NJ Boardwalk Pizza

[norma427]

Norma,

I'm going to come over from York to visit you...if not this Tuesday, but the next. I'll let you know!

PG

PG,

Great to hear you are coming over from York to visit my market stand.  Let me know when you are coming.  If you want me to make a Mack's attempt, I will make the dough.  Maybe you want to handle the dough. 

Norma

[NepaBill]

Norma,

Land O'Lakes Mild Cheddar has no sharp taste whatsoever..  I recently tried a brand called Sommermaid..  It wasn't nearly as good and had a plastic like texture..  I am not from that area, but if you can find someone who can tell you the food suppliers in that area, that would tell you a lot!!  I tried searching the area, but not knowing anything in that area, I am wasting my time..  I did find Anacapri Foods...  They are kinda nearby..    Here is their listing of cheeses:  http://www.anacaprifoods.com/catalog2.php?sort=item_id&category=CHEESE&submit=Search  Once again..  Probably not the supplier they use, but I would go this route..

[BOARDWALKER]

Norma,

Your latest Mack's clone dough recipe appears to be spot on.  The crispiness and large open structures in the crust are typical.

Please post your the recipe!!

[norma427]

Norma,

Land O'Lakes Mild Cheddar has no sharp taste whatsoever..  I recently tried a brand called Sommermaid..  It wasn't nearly as good and had a plastic like texture..  I am not from that area, but if you can find someone who can tell you the food suppliers in that area, that would tell you a lot!!  I tried searching the area, but not knowing anything in that area, I am wasting my time..  I did find Anacapri Foods...  They are kinda nearby..    Here is their listing of cheeses:  http://www.anacaprifoods.com/catalog2.php?sort=item_id&category=CHEESE&submit=Search  Once again..  Probably not the supplier they use, but I would go this route..

Bill,

Awhile back in this thread at Reply 167 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg97545.html#msg97545
Peter mentioned how to find distributors in a particular state.

I then called different distributors at Reply 174 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg97561.html#msg97561 and Reply 271 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg97580.html#msg97580
This is where I posted my results at Reply 277 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg98275.html#msg98275  I did call a few more distributors near the shore, but I guess I gave up when I couldn’t find one distributor that carried the Gangi sauce and the Kyrol flour.

ERASMO posted at Reply 175 he found out about different 40 lb. blocks of white cheddar at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg97562.html#msg97562
And also at Reply 183 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg97580.html#msg97580

ray jock reported at Reply 323 that he used to work at Mack’s pizza over 40 years ago and posted that the cheese was longhorn cheddar that came in big wheels from Wisconsin.  He said the use of the longhorn cheddar gave the pizza a stronger cheese flavor at Reply 323 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg100084.html#msg100084

I appreciate you tasting cheeses and helping with a distributor on this thread.   I did look at product catalog at http://www.anacaprifoods.com/catalog.php and didn’t see Gangi sauce or Kyrol flour.  They still might be Mack’s distributors, but I really don’t know.  

The only way we can know who is the distributor and distributors is for a inside person to tell us, or someone that might be watching at Mack’s or Mack and Mancos locations.

I guess I have become lax on this thread of calling distributors and not getting anywhere. 

Norma

[norma427]

Norma,

Your latest Mack's clone dough recipe appears to be spot on.  The crispiness and large open structures in the crust are typical.

Please post your the recipe!!

BOARDWALKER,

Thanks for thinking my latest Mack's clone dough formula looks spot on.  I think I almost copied Peter's formula. My formula I used for yesterday’s Mack attempt was almost like Peter’s attempt he tried at Reply 307 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9068.msg99472.html#msg99472 Seems like Peter knew what he was doing way back then.

If you do try Peter's or my formula, make sure you really press out the dough, before opening it.

Best of luck in creating a Mack's pizza.

Norma

[BOARDWALKER]

Thanks much, Norma. I will give it a try!

[norma427]

Thanks much, Norma. I will give it a try!

BOARDWALKER,

Hope you will report your results whether good or bad.  It then helps to know how other members do with the formulas.  I hope your Mack's attempt turns out well. 

Norma

[expo7290]

Norma, I noticed after your last attempt, you said the cheese didn't have the "tang" you were looking for. 

I noticed this as well, when I did my first, Mack's/Grotto attempt with mild cheddar.

Then I tried the white colby (12 oz. on a 16" pie) and what I tasted was...Booooiooooing!  Exactly the "tang" I think you are seeking. 

Just give it a shot, a 1 lb. block should only be about 5 bucks.  I tried Weis brand.

The first colby attempt I tried and posted about a while back, only used 10 ounces and was a little bland.  Those extra 2 ounces (or maybe the cheese was fresher) made a difference for me.

What have you got to lose?

There is a Weis market in Lansdale:

1551 Valley Forge Road
 Lansdale, PA 19446

Hope this is the final piece of the puzzle.....oh please for your sake, let it be.  You've done so much for everyone else.  Hope I can return the favor.

Hope to try your newest dough formulation soon.  I tried the old one again a while back.  After I mixed it, I immediately divided the doubled recipe in half, and put them in the metal dough retarders overnight.  In the morning, I took them out (They didn't grow in size) and let them come to room temp for 6 hours and OMG!  It was perfect!  So easy to work with.  I never shaped a home made pizza that quickly. 

[norma427]

Norma, I noticed after your last attempt, you said the cheese didn't have the "tang" you were looking for. 

I noticed this as well, when I did my first, Mack's/Grotto attempt with mild cheddar.

Then I tried the white colby (12 oz. on a 16" pie) and what I tasted was...Booooiooooing!  Exactly the "tang" I think you are seeking. 

Just give it a shot, a 1 lb. block should only be about 5 bucks.  I tried Weis brand.

The first colby attempt I tried and posted about a while back, only used 10 ounces and was a little bland.  Those extra 2 ounces (or maybe the cheese was fresher) made a difference for me.

What have you got to lose?

There is a Weis market in Lansdale:

1551 Valley Forge Road
 Lansdale, PA 19446

Hope this is the final piece of the puzzle.....oh please for your sake, let it be.  You've done so much for everyone else.  Hope I can return the favor.

Hope to try your newest dough formulation soon.  I tried the old one again a while back.  After I mixed it, I immediately divided the doubled recipe in half, and put them in the metal dough retarders overnight.  In the morning, I took them out (They didn't grow in size) and let them come to room temp for 6 hours and OMG!  It was perfect!  So easy to work with.  I never shaped a home made pizza that quickly. 

expo7290 .

I did say the mild white cheddar didn’t have enough tang.  It is interesting you are posting about white Colby and it might be the cheese to try on a Mack’s pizza.  I guess there are different brands of white Colby, and also how they taste when baked on a pie.  I don’t know where Steve purchased the white Colby cheese he used on a Greek style pizza he made last week at market, and I am not sure how it would have tasted on a Mack’s pizza, but the taste of the white Colby he brought to market, didn’t taste anything like Mack’s cheese, when baked on the Greek pizza.  The taste of the white Colby baked on the Greek pizza was very good, but nothing like Mack’s cheese.  Since you tried another brand of white Colby before and it was a little bland, I can understand that different white Colby brands are different.  I do have a Weis market very close to where I live.  Next time I get there I will purchase some of their brand of white Colby and try it on either on a whole pizza or maybe a half.  I can only hope this is the part of the puzzle that will solve the cheese issue.  I have tried many different kinds of cheese so far, and the closest I gotten is when I blended cheeses.  It has been a long journey trying to find the right cheese. 

I am glad my other formula worked out well for you.  The formula I did use on my last attempt a few days ago didn’t rise much either.  I don’t know why that was.  It might have something to do with all the oil in the formula, but I don’t know.

Thanks so much for your help with the cheese.  I appreciate you thoughts very much! 

Norma

[norma427]

This post is just to add that I did ask Steve what brand of Colby he used on the Greek Style pizza he made the other week. and he said it was the Weis brand of Colby.  On the Greek Style pizza, the cheese didn’t taste anything like Mack’s cheese does, but I can understand if it might be baked on a formula posted on this thread, it might taste a lot different.  When I have time, I will try some Weis brand of Colby on part of a Mack’s attempt.

Maybe other members might want give Weis brand of Colby (if they can purchase it their area) a shot to see if they think it tastes like Mack's cheese, and then report back.

Norma

[expo7290]

Norma, I just tried a 50-50 white colby / monterey jack blend...even better.  

This is what I will use if I open my own shop.

In addition, I have never tried a Mack's (as I mentioned when I first got on this thread)...so I may have been waaaay off base with the colby reference.  Sorry.  I was excited because it was what I was looking for.  

Hopefully you find your white whale someday.  I found mine and it is mostly due to your and everyone's efforts on this thread.

Thank you everyone.

I am going to stay on here and start posting some pics soon.  Everytime I start making the pies, I realize too late and it's already in the oven.

[norma427]

Norma, I just tried a 50-50 white colby / monterey jack blend...even better.  

This is what I will use if I open my own shop.

In addition, I have never tried a Mack's (as I mentioned when I first got on this thread)...so I may have been waaaay off base with the colby reference.  Sorry.  I was excited because it was what I was looking for.  

Hopefully you find your white whale someday.  I found mine and it is mostly due to your and everyone's efforts on this thread.

Thank you everyone.

I am going to stay on here and start posting some pics soon.  Everytime I start making the pies, I realize too late and it's already in the oven.

Expo7290,

Your blend of white Cobly and Monterey sounds good.  I think they also sell something called Colby-Jack that is marbled.  I have eaten that cheese, but never tried the Colby-Jack or the blend like you tried on any pizza.

No need to be sorry for saying you like how a cheese or blend of cheeses tastes on a pizza.  I think there are many different blends of cheeses that are good on pizzas.  I am glad you found what you really like.

Thanks for saying you hope this thread will find its white whale someday.  I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to find the exact cheese Mack’s uses, because it probably comes in a 40 lb. block without labels.  That is what makes it so hard to find the brand of cheese Mack’s uses.

I am also going to try some blends again.

Looking forward to seeing some of the pies you make, if you can post the pictures. 

Norma

[norma427]

I had an interesting phone called this morning, from a man that saw on my blog about my attempts at trying to make a pie like Mack’s or Mack and Manco’s.  He said he specifically saw the 40 lb. block of cheese I bought and he thought I had found the cheese to make a Mack’s pizza.  I told him no, I didn’t find the exact cheese Mack’s uses.  The way the man talked he said he looked me up by finding where my small pizza stand was, and then went from there to find how to contact me.  He told me he is from Trenton, NJ and knows how different families years ago went to the shore to start their pizzas businesses and they were all related somehow.  The man told me about a pizza business at Seaside Heights, NJ that is called Marucas tomato pie. http://www.marucaspizza.com/  He said their cheese tastes like Mack’s cheese too.  I asked the man if he ever looks at pizza making.com and he said he didn’t look at this forum very much and generally tries ideas to make his own pizzas that taste like DeLorenzo’s pizza.  He said most people tell him his pizza does tastes like DeLorenzo’s pizza.  He also said somehow all the people that started pizza business at the shore all got ideas from DeLorenzo’s.  He asked me if I had tried different types of cheeses from distributors in 40 lb. blocks and I said I had only tried the one I purchased recently.  He said he was in touch with a distributor and might know where Mack’s purchases their cheese and what brand it was.  He said on the box there is a number that shows exactly how the brand of cheese can be traced from the factory.  He is going to try to help us on this thread.  He gave me his phone number and told me to call him anytime.  I told him to come here on the forum and look at this thread.  I don’t know if he will or not.  We talked about many things related to pizza, but the above is what I thought I would post about.

These are a few links to pictures about Marucas pizza. http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Seaside-Heights-Brick-NJ-33008-Sun-afternoon-m387917.aspx
If you go down in this blog you can also see Marucas tomato pie. http://joeyzsspeakeasy.blogspot.com/2009/11/boardwalk-tomato-pie.html

In the beachcomer magazine.
http://beachcombermagazine.com/eat-seaside-park.htm

Different pictures on Flicker.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/holiday_jenny/5654157028/

Also on Yelp.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/maruca-tomato-pies-seaside-park

I don’t know what other members might think, but I think Marucas tomato pies look very similar to Mack’s pizza.  It says in some of the reviews it is cheddar cheese they use as the cheese for their tomato pies.

Norma

[scott123]

I have to admit, Maruca's looks a lot like Mack's, even down to the cheese.

I'm curious, for those familiar with Trenton, is cheddar common there as well?  I was under the assumption that Trenton was just mozz under sauce.

Like the other places, the tomato pie looks great, but what's going on with that fior di latte pie next to it?

http://www.roadfood.com/insider/photos/4555.jpg

I'd be embarrassed to have something looking like that in my case.

Norma, I'm just going to throw this out there, but could it be possible that you do have the right cheese but aren't baking it the right way?  The flavor of cheese changes pretty dramatically during baking, especially cheddar.  You want it to bubble and brown, but not bubble and brown too much.  Thickness factors are critical to cheese flavor- the thinner the crust, the less insulation, the more heat the cheese gets from below.  Bottom heat encourages bubbling/oiling off while top heat encourages browning.  I can't speak for cheddar, but mozz in a greater thickness factor environment (more than .085") generally doesn't get enough heat from below, which, in turn, causes it to brown more than bubble, which, in turn, prevents it from reaching maximum richness/flavor. At least, some mozz.  Grande/Grande clones tend to bubble in just about any setting.

[norma427]

Norma, I'm just going to throw this out there, but could it be possible that you do have the right cheese but aren't baking it the right way?  The flavor of cheese changes pretty dramatically during baking, especially cheddar.  You want it to bubble and brown, but not bubble and brown too much.  Thickness factors are critical to cheese flavor- the thinner the crust, the less insulation, the more heat the cheese gets from below.  Bottom heat encourages bubbling/oiling off while top heat encourages browning.  I can't speak for cheddar, but mozz in a greater thickness factor environment (more than .085") generally doesn't get enough heat from below, which, in turn, causes it to brown more than bubble, which, in turn, prevents it from reaching maximum richness/flavor. At least, some mozz.  Grande/Grande clones tend to bubble in just about any setting.

Scott 123,

I sure wish the cheddar I bought would taste different if it is baked a different way.  Steve and I have been using the same new white cheddar I bought in the big over 40 lb. block on different Greek pies we have been making also, and we both commented that the big block of cheddar I bought sure doesn’t have much of any flavor to it.  That really has me stumped too. We first thought maybe the white cheddar needs to age some, but am not sure of that either. The mild white cheddar I bought gets tough when it cools. Mack’s white cheddar doesn’t do that. I have no idea if the cheese is baked differently on a Mack’s pie if it will taste different.  Of all the pies I have seen pictures of real Mack’s or Mack and Mancos pizza the cheese never browns.  I don’t really know, but from the way the man that talked to me this morning said, there are many brands of mild white cheddar.  I don’t know if that is true or not, but guess I will have to wait until the man (Bill) calls me again.  Bill talked so fast today, but I think he even said Grande sells some brand of white cheddar that only distributors sell.  I am not sure of that though.  I think the only way we will know what kind of cheddar Mack’s or Mack and Mancos uses is get a box that has been torn down, then try to go from there.  If you have any ideas of how to go about that, let me know.  I appreciate your help!    This thread needs all the help it can get. 

Norma

[ERASMO]

http://philadelphia.foobooz.com/tag/joey-macks/

Check this out.
"Joey Mack serves his pizza on a thin crust with sauce spread in concentric circles and topped with shredded white cheddar."

[norma427]

http://philadelphia.foobooz.com/tag/joey-macks/

Check this out.
"Joey Mack serves his pizza on a thin crust with sauce spread in concentric circles and topped with shredded white cheddar."

ERASMO,

While doing research for Mack’s pizza, I did come across references for Joey Mack’s Boardwalk pizza, but never went they to try them.  Do you plan on visiting someday since you live close to Phila?

These are some reviews on Yelp for Joey’s Mack’s Boardwalk pizza.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/joey-macks-boardwalk-pizza-philadelphia

Norma

[Ev]

Norma,
One of these days, you and I need to take a pizza road trip downtown. I'll drive. No problem. 

[norma427]

Norma,
One of these days, you and I need to take a pizza road trip downtown. I'll drive. No problem. 

Steve,

A road trip always sounds good to me, and trying Joey’s Mack’s Boardwalk pizza also sounds great, but how is that going to help us find the type of cheese they might use.  I wonder if any members ever tried a Joey’s Mack’s Boardwalk pizza to compare how it tastes to a Mack’s pizza as far as how the cheese tastes.  I would imagine they might both use the same cheese.

Here is what a blogger had to say about Joey’s Mack Boardwalk pizza, and other boardwalk pizzas like Mack and Manco’s and how they are supposed to be related.

http://bestphiladelphiapizzablog.blogspot.com/2009/09/macks-boardwalk-pizza-south.html

Thanks for saying you would drive.  I hate city traffic, and I am not that familiar with Phila.


Norma

[Ev]

If it tastes the same, then we'd have another guy to bribe and another dumpster to dive!