Pizza stone surface temps for cooking pizzas

[jaydoo]

could someone tell me what are some good surface temps i have a pizza stone in my bbq and get temps up to 850 f  much better than the 550 f , i get in my regular home oven ,,,I'm looking at purchasing a laser surface thermometer so i can perfect the surface temp

[The Dough Doctor]

Jay;
Deck temperatures of 500 to as high as 1000F have been used to bake pizzas, but we see temperatures of 600 to 850F used more commonly for traditional, or rustic type of pizzas. I think you will do well if you are getting your stone up to 850F. Just be sure not to use any, or very little sugar in the dough. Don't use any eggs or milk either as these will only lead to excessive crust color development or excessive charring at those temperatures. If your finished pizzas lose their crisp too fast, you may want to consider reducing the baking temperature, allowing for a longer bake and better crisp on the bottom of the pizza. You may also need to balance the bottom (stone) temperature with the bake to the top of the pizza. If the bottom is done, but the top is still not done to your liking, you may need to lower the temperature to allow more time for the top of the pizza to bake. It is a bit of a balancing act.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[barryvabeach]

Jay,  I have been getting around 600 on a corderite stone on my gas grill and find the cheese starts to burn around 3 1/2 minutes -  though I usually prop the grill open a few inches to load and remove the pizza so I don't lose much heat.  I would think that 800 would be awfully quick in terms of cooking without burning.

[MikesCookin]

I’ve been using a ss 4 burner grill and ½ inch thick unglazed quarry tile as a cooking surface for years.  These work well and are cheap to replace if broken.  Experimented with various surface sizes and find that about 12-13”  on an 18 x 30 grill surface allows enough heat to escape around and above the stone to provide adequate top temp above the stone.  This is critical, otherwise too much heat gets trapped under the stone causing the crust to burn.  I use a Kintrex Dig. IR thermometer, get 700-725 stone temp, good for about 4 to 4 ½ min cook times.  Use the same tiles in the home range but can’t get anywhere near these cook times since the temp is lower.

[mkevenson]

JAYDOO, would you mind telling us what fuel source you are using to get those temps. I am using lump charcoal in my Weber kettle and can get 450 or a little higher. Going to try my UDS which has 4 intake vents in hopes of going to a higher temp.

Mark

[jduchon]

Be really careful with a typical pizza stone at over 600 degrees F.  If you spill a drop of tomato sauce or if some leaks through the crust the stone may crack.  Bricks or thick tiles are better.

JD

[mkevenson]

Be really careful with a typical pizza stone at over 600 degrees F.  If you spill a drop of tomato sauce or if some leaks through the crust the stone may crack.  Bricks or thick tiles are better.

JD

I am using a Red Sky stone rated at 2300 degrees.
http://www.redskygrilling.com/

Don't imagine I will get anywhere near that. Thank you for the caution, tho.

Mark