licking the bottom of your crust.


I'm gonna keep saying "licking the bottom of your crust" until someone's auntie has a case of the vapors...

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by 908/930

Problem is my old gas BBQ won't get anywhere near 800f, a steel cover over the grill to trap heat would be a possibility though.

Yeah, a cover, give it death for 15 minutes, then put the pizza on. You may be pleasantly surprised...

[cabmandone]

My brother has discovered it's all about the dough with his Ooni too "moist" and it doesn't slide off the peel onto the stone. I always make my own dough so I can tell if it's gonna slide the way I want it to. He was buying store bought dough... the horror!!

Originally Posted by 908/930

Problem is my old gas BBQ won't get anywhere near 800f, a steel cover over the grill to trap heat would be a possibility though.

They actually make a box that goes in a gas grill for pizza making. I thought about buying one but my grill will get into the 600 range which seems to work for me.

This is one. There are several different versions for both gas and the weber kettle. I gave some serious thought to buying the one for the weber kettle.
https://www.amazon.com/GRILIFE-Outdoor-Pizza-Grill-Charcoal/dp/B088M7C9KR/ref=asc_df_B088M7C9KR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459722854789&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4736568453183982945&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015981&hvtargid=pla-1148096897672&psc=1

Weber Kettle
https://www.amazon.com/KettlePizza-Pizza-Kettle-Grills-KPB-22/dp/B005SFJLOI/ref=sr_1_4?gclid=Cj0KCQjwntCVBhDdARIsAMEwACnnwXMLb v3KQwJv-5r2zAlTca8hRAOpjPxftRASKJyk3egKifGlJzAaAn7cEALw_wc B&hvadid=323483437399&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9015981&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6533460167989263133&hvtargid=kwd-354881569405&hydadcr=23418_9937121&keywords=weber+grill+pizza+attachment&qid=1655986880&sr=8-4

[john70t]

The 18" crust is easy to make round from a refrigerated dough ball:
-squash a little more flat on flowered plastic board. Use the palm to slap outwards
-pick up and rotate vertically, your fingers curled making the edge
-squash the middle flat and outwards while turning
-repeat above steps as necessary
-pick up with the back of wrists and twirl. One guy at the place could bounce them with a couple fingers in the center.
-lay it on board and adjust shape
-ladle spoonful of sos circular ans spread thin, two hands cheese, toppings in a circle
-into the oven

It takes less than 2 minutes when you do it all day with the setup

[908/930]

The reason for the 800F + is to reduce the cooking time, all of the best pizza's I have had were cooked in stone oven with 1-2min cooking time, in our oven at 550 it takes about 10-11 min, it is pretty good but I still want it better.

Thanks Cab, I did look at those but figured I can just go to a local shop and get a 1/4" piece of M/S for the bottom and a 1/8" M/S cover formed up to fit the grill. The added mass should help hold the heat. I usually place the dough and add toppings on Parchment paper for easy transport and sliding, then remove paper about 1 min into cook.

[john70t]

I think final stage was corn meal on a pizza paddle which helped it slide off. It was once second nature decades ago.
A bit embarrassing to have forgotten.

Sit and watch the pros sometime.

[cabmandone]

^^^
That's what I do with mine. When I make the dough, I make it a bit more on the floury side. Then I put cornmeal on the pizza peel so it slides of easy. BOOM! Right onto the smokin hot stone. My next gig is gonna be to toss a couple chunks of apple wood into the Weber kettle. I have a stand that I'm making for in the grill that will keep the pizza up towards the top of the lid. I figure with the apple wood burning I should be able to get that thing up to good pizza making temps.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

...I figure with the apple wood burning I should be able to get that thing up to good pizza making temps.

I'm fantasizing about coal for pizza heat. I'm likely broken as I actually love the aroma and I've had some great coal-fired pizza. I went to some remote-ish and catered events in China ten years ago and they were basically putting woks on coal forges with blowers. It was glorious.

RIP trusty 20+ y.o. Weber kettle...

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

I'm fantasizing about coal for pizza heat. I'm likely broken as I actually love the aroma and I've had some great coal-fired pizza. I went to some remote-ish and catered events in China ten years ago and they were basically putting woks on coal forges with blowers. It was glorious.

RIP trusty 20+ y.o. Weber kettle...

If I ever get around to doing this on my Weber kettle, I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by john70t

I think final stage was corn meal on a pizza paddle which helped it slide off. It was once second nature decades ago.
A bit embarrassing to have forgotten.

Sit and watch the pros sometime.

It turns out one of my dog walking buddies is from an Italian restaurant family and he has two pizza places. Haha, so I was very keen to quiz him. He said it's perfectly acceptable for home pizza people to use semolina on the peel and bottom of the pizza. It makes it slide of the peel like it's on ball bearings.

[Gordo2]

Crust, crust, crust - it's the real estate of pizza...

My wife has always made spectacular pizzas - she makes her own dough in our kitchenaid mixer (basic dough recipe, nothing special) & bakes on a pre-heated stone in ~450°F oven.

We stick to simple, good quality toppings:

- We like Don Pepino pizza sauce. Simple stuff that you could easily replicate - but why when it's so damn easy and good:https://www.walmart.com/ip/Don-Pepino-Tomato-Pizza-Sauce-14-5-oz-Can/30907370. Walmart lists this sauce, but we find it locally in Giant grocery and a few others.

- She uses a combo of the shredded Kraft Mozzarella (not skim.... https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Mozzarella-Shredded-Cheese-8-oz-Bag/47041166) and Sargento shredded moz. The combo turns out out a great chewy & stringy pie.

- We also like to use Hormel turkey pepperoni: (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hormel-Turkey-Pepperoni-5-oz/10290942). It doesn't add to the pizza's overall oiliness - allowing you to add / drizzle additional Olive Oil as desired.

- Fresh basil is always a must, added before or after baking

- Garlic options are limitless... roasted bulbs/cloves - brushed on garlic butter - its hard to imagine too much garlic. Garlic butter dip is also a nice indulgence.

-----------------------------------------------

OONI

Break, break, break - I nearly caused a divorce when I asked if we could get an Ooni pizza oven last year. I was messing with my wife's 20+ year pizza perfection. And. --- she's never been a fan of brick oven style pizza..

Pizza ovens change the game and the recipes completely!

[Gordo2]

Crust, crust, crust - it's the real estate of pizza...

My wife has always made spectacular pizzas - she makes her own dough in our kitchenaid mixer (basic dough recipe, nothing special) & bakes on a pre-heated stone in ~450°F oven.

We stick to simple, good quality toppings:

- We like Don Pepino pizza sauce. Simple stuff that you could easily replicate - but why when it's so damn easy and good:https://www.walmart.com/ip/Don-Pepino-Tomato-Pizza-Sauce-14-5-oz-Can/30907370. Walmart lists this sauce, but we find it locally in Giant grocery and a few others.

- She uses a combo of the shredded Kraft Mozzarella (not skim.... https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Mozzarella-Shredded-Cheese-8-oz-Bag/47041166) and Sargento shredded moz. The combo turns out out a great chewy & stringy pie.

- We also like to use Hormel turkey pepperoni: (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hormel-Turkey-Pepperoni-5-oz/10290942). It doesn't add to the pizza's overall oiliness - allowing you to add / drizzle additional Olive Oil as desired.

- Fresh basil is always a must, added before or after baking

- Garlic options are limitless... roasted bulbs/cloves - brushed on garlic butter - its hard to imagine too much garlic. Garlic butter dip is also a nice indulgence.

-----------------------------------------------

OONI

Break, break, break - I nearly caused a divorce when I asked if we could get an Ooni pizza oven last year. I was messing with my wife's 20+ year pizza perfection. And. --- she's never been a fan of brick oven style pizza..

Pizza ovens change the game and the recipes completely! Its a steep learning curve, that involves painful failures along the way - but offers pizza nirvana if you can hang in there...

-------------------------------------------------

If you don't love to cook - fo-get-about-it!!! Find a good local, small biz joint that tosses together a good pie, pick up a 6 on the way, and avoid the mass produced.

Enjoy - Gordo

[Bill Douglas]

It's Pizza Friday here right now and the dough has been rising for the last four hours.

I'm working on the less is more theory. Good pizza base, (cheating) pre made tomato paste/sauce and delicatessen quality mozzarella cheese.

Edit: I'm getting better, slowly better.

[cstreit]

Tipo 00 flour. Let dough rose for 8 hours then age for 3 days refrigerated…