Newbie Pizza Making....

[DrivenAgain]

That latest batch.....from the top view looking down at the pizza, the width, lift and coloring of the outer crust (rim/lip/whatevs) is reminiscent of Great Lake!  

I'll contact you off-line....definitely need to visit your pizzeria before August is through! --K

I really appreciate the kind words.  Anytime man, just my luck ill ruin a bunch, Ill make sure to make up a big batch of skins so I dont look too bad  

Hers a shot of my simple grille setup.  Last 2 bakes I experimented with adding charcoal to bring up the dome temps, it was good for about 50+ degrees on the deck and helped with some browning on top.  Im lovin the grill right now!

[Jackie Tran]

Jason, your latest pie looks awesome.  Congrats!

[DrivenAgain]

Jason, your latest pie looks awesome.  Congrats!

Thanks Chau.  Without the mountain of data available here and helpful members like you, Id still be cooking Anne Burrells grilled pizza, thinking it was actually pizza. I literally went from grilled flat breads to here in less than 3 months. 

I think my tastes are evolving, no expanding a bit.  Im wanting the texture and taste of the Neapolitan more these days, and my current setup just cant do it.  I can keep tinkering with it but my wife doesnt always like me "messing with our 500.00 grille"  My cook times need to decrease, temp needs top go up and I think im stuck at a 4min barrier with my current setup.  I have limited space on the patio at my townhouse so Im thinking an LBE will work best for its simplicity and cost.

[Jackie Tran]

hmmm, I dunno Jason.  The 4 min pie is thing of beauty in it's own right.  You may someday appreciate it much more than you do now.  Not saying you don't, but you may find that after you have achieved your NP, that your first love was true all along.   I'm not sure the LBE will do it either, but it will get you 1 step closer.   

I think the closest anyone has gotten to NP in the LBE is right around a 2 min bake and that is really pushing it.  The LBE will do 3-4 min pies without sweating it too much, but a sub 2 minute pie is tough.  I don't know what constitutes "true" NP, but a lot of folks are baking around the 1-1.5m mark in their WFO.   You may have to get a WFO to find that true NP and then realize it's ultimately not your favorite.  Having said that though, you can make awesome 4-5 min pies in the WFO as well or do what I do and play around with both styles in one bake. 

I still think that the LBE is a worthwhile project b/c it will teach you a lot about balancing heat with your dough.  It is $ well spent IMO.

Chau

[TXCraig1]

I think my tastes are evolving, no expanding a bit.  Im wanting the texture and taste of the Neapolitan more these days, and my current setup just cant do it.  I can keep tinkering with it but my wife doesnt always like me "messing with our 500.00 grille"  My cook times need to decrease, temp needs top go up and I think im stuck at a 4min barrier with my current setup.  I have limited space on the patio at my townhouse so Im thinking an LBE will work best for its simplicity and cost.

I think you could likely knock at least a minute off your cook time if you insulated the top of your grill.  Something like I did here maybe: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9614.0.html  You're probably loosing an immense amount of heat through the lid.

Good luck.

Craig

[DrivenAgain]

Thanks guys, all points noted. 

Chau,

Its that tenderness Im after that the shorter cook times allow.  Maybe its the challenge, I hate roadblocks and barriers.

Craig,
 I've gone over your setup before and its looks really nice, and obviously made some nice pies.  I think I want to move towards the LBE so I have a dedicated piece to cook on.

[DrivenAgain]

This was some over-fermented dough, it was suuuuper slack and all over the place.  I didnt want it to go to waste so I made some quick pies.  The bianco with fontina garlic and shrimp was amazing.  These pies weren't anything stellar texturally but they were all tasty.

[chickenparm]

Nice work! They all look really tasty! Ya Still made a nice crust with them over-doughs.I will use them myself at times,if I dont have any new ones rising.They can be some extensible bastiches to handle.
 

[DrivenAgain]

Nice work! They all look really tasty! Ya Still made a nice crust with them over-doughs.

thanks Bill for the compliments, I appreciate it.  Even my wife has caught on that my worst of pies, is far superior to anything local.

They can be some extensible bastiches to handle.
 

i think they are possessed and have a mind of their own, sometimes I feel that if I turn my back it will move on its own!

[Biz Markie]

I may try my first GTB (Grill-to-Brolier) pizza today.  

Trying the Pizza Napoletana from Bread Baker's Apprentice using KASL and only 4.5% Oil.

Wish me luck!

My one concern is presently I have no way to measure the temp of my stone. (http://www.emilehenryusa.com/Pizza-Stone-Figue-plu377514.html)  I'm worried I may overheat it and crack it.

Also I am debating whether to remove the heat/flame spreader thingy that sits between the burners and the grate. ..... when I grill veggies in my grill wok, I remove it to get the really high, direct flame heat.  Not sure if doing this with the stone will cause it too much shock. ....

[DrivenAgain]

good luck man, crank the mofo on high and let it go for 40+ min, load your skin and check it every 1 min and give it a 1/4 turn.  youll get the hang of it.

[TXCraig1]

I think I want to move towards the LBE so I have a dedicated piece to cook on.

My wife is indeed happy to have her gas grill back.

CL

[Martino1]

... Does this mean the pizza bbq community lost you forever ? 

Seeing your WFO pies however, I can well understand that. They look close to perfect.

So i keep on trying with my broiler king... I think the combination of heat deflecting and a rear burner can produce a decent result.... I keep on trying until the time has come that i will be residing at one location for a while, then its gotta be a WFO. Seems I have to learn a lot about dough before though, cause IMO a mediocre unbaked pizza will not suddenly turn out great in a WFO. Must have been a good one before I guess, baked in a great oven the pie gets its elevation then...

MB

[DrivenAgain]

Guys Im still here, Im a diamond dealer and Ive been on the road the last month, and Im craving some pizza!!  I will get started with some dough in the next few days.

Jason

[Jackie Tran]

Chau,

Its that tenderness Im after that the shorter cook times allow.  Maybe its the challenge, I hate roadblocks and barriers.

Jason, IMO tenderness can come in many different forms including a wide variety of flours and bake times.  You can achieve tenderness in a 60 sec bake time all the way to a 6 minute and beyond bake.   For me, the desire to seek after the NP style is multi-faceted.  Part of the allure of it is definitely the challenge of it, the amount of attention and praise it gets on the forum, especially from the more experience members, the idea of achieving the "ultimate" pizza in the ultimate pizza cooking vesssel, the WFO.  The taming of the fermentation (the dough) and flame if you will.  And ultimately the taste.  A really good NP does have a great and unique taste and textures.  Just saying the taste and textures alone isn't for everyone though.

When I get my NY coal styled pies just right, they are equally if not more satisfying to me.  Both styles can really be great, they are just different to me.  That tenderness and greatness you seek can be found right in the style that you are currently doing.  The NP style will offer up it's own set of challenges.

That said, I hope to not dissuade anyone from trying something new though, for that is much of the fun.

Chau

[DrivenAgain]

coming outta retirement   Im at the beach with family, have to make about 6-7 pies for dinner tomorrow night.  Ill try to get good pics and cocument the process.  hope you guys are well!!

Jason

[pythonic]

Welcome back.  U still gonna build that LBE?

[pizzaneer]

Hi, fellow MD'er here and proud LBE owner.  I'm curious what your further exploits have been.  You had great results!

[DrivenAgain]

Thanks guys, I never made it to making an LBE...Im still doing the 2 stone oven/broiler method.  Ive got a big batch im about to ball up for tonights dinner.  This will be my first time making pies outside of my own home/environment, so Im not expecting anything stellar.  Ill get some pics up soon along with my recipe for this batch