Pizza Help


 
E

E Mann

TVWBB Fan
So the last time I tried to grill a pizza, I burned the crap out of it. Could someone (or everyone) give me their hints on grilling? Here are my team players:

22.5" kettle
Pizza stone
Trader Joe's raw pizza dough
Trader Joe's pizza sauce
All the yummy toppings

I think I remember some people pre-cooking the dough a bit but I can't seem to find it on here. I'm open to reasonable mods too! Oh, and this time we have friends coming over to eat and the last thing I want to do is burn the crap out of it again! Thanks for your help, you guys rock.
 
What you need to do is raise the pizza stone up into the lid. The reason is to allow the bottom and top cook at the same rate. I use a pair of firebricks (thin ones) as shown in this post:

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?472...for-Thanksgiving-we-did-NOT-neglect-the-grill

I put at least a full chimney of lit coals spread evenly over the charcoal grate. If you are going to cook more than a couple of pizza's then you might want to put a chimney full of unlit under the lit.

It takes about 8 minutes (YMMV) to properly cook the pizza. You can monitor it by looking through the vent holes in the lid (at night, use a flash light).

I flat LOVE pizza cooked by this method.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
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As Robert said raise the stone, I put mine on a couple of deep foil pans so I don't get hot and cold spots that the stones can cause, but that's about all I do the same as him. I'm usually doing multiple pizzas so I start with 2 chimneys of lit spread around the perimeter of the kettle, none under the stone. Make sure to preheat your stone in the oven for 20-30 minutes. I also use 2 rotisserie skewers across the bowl to raise the lid so there is a 1/4 inch gap between the lid and bowl, this gives me a hotter fire. Close the top vent which causes a convection in the kettle that will cook the top of the pizza better. Pizzas take 5-7 minutes.

Now for the smartass part of my post. If you burnt the crap out of it you cooked it to long.
 
Another vote for raising the pizza stone.
I use a wire vegetable basket to raise the stone about 3-1/2"
Also parchment paper makes handling easier for me.
I gave up on perfect rounds and just roll it out now.
Also using the charcoal baskets, pushed outboard.....


34q2p35.jpg
 
I haven't been using a stone at all. I spread the coals around evenly. I oil the grates and toss the dough right on the grates. I cook for a minute or two, then pull off. I flip the cooked side down, then add my topping. Toppings should be cooked beforehand. I then slide the pizza on the grill again and cook for a few minutes until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted. I don't overload my pizzas with toppings., so that helps.
 
Raising the stone is key, otherwise you burn the bottom of the crust but the top of the pie stays raw. I just use a couple cheap red bricks. I know there is a small chance they could fracture from the heat but I've never had it happen and they only cost a nickel apiece. I build as big a fire as possible in the Weber kettle, using chunks of hardwood along with the briquettes or lump, and scrape it to one side of the kettle and place the pizza stone toward the other side. I do not arrange the briqs in a ring around the stone as I don't think it creates the thermal mass necessary. Obviously, the pizza will require a couple turns to avoid burning on the side nearest the heat source. I got my cook times using this method down to around 5 minutes. This is what I've found to be the most effective grill set-up for pizza, with no mods to the kettle:

tumblr_n3636eIYUy1s2qn3uo3_1280.jpg


It is also important, in my view, to pre-heat your stone in the oven before putting it in the grill. If it's possible, let your stone come up to temp in your oven at 500* or whatever the high-end is of your stove for about a half-hour or so.

This was the last pizza I turned out of my Weber Performer.

tumblr_n363f91vAi1s2qn3uo1_500.jpg


Some folks also prop their kettle lids open a little bit to promote air intake and raise the heat inside the chamber. I haven't tried this yet.

Good luck!
 
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If last time you burned the pizza, try perfecting your pizza grilling skills before you invite people over.
Its much nicer to offer a great pie than a crispy critter.

There are many high heat pizza grilling advocates on the forum, but I am not one of them. I shoot
for 400F and as low as 325F. It will not be done as fast as the high heat pizzas, but you have more control
and can see how its doing before its burned.
 
Eric - tons of great advise here. Pizza is a bit like BBQ - all sorts of different ways / techniques to get what you want. I prop the stone and lid on angle irons to get a both a higher stone and a greater amount of airflow for higher heat and even distribution of heat. Bob Sample and Robert McGee really helped me when I was starting out with their tips - basically get yourself stable on a technique and then improvise to your tastes.

Always remember - have fun and anjoy your test pies!

PS to both Joes - you pies look AWESOME!
 
Jim McKelvey said:
PS to both Joes - you pies look AWESOME!
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim! It was one of your older posts that got me going in the right direction. Until I read some posts on this forum I burned more pizza than I care to admit to. The wife had even laid down an edict for no more grilled pizza. Those were dark times around our house.
 
Late to the piza party here ...I am also a brick guy with one addition: I wrap the bricks in alum foil. I've never had an explosion but if I do I want to attempt to contain it.
 
And you can always skip the raw dough and use lavash or flatbread or homestyle tortillas, for something different. Plus they're a little smaller and you can do them as individual pizzas for each person's liking. Actually, if you have several people coming over it might be easier to use a package or two of lavash rather than having to deal with enough raw dough.

You don't even have to use the stone - a very hot fire at the back of the kettle will let you grill direct & stiffen the oiled lavash, then pull it off, put toppings on (less is better, I keep reminding myself), finish it indirect with the kettle top on. You can just tell your guests it's your version of very thin crust pie.
But it's certainly worth doing the research. And as someone else noted, you gotta watch very closely or you can scorch them. No magic way around that.
good luck and show us pictures!
 
I go for a little lower heat too, always burned it if I aimed for >600F. For my high heat attempts, I set my stone on the charcoal ring from my 18.5" wsm, the charcoal holders would do the same thing.

There are some people who roll out their dough and then put it on the grill, bare, until it's lightly cooked, then take it in and put the sauce/toppings on. We tried that a few months ago and it turned out well.
 
I have had no problems with my pizza stone. If I ever have a problem (I have heard of a good many of them failing when used on a grill) I intend to replace with a Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan.

If you are in the market for a pizza stone, you might give the Lodge a thought, or two...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
I've done many pretty close to the same way.

Scott P. said:
I haven't been using a stone at all. I spread the coals around evenly. I oil the grates and toss the dough right on the grates. I cook for a minute or two, then pull off. I flip the cooked side down, then add my topping. Toppings should be cooked beforehand. I then slide the pizza on the grill again and cook for a few minutes until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted. I don't overload my pizzas with toppings., so that helps.
Click to expand...
 
Robert McGee said:
I have had no problems with my pizza stone. If I ever have a problem (I have heard of a good many of them failing when used on a grill) I intend to replace with a Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan.

If you are in the market for a pizza stone, you might give the Lodge a thought, or two...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
Click to expand...



I would steer you in this same direction!
 
Great advice from everyone here, I appreciate it! Unfortunately, I think I would have rather burned the pizza than what actually happened!

I started out making the pizza' sand they looked terrific! Put the stone on the grill & purchased another rectangular grate that spans the 22" so that it would be raised from the fire. All of this was good until I broke my stone, then my friends were late so my pizza crust stuck to the plate. I tried to place them directly on the raised grate but they ended up looking more like calzones by the time I got it on the grill. Then, of course, they stuck to the grate and we ended up ordering delivery! Pretty sure my crust was the (biggest) culprit this time.
 
E Mann said:
Great advice from everyone here, I appreciate it! Unfortunately, I think I would have rather burned the pizza than what actually happened!

I started out making the pizza' sand they looked terrific! Put the stone on the grill & purchased another rectangular grate that spans the 22" so that it would be raised from the fire. All of this was good until I broke my stone, then my friends were late so my pizza crust stuck to the plate. I tried to place them directly on the raised grate but they ended up looking more like calzones by the time I got it on the grill. Then, of course, they stuck to the grate and we ended up ordering delivery! Pretty sure my crust was the (biggest) culprit this time.
Click to expand...
When you re-group with a new stone, try keeping your fire away from the direct underside of your stone.
My stone is elevated 3-1/2" and I'm using the Weber baskets placed outboard of the stone.
Get your "oven" up to temp (min. upper 400's+ for me) and then go for it.
Find the elevation that gets both sides cooking at the same rate.

The Trader Joe's raw dough should be fine...I'm using a similar pizza shop raw dough.
 
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