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[turner]

Anyone ever work at this place, have any insight?   I'm not looking for clones recipes or anything, but really enjoyed this pizza.  If I could know one thing, it would be..  Who do they buy cheese from?

I've had a lot of Chicago pizza, thin and thick and a lot of it is good and great, but a Beggers sausage pizza with extra cheese has some magic to it.  I know they use massive heat, because it can burn your fingers from delivery.

I searched and was surprised that only one post came up for beggers pizza.

[loowaters]

Never had it but I do know one thing...they seem to give it plenty of mentions on The Score, particularly Mully and Hanley's show. 

Is it comparable to any other well known Chicago pizza places? 

Loo

[turner]

Not really.  It's a thin crust and the only other Chicago thin crust I got in to was Home Run Inn.  Both fresh and frozen, it can be good.  I think I actually like Beggers better.  I don't know exactly how home run inn crust is made, but it is very crunchy and almost tough to eat.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect it has lard and a little corn meal (it's very crunchy and dry) in the crust.  I suspect that because it is VERY heavy on the stomach and it has such a rich flavor.  In a bind for good pizza and can't wait for home made aged dough, a frozen home run inn will work well.  It taste like a very unhealthy pizza, so watch out.

Beggers seems to be all flour based and probably cooked on a stone.  It's thinner then home run inn and the bottom seems to have a lot of flower left over on the bottom of the crust.  It is crisp and it can hold a bit of weight.  They cut it in small squares, but even with a lot of toppings, the crust holds up very well.

[loowaters]

Turner, as far as the Home Run Inn pies, we've gone in depth around here and there is no corn meal involved, we do know that. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6009.0.html  and http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6112.0.html

Hopefully someone can give some insight into Beggars Pizza.

Loo

[jeff v]

It's been a while (years), but I used to order from Beggar's once or twice a month. I want to say the crust reminds me of Aurelio's only a little thicker-does that sound right? Sauce and toppings were pretty basic, but lots of it. I would cook directly on the stone too.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4676.0.html  -Talks about South Side thin crust in general with a recipe on page 2.
 
Member loowaters has a thin crust recipe that can be tinkered with and doesn't take forever here- http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6368.0.html The "crisp on the bottom,  but not exactly crackery" reminded me of Beggar's.

Hope this helps,

Jeff

[turner]

I've never had Aurelio, so I can't say for sure.  I don't live in the Chicago area any more, but when I visit my sister, we always get a Beggers Pizza with sausage and extra cheese.  Beggers (made right) is up to par to my own personal standards.     IMO only a few Chicago pizza shops are excellent.  Even then, it comes down to the location and the cook.  I've had a crappy Gino's East pizza at the Naperville location.  My first attempt at deep dish was better then that.  I also has a pretty bad Home Run Inn once.       Living near Chicago got me started in making my own pizza's in the first place.  I didn't want to drive that far or pay that much for a good pie, but I still needed a fix.

I was more interested in the brand or supplier of cheese they use.  It's really good cheese. 

[turner]

Turner, as far as the Home Run Inn pies, we've gone in depth around here and there is no corn meal involved, we do know that. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6009.0.html  and http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6112.0.html

Hopefully someone can give some insight into Beggars Pizza.

Loo

Ya, I did see those links and I was surprised that it called for APF and no corn meal.  HRI's crust is just so crunchy and heavy and rich.  My stomach never felt that great after eating it.  So, no butter, butter flavored criso?  That is surprising...

[BTB]

Boy, the mention of Beggar's pizza brings back a lot of memories, if this is the same one you are referring to (little different spelling) at http://beggarspizza.com/.  When I used to live in the south suburbs of Chicago, I occasionally dined at their main restaurant at 156th and Cicero Ave. in Oak Forest, IL. and generally found their thin crust pizzas to be excellent.  They made all styles of pizzas and while their deep dish left a lot to be desired, their thin crust (actually a thick-thin) was very good.  There were so many good pizza places within 5 to 10 miles of Beggar's main restaurant, however, that it was hard to decide which to go to when hankering for a good pizza.  Ed & Joe's nearby (which Tom Lehmann is very familiar with) won No. 1 pizza award in the Chicago metro area a year or two ago.  The great and original Aurelio's pizzeria is only about 10 or 15 minutes away.  And other great pizzerias nearby include Fox's, Vito & Nicks, Villa Nova, Papa's, Louisa's and many others.  While Beggar's was very good, most of the others mentioned were even better.