pizza on OTS the bane of my existence


 
S

Sandy B

TVWBB Super Fan
ive been really interested in doing pizza on my OTS. Im too cheap to buy a pizza kettle but I do have a STOK mega stone.

I started with a full chimney of kbb really really hot spread out over the entire bottom on the grill, let the stone heat up then used a peel to do the transfer. By the time the top went well, the bottom was as close to a diamond as it will ever get. So i borrowed an IR thermometer, got a scale for the dough and decided to go indirect.

this went much better but indirect (even with a full chimney) the portion of the stone that I cooked it on never went over 400F, on the edge where the heat was direct it was over 550. So even with rotating the Za it took way too long. I actually thought of getting out the hair dryer to stoke it to super hot but decided against it. If I want 400 I have an oven for that.

i thought the big stone would be an asset, I think its a liability now. It would be so much easier to se a small stone, heat it direct them move it away from the coals and use the IR thermometer. With the mega stone it takes forwver to get to temp and there is no possibility of moving it.

that and despite the peel and cornmeal the launch again sucked. The family liked it more than my last one which was like chewing on a briquette but Im still so dissapointed especially when the pizza kettle guys peg their heat around 700 indirect.

Sorry for the rant.
 
Sandy, if you want to try a cheap and easy way for pizza on your kettle this isn't a bad way to learn. First keep your temp at 400F or la little lower to 350F. Get a couple of Jacks frozen pizzas
usually about 3 bucks on sale. Put them right on the grate forget the stone for now. Rotate them a quarter turn every 3 minutes. They are usually done in 12 to 15 minutes, you can tell
by watching. Once you have done several of these you build a pizza with the partially pre baked crust from the grocery, stay with the 400 or below temps, same basic process. You don't
really need high heat to get a good pizza, the high heat came along so the pizza places could put more pizzas out the door in less time. After you are comfortable with the process you can
make your own pizza dough if you want to, and if you chill the dough it will be stiff enough to cook on the grate with no stone, just rotate, don't overload with too much cheese and other
ingredients. Have fun and they won't be the bane of your existence for long!
 
Bob H. said:
Sandy, if you want to try a cheap and easy way for pizza on your kettle this isn't a bad way to learn. First keep your temp at 400F or la little lower to 350F. Get a couple of Jacks frozen pizzas
usually about 3 bucks on sale. Put them right on the grate forget the stone for now. Rotate them a quarter turn every 3 minutes. They are usually done in 12 to 15 minutes, you can tell
by watching. Once you have done several of these you build a pizza with the partially pre baked crust from the grocery, stay with the 400 or below temps, same basic process. You don't
really need high heat to get a good pizza, the high heat came along so the pizza places could put more pizzas out the door in less time. After you are comfortable with the process you can
make your own pizza dough if you want to, and if you chill the dough it will be stiff enough to cook on the grate with no stone, just rotate, don't overload with too much cheese and other
ingredients. Have fun and they won't be the bane of your existence for long!
Click to expand...

i appreciate the advice but Im really not interested in using frozen or premade pizza. I know the likelihood of me making a clone of NYC pizza is pretty much nil, and Im okay with that but if Im going to let someone else make the pizza and me grill or cook it, to me thats really no different than papa murphys. There is nothing wrong with papa murphys, i like their pizzas but they are "good" for fast food but its not great pizza.

i guess that without the ability to move the stone, im stuck. Direct heat is burnt, indirect is mushy and undercooked. I guess the last chance is get some firebricks, raise the stone and cook semi direct and hope the dome temps are hot enough.
 
Sandy - I'm to cheap to buy a kettle pizza too. That's why I do what I do and am pretty happy with what I'm doing. This is my set up:
1 full chimney with the lit charcoal spread out 3/4 the way around the perimeter.
My pizza stone is raised from the main grate level, maybe 4" or so. Just goin by memory.
Vents are wide open.
Let it preheat 15-20 minutes. Stone temp should run between 390-470. Air temp above the stone 500-575.

You can check out my previous posts for pizzas and see he results and my set up. I just did a deep dish today and think it's much easier than a standard pie. If you like deep dish, you might want to try this first. This is posted up in the Photo Gallery section.

Good luck.
 
Nate Frost said:
Sandy - I'm to cheap to buy a kettle pizza too. That's why I do what I do and am pretty happy with what I'm doing. This is my set up:
1 full chimney with the lit charcoal spread out 3/4 the way around the perimeter.
My pizza stone is raised from the main grate level, maybe 4" or so. Just goin by memory.
Vents are wide open.
Let it preheat 15-20 minutes. Stone temp should run between 390-470. Air temp above the stone 500-575.

You can check out my previous posts for pizzas and see he results and my set up. I just did a deep dish today and think it's much easier than a standard pie. If you like deep dish, you might want to try this first. This is posted up in the Photo Gallery section.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Nate, Im somewhat ashamed as I peppered you with tons of questions then went with my gut which got me further into this pit of despair. I went to home depot hoping they had either firebricks OR the right SS hardware, they had neither. TSC has bricks but I didnt want make the drive ill probably try next weekend. I did see one of those raised grates from a primo grill that would have worked but they dont sell it seperate, plus it was high enough that my concern is the stone would interfere with the lid.

Im also a little peeved with the launch, it has always been iffy but this time the rolled out dough on the peel looked like it was on ball bearings, i could move that sucker any way I wanted. i could make it dance in the corn meal. Added the toppings and it was like random pieces of velcro on the bottom. Some parts tore, some folded over so I ad another beer (or two) and stewed.

i have a great family who will lie and say how great it is, when I know different. Beer kinda helps.
 
You could probably just get another charcoal grate to make your elevated cooking deck. I can't remember if I got my ss bolts, nuts and washers from Lowes or HD. It might have been Lowes. I did the spread the charcoal out method and it got way to hot, especially my stone. Burnt the crap out of my pie.

You should try a deep dish next. Easier and you don't have to worry about sliding the pie off a peel.
 
Nate Frost said:
You could probably just get another charcoal grate to make your elevated cooking deck. I can't remember if I got my ss bolts, nuts and washers from Lowes or HD. It might have been Lowes. I did the spread the charcoal out method and it got way to hot, especially my stone. Burnt the crap out of my pie.

You should try a deep dish next. Easier and you don't have to worry about sliding the pie off a peel.
Click to expand...
I may never be "the pizza guy" but im either going to get it, at least once, or Im gonna drown in beer trying. Not so much because I fancy myself a great cook but because I cant, or more appropriately, wont quit.

Im also not a great fan of deep dish, the fried dough taste is just not for me. The attempt to repurpose the dough into a calzone was also a trainwreck but by then I moved onto rye, neat so who knows?
 
Simple way to raise the stone is to use a deep veggie basket flipped upside down. To get high heat us 2 chimneys of lump around the perimeter of the kettle, prop the lid up off the bowl 1/4-1/2 an inch, close the top vent for a good convection. Instead of cornmeal use some parchment paper cut just slightly bigger than the pizza after a minute or 2 on the stone you can slide it out if you want. Preheat your stone in the oven for 30 minutes.
 
Sandy, I have the Kettle Pizza, cook indirect and I do reach temps upwards of 800 degrees. With that being said, those temps are impossible to reach with charcoal alone. I use a full chimney of charcoal but also add 2 or 3 pieces of oak depending on their size. Once those pieces get going and turn to coals is when the heat starts to crank up. I've gotten it so hot my grate has warped.

Nate's suggestion of the charcoal grate to raise your surface is a good one. Getting the pizza up into the dome will help cook the top and bottom more evenly. I use semolina flour on my peel which helps but I found that limiting the amount of time the pizza sits on the peel is really the key. The moisture in the dough will absorb the semolina/corn meal and turn it sticky if left on there to long. I will throw the dough on the peel sauce it, load the toppings and toss it straight on the stone all in less than 2 or 3 minutes. I haven't had a stuck dough in a very long time since I started doing it this way.

Best of luck to you. keep the beer cold and and keep turning out the pizzas.
 
I use the charcoal baskets under a stone, and parchment paper is your friend.





 
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Ken Chapman said:
I use semolina flour on my peel which helps but I found that limiting the amount of time the pizza sits on the peel is really the key. The moisture in the dough will absorb the semolina/corn meal and turn it sticky if left on there to long. I will throw the dough on the peel sauce it, load the toppings and toss it straight on the stone all in less than 2 or 3 minutes. I haven't had a stuck dough in a very long time since I started doing it this way.

Best of luck to you. keep the beer cold and and keep turning out the pizzas.
Click to expand...

I'm with Ken on this one when it comes to keeping the pizza from sticking to the peel. While I have not made a pizza on my kettle yet, I have made a ton of pizzas in the oven. I use a little AP, and some semolina or corn meal on my peel. I also give the peel a little shake periodically as I am preparing the pie. My procedure looks like this... prep the peel, toss the dough onto the peel, sauce, shake the peel, toppings, shake the peel, finish topping, shake the peel, onto the stone.
 
Ken Chapman said:
Sandy, I have the Kettle Pizza, cook indirect and I do reach temps upwards of 800 degrees. With that being said, those temps are impossible to reach with charcoal alone. I use a full chimney of charcoal but also add 2 or 3 pieces of oak depending on their size. Once those pieces get going and turn to coals is when the heat starts to crank up. I've gotten it so hot my grate has warped.

Nate's suggestion of the charcoal grate to raise your surface is a good one. Getting the pizza up into the dome will help cook the top and bottom more evenly. I use semolina flour on my peel which helps but I found that limiting the amount of time the pizza sits on the peel is really the key. The moisture in the dough will absorb the semolina/corn meal and turn it sticky if left on there to long. I will throw the dough on the peel sauce it, load the toppings and toss it straight on the stone all in less than 2 or 3 minutes. I haven't had a stuck dough in a very long time since I started doing it this way.

Best of luck to you. keep the beer cold and and keep turning out the pizzas.
Click to expand...

I concur with Ken - use some hardwood to get the temp up further, and raise the surface however you can.
I admit I have a basic kettlepizza, and I'm still doing research on these pizzas. Like you, I make fresh dough.
good luck!!
 
JHenke said:
I use the charcoal baskets under a stone, and parchment paper is your friend.





Click to expand...

that set up looks really sweet and in aided by the fact that I already have it all. When I get home tonight I am going to do a dry run to see if it interferes with the lid closing, if it does I might make another batch of dough this week.

I'm okay with the parchment and I understand that you only use it till the dough is set enough to remove it but doesnt it prevent the entry of moisture into the hot stone and do you still get those little spots of char that define good pizza ?

and when people add wood to get the temps up, are these little logs or will chunks be sufficient ?

thanks
 
Sandy B said:
when people add wood to get the temps up, are these little logs or will chunks be sufficient ?
Click to expand...

I use wood splits. I take an oak log 8 to 10 inches long and split it into pieces. My pieces turn out to be 8 to 10 inches long and around 3 inches in diameter. I am planning to make pizzas this week. When I do I will take lots of pictures and post a thread.
 
I'm not sure if anyone else us in the same boat but the upside down coal holders and the STOK mega stone raises the stone but it does not interfere with the lid closing, which looks good to go. Maybe next weekend.
 
I have had good results with the emile Henry stone from Bed bath and beyond. the stone has handles so you can pick it up and move it. It is also enamile coated like a lecruet dutch oven, which helps with sticking. Last week i used it with fresh dough and floured the stone, rolled the dough on the stone, made the pizza on it. On it you place the pizza and stone on the grill at the same time which seemed weird to me, but worked fine. It takes a bit longer to cook than you think because the stone has to heat up, but I made a great crispy crust pizza. It was on the grill standard grate over a single chemney of coals for around 20 mins no turning.
 
Hamilton Barnes said:
I have had good results with the emile Henry stone from Bed bath and beyond. the stone has handles so you can pick it up and move it. It is also enamile coated like a lecruet dutch oven, which helps with sticking. Last week i used it with fresh dough and floured the stone, rolled the dough on the stone, made the pizza on it. On it you place the pizza and stone on the grill at the same time which seemed weird to me, but worked fine. It takes a bit longer to cook than you think because the stone has to heat up, but I made a great crispy crust pizza. It was on the grill standard grate over a single chemney of coals for around 20 mins no turning.
Click to expand...

I'm not one to argue with success but that seems weird to me as well. Im hoping with the charcoal baskets, an IR thermometer and some wood I can get it hot enough to cook but not so hot so as to carbonize.

plus with tomatoes and basil being plentiful, who doesnt like a Margherita ?
 
For those of you who are having trouble with pizza sticking to the stone, there is a cast iron pizza "stone" offered by Lodge that works
very well. My daughter has one and there is no sticking and the pizza turns out great. Not very expensive either.
 
Bob H. said:
For those of you who are having trouble with pizza sticking to the stone, there is a cast iron pizza "stone" offered by Lodge that works
very well. My daughter has one and there is no sticking and the pizza turns out great. Not very expensive either.
Click to expand...

i dont think its the stone, its more that the pizza sticks to the peel on launch. But then again what do I know, I've never succesfully made on despite multiple repeated attempts.

i looked into the cast iron ones ( not lodge but Emille something, not emeril legace but I'm sure he has one as well) because I was pretty certain I would break the stone, which is another expectation of mine that also ( thankfully) has not come to fruition.

i'll probably go parchment next time,
 
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