Author Topic: 2-Stone w/ Pete-zza Raquel/PNW/ Jeff (Read 7224 times)

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #20 on:** July 14, 2008, 08:06:57 PM »

Thanks man I appreciate it, I'll give it a shot

Essen1 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 14, 2008, 08:27:00 PM »

No problem.

sourdough girl · « **Reply #22 on:** July 14, 2008, 08:49:54 PM »

Tony,
I have to agree with Mike that 900^o is too high... I've been baking on the 2stone with great success at 700-750^o... nice crisp exterior and light, fluffy, slightly chewy interior with JerryMac's recipe. No sogginess at all!

~sd

Essen1 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 14, 2008, 09:01:02 PM »

Mots,

what are the size of your pizzas?

sourdough girl · « **Reply #24 on:** July 14, 2008, 09:17:05 PM »

Quote from: Essen1 on July 14, 2008, 09:01:02 PM

Mots,

what are the size of your pizzas?

Mike, you're gonna get that nickname to stick yet!

I'm still a little intimidated by sliding the pizza off the peel into the 2stone, so my pizzas are ~9-10" using 7 oz (~128 g, I think...) of dough. I've had really good luck with that size and 2 of them fill DH and me just perfectly with no breakfast leftover

so, since I've been having such good luck, I'll just stick with that size for now.

~sd aka mots

Essen1 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 14, 2008, 09:22:20 PM »

Mots,

The name will catch on

Anyway, the reason I asked was I noticed that when I make pies of 13" or bigger and the bottom stone is at 750° or higher, the underside burns too quickly. What I do now is I start at around 675° and gradually go up when the pie's in the oven, or LBE I should say. With smaller pizzas I use the same temps as you.

Just an observation and perhaps the 2stone heats up differently.

sourdough girl · « **Reply #26 on:** July 14, 2008, 09:42:26 PM »

Mike,
Good observation... my question to you is, do you keep the lid on the LBE all the time except when adding/removing the pizza? The 2stone model I have is open in the front and not put on the grill with a lid, so if you keep the lid on, that would probably help explain the bottom burning more easily. The bottom stone of the 2stone also rotates, which probably helps a little, I imagine.

~mots aka sd

Essen1 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:02:16 PM »

Mots,

I try as much as possible to keep the lid on.

I'm currently thinking about upgrading the lid to a Weber Smoker 18.5" lid and cutting a big enough side vent into it so that I don't have to open it any longer. The side vent would be covered with some sort of slideable "door", with cut out vertical, elongated openings for air flow. In terms of insulation on the inside of the lid, RN pointed me in the right direction which is worth exploring.

As you can see in the photo, the lid of the Smoker is much higher and has lots of surface to work with.

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #28 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:06:08 PM »

JFYI I am using an older Weber Genesis withe 2-stone 13 inch model. In spit of this being an older stove it fires up real fast and can to 1000 degrees, hard to believe but it's true. Willard also suggested I start at 650 and go from there. If any of you guys have this kind of grill and the 2-stone, are you leaving the hood open or close, I Will be experimenting with it both ways. Probably gonna do some tomorrow if it's not to hot. I am in Arizona. 107 is average in July.
Thanks for the suggestions
Ciao Baby

Pizza_Not_War · « **Reply #29 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:09:33 PM »

900 degree temps will work well with Caputo or San Felice and a small amount of toppings. When you start loading on the over abundance of cheese that we tend to do in America along with the meats you need a much lower stone temp to allow the top to cook.

I have been converted to light toppings and more crust!

PNW

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #30 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:09:55 PM »

Essen
Just saw your post with the WSM, I have one and love it been smoking a while now. Have you ever tried to use the 2-stone on the WSM

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #31 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:13:20 PM »

PNW
Definitely not the problem of topping with me I am an old timer, when I was a kid in NY (1946) the only toppings we could get at the local joints were cheese or alici (anchovies). But I appreciate the info. By the way I moved you up into a tie with Pete and thanks I got the check today LOL

Essen1 · « **Reply #32 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:17:06 PM »

Tony,

I don't own a 2stone. However, another member, Villa Roma, came up with a design on how to convert a Weber BBQ into a high-heat pizza oven. Both principles, the 2stone and LBE (Little Black Egg), are almost identical.

Here's the link to the thread on the LBE subject:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4753.0.html

Below is a pic of my set up.

PNW,

I agree. Caputo is excellent for high temps.

sourdough girl · « **Reply #33 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:33:42 PM »

Quote from: Essen1 on July 14, 2008, 10:02:16 PM

Mots,

I try as much as possible to keep the lid on.

I'm currently thinking about upgrading the lid to a Weber Smoker 18.5" lid and cutting a big enough side vent into it so that I don't have to open it any longer. The side vent would be covered with some sort of slideable "door", with cut out vertical, elongated openings for air flow. In terms of insulation on the inside of the lid, RN pointed me in the right direction which is worth exploring.

As you can see in the photo, the lid of the Smoker is much higher and has lots of surface to work with.

Mike,
I have that self-same smoker, only not shiny and new like that.... mine is ~15 years old, used and abused (finally burned through the bottom grate!)... it sits over in the side yard, in the "sourdough girl hall of fame" for replaced smokers/grills. Can't bear to part with it since it served me so well... but it's replaced with a Camp Chef Smoke Vault propane smoker where I can regulate the heat better for more temp-sensitive things like Lebanon bologna, which is one of my favorites. If you want the lid, PM me and I'll send it to you!

~mots aka sd

Essen1 · « **Reply #34 on:** July 14, 2008, 10:39:30 PM »

Mots,

That is a mighty fine offer!! But are you sure you want to part with a "Mots aka SD Hall of Fame" item?

sourdough girl · « **Reply #35 on:** July 14, 2008, 11:07:50 PM »

Mike,
If it will help you in your quest for pizza perfection, I will happily donate it to the cause... but you must know, of course, that it is coated with the essence of many year's worth of smoking pleasure, so to speak! Might add new dimension to your pizzas!

Besides, it's like donating an organ... my smoker would live on! And what better life than our pizza obsession!

~mots aka sd

JerryMac · « **Reply #36 on:** July 15, 2008, 12:33:20 PM »

Quote from: sourdough girl on July 14, 2008, 08:49:54 PM

Tony,
I have to agree with Mike that 900^o is too high... I've been baking on the 2stone with great success at 700-750^o... nice crisp exterior and light, fluffy, slightly chewy interior with JerryMac's recipe. No sogginess at all!

~sd

Cathy, if you left the Honey or Malt Syrup out of my dough, you might be able to go up to a higher temp

If that place I told you about is ever a go that is probably what I'll do

A few other people have tried my dough in 2 Stones and I would like to know how it would cook without the sugar at higher temps

Mangia Bene

Jerry

sourdough girl · « **Reply #37 on:** July 15, 2008, 01:59:43 PM »

Hey, Jerry!
Good to see you posting again!

On my next iteration, I will leave the honey out of the dough as you suggest and let you know the results! I would guess it would be just as tasty, but not as brown. Might even try higher than 750^o

~sd

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #38 on:** July 15, 2008, 03:16:18 PM »

Update: Yesterday I said I was gonna try Trader Joes Dough to save me time in experimenting with the 2-stone and also saving my KASL flour. YUK! YUK! I wasted time money and got stressed out. So I spent the morning making a fresh batch of homemade dough, like I should have from the start.
Ciao Baby

Tony Pizzeria · « **Reply #39 on:** July 16, 2008, 02:15:48 PM »

I think I got the sogginess solved. Did a Pete-zza Lehmann dough yesterday (no culture). Just for the heck of it I split the recipe in half and decided to bake 1 in the oven and one in the 2-stone. As recommended by Willard I started at 650 and went to 725 cooked in 3 1/2 minutes in the stone. That is the first picture, second is in the oven on a screen for 5 minutes then onto the stone for 2 more and the third is a comparison.
Once again the wife and I disagree (don't know how we lasted 50 years) guess opposite really attract, she likes the one in the house oven and i like the2-stone because of the charred bubbles and crust. Anyway I think I have solved the soggy problem.