NJ Boardwalk Pizza

[ERASMO]

Norma
It was the Macks closer to the center of town at the end of Wildwood Ave.  Since we were told about the all cheddar the wife and I really tried to tune in on the cheese flavor and we suspect a mild cheddar.  It did not have the bite of a sharp.

[norma427]

Norma
It was the Macks closer to the center of town at the end of Wildwood Ave.  Since we were told about the all cheddar the wife and I really tried to tune in on the cheese flavor and we suspect a mild cheddar.  It did not have the bite of a sharp.

ERASMO,

Thanks for telling me where you had the Mack's pizza.  That is one near Douglas's fudge.  That is also something I am hungry for.  Great job on tuning in on the cheese flavor.  I tried all white mild cheddar last week and in my opinion, it wasn't the taste of Mack's.  I used the State Brand.  I think, but don't know, since talking to my distributor, that they might be using a medium white cheddar.

Thanks,

Norma

[scott r]

norma, I mentioned already, but we definitely know the cheddar is from wisconsin thanks to my friend.   Also, where I live (the home of papa gino's and greek pizza) mild white cheddar is the most popular cheese put on pizza.   The most popular brand used around here is the same brand that you use (although you use their mozzarella),  its called 1950-127 brand and it is from Wisconsin.    I think you should contact the manufacturer (foremost farms) and tell them that you own a pizzera and you already use their mozzarella.   Ask them if you can get some samples of their mild white cheddar.   I have always been able to procure free samples any time I call a manufacturer and give them the name and address of the pizzeria I am consulting for.   Good luck!

[norma427]

scott r,

I appreciate your feedback and since you know what Papa Gino’s uses, it still makes me wonder if that is the brand of mild cheddar cheese Mack’s uses.  When I used the mild white cheddar cheese from State Brand last week, it didn’t seem strong enough in the taste, in remembering how Mack’s pizza tasted.  Thanks for the tip on calling Foremost Farms and I call them this week.

My distributor delivers Tuesday at market, but I needed extra cheese this week, because I used more last week than I thought I would.  They don’t usually deliver until the late afternoon, and I don’t want to use the Pelican Head grater during the day on Tuesday.  It is too much to clean up and can get in the way of the cash register.  I went to my distributor today to pick up the cheese I need and had ordered State Brand, I thought was going to be medium cheddar. When I got there, they gave me sharp cheddar. They then told me they didn't carry the medium white cheddar. I am going to try the sharp white cheddar tomorrow.  At least I will be able to see if it’s too strong.

Thanks for your help, 

Norma

[norma427]

I tasted the State brand of sharp white cheddar and also the State brand of mild white cheddar, today.  I can't say there is a big difference in the taste.  I will see after the pie is baked, if I can then notice a difference.  Both have 9 grams of fat.

Norma

[Pete-zza]

Norma,

You might try using one of the cheeses on one half of the pizza, and the other cheese on the other half. Or you might use a blend of the two cheeses on one half, and something else on the other half. Of course, you would have to remember or mark the pizza in some way as to tell you what went on each half.

Peter

[norma427]

Peter,

Trying both kinds of cheddar or some in a blend would be a good idea.  I’ll think of something to come up with to mark the pizza. I just tasted the X-Sharp Yancey’s Fancy white cheddar and it is a lot stronger that the State Brand sharp white cheddar.  I tried both the State Brand white mild cheddar and the State Brand white sharp cheddar, both when cold and then when it was pliable and warm.  In my opinion, there isn’t that much difference. 

Norma

[scott r]

looks like you have lots of choices and some investigating to do.   This is one of my favorite things about the hobby we share.   I have a feeling when you are all done with this you are going to have a macs pizza and feel like yours is better!

Also, I didn't mean to say papa gino's is using 1950 brand cheese, just that most of the places around here are.    The Papa has its own cheese plant!

[norma427]

scott r,

I do have lots of choices for today, and with you help of telling me to call Foremost Farms, I might even have more.  

I also like this investigating part, and like you really enjoy this hobby.  Of course, then we get to taste the final product. 

I have found in the last year, that what I thought was my favorite pizza place, now I can’t say that.  I look forward to trying new types of pizzas to see what they are like.  It is never ending. LOL

My husbands favorite food was pizza and he would eat any kind, whether frozen or from any Pizzeria.  His favorite pizza was Mack’s and he always looked forward to going to the shore and having their pizza.  He also always talked about Mack’s, in comparison to our pizzerias around our area.  He could eat pizza everyday of the week, even though I cooked many other kinds of food.  We were also an investigating team.  He was the Caramel Popcorn King around our area.  That is what many people called him.  His parents came from the coal region to our area.  He always said his parents should have settled in Ocean City, NJ, because that is where Johnson’s Popcorn is, they are also like Mack and Mancos, being very famous for their product at the shore.  We watched Johnson’s make their caramel popcorn and stir theirs by hand like we did in the big copper kettles.  We also talked about how our product was more consistent than Johnson’s.  We had visited Ocean City, NJ too, but never tried Mack and Mancos.  I didn’t even know they were almost the same as Mack’s at the time.

When we are finished investigating Mack’s pizza, then we should know if we like ours better or not. 

I also wondered about Papa Gino’s cheese, when my distributor said they had a special blend for them.

Thanks for you help,

Norma

[norma427]

Steve and I made the Mack’s clone pie today.  We used a plastic ketchup bottle to simulate the hose and cut off part of the tip.  Steve dressed the pie and put it into the oven.  Both of us were anxious to taste it.  I had Steve taste the mild white cheddar, sharp white cheddar and also the X-sharp white cheddar. He also couldn’t distinguish much difference in the sharp white cheddar. Half the pie was dressed with sharp white cheddar and half was dressed with a blend of sharp white cheddar and X-sharp cheddar. 

When the pie was finished baking it sure smelled like a Mack’s pie.  I told Steve this is what it always smells like outside and inside Mack’s Pizza.  The pie dressed with the State Brand sharp white cheddar did taste like a Mack’s pizza.    It also had the runny, gooey cheese.  Steve said he also enjoyed the taste of the cheese.  We both couldn’t believe the this pie would only be made with white cheddar.  It really looked like mozzarella cheese after the pie was baked.

Steve took a video of me trying to throw the pie, but I am not going to post it.

Norma

[RoadPizza]

Steve took a video of me trying to throw the pie, but I am not going to post it.

Norma

Congrats on finally getting it the way you want it!

I'd still love to see the video of you throwing the dough in the air.

[norma427]

Congrats on finally getting it the way you want it!

I'd still love to see the video of you throwing the dough in the air.

RoadPizza,

Thanks for the congrats! 

The Mack's clone we tried to make today did taste like Mack's pizza, but I need to really taste Mack's pizza again to make sure my taste buds aren't fooling me.  I also am not sure exactly how much cheese or sauce they use in their pies.  Steve and I did weigh the ingredients, but I have to look tomorrow, where the paper is. 

Steve took the video, but I sure don't want to post my face, again.    He tried to just take the dough flying.

Norma

[Ev]

Ah c'mon, Norma. I double dog dare ya! 

[Pete-zza]

Norma and Steve,

You guys did a very nice job. Norma, you didn't comment on the cheddar cheese blend that you used on the other half of the pizza. Is it just that you felt that the sharp cheddar alone came close to the Mack's pizza?

Did the crust characteristics emulate the crust characteristics of a Mack's pizza as you remembered it?

I'd also like to see the amounts of cheese and sauce you used. I assume that you made a 16" pizza. Is that correct?

Does your latest effort represent the end of your reverse engineering effort? Will you try an 18" version?

It looks like the squeeze bottle method worked, too. Did you have any problems with that method?

I, too, will be interested in how your latest effort compares with the real deal when you next visit Mack's.

Peter

[norma427]

Steve,

I told you only to take a video of the dough flying..LOL Also. I really can throw it like the pie men at Mack’s.  I throw vertically.

Norma

Peter,

The blend of sharp white cheddar and the X-sharp cheddar didn’t taste like Mack’s pizza in my opinion.  Steve can also comment on this.  I felt the sharp cheddar had the same taste and smell as Mack’s pizza.  Poor Steve, I kept making him smell it. 

Steve did a great job of dressing the pie.  Your idea of the squeeze bottle was great.  We didn’t have any problems with the squeeze bottle.

The crust did remind me of Mack’s but I will have to do more experimenting on that.  The dough did open nicely and you could really throw the dough.  The dough ball was supposed to be for a 16" pie, but we stretched it to a 18" pie.  We measured that. 

I will look where I put the papers for the list of the weighs of ingredients tomorrow.

This is not the end of trying to reverse engineer the Mack’s pizza.  I also want to try another next week to see if we can obtain the same results. 

Maybe I will be able to visit Mack’s this weekend.  It all depends on the weather.  I am also anxious to try multiple pies and see what I then think.

Steve can also comment on how he thought the pie tasted and how the dough behaved.

Norma

[norma427]

A few more pictures of the baked pie with the sharp cheddar and two different blends Also, Steve's slice with grease on his plate. 

Third picture down is the blended cheese.

Steve and I used a skewer for the side of the pizza with the blend of X-sharp and sharp, so we could then know which side just had the sharp cheddar.

I have one slice to try tomorrow and Steve also has a slice to try.  I will take a picture of the reheated slice and also the bottom of the pie.

Norma

[norma427]

I'd still love to see the video of you throwing the dough in the air.

Ah c'mon, Norma. I double dog dare ya! 

Since RoadPizza and Steve wanted me to post this video..I am crazy enough to post it, all for the sake of pizza making, just to show how robust this Mack’s dough is. Although I can’t really throw the dough like Mack’s pie men, this will give anyone an idea of how this dough performs.  I stepped outside my pizza stand, because I have a raised floor and if I tried to do this inside my stand the dough would hit the overhead light.  I wanted to try and throw this dough at the highest height I could get it.

This video is sideways because that is the way Steve took it.  I don’t know how to straighten it out.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XWl5GSI58k" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XWl5GSI58k</a>

 

I would really need a lot of practice to throw this dough better.

Okay RoadPizza and Steve...this one is for both of you..LOL

Norma 

[RoadPizza]

Not bad, Norma.  You put on quite a show!

I wouldn't throw it THAT high, though, unless the dough was incredibly resilient.  I actually ordered some ThrowDough (6 pcs.), so our pizza makers could start learning some acrobatic moves.  They should arrive sometime next week.

[Matthew]

Steve and I made the Mack’s clone pie today.  We used a plastic ketchup bottle to simulate the hose and cut off part of the tip.  Steve dressed the pie and put it into the oven.  Both of us were anxious to taste it.  I had Steve taste the mild white cheddar, sharp white cheddar and also the X-sharp white cheddar. He also couldn’t distinguish much difference in the sharp white cheddar. Half the pie was dressed with sharp white cheddar and half was dressed with a blend of sharp white cheddar and X-sharp cheddar. 

When the pie was finished baking it sure smelled like a Mack’s pie.  I told Steve this is what it always smells like outside and inside Mack’s Pizza.  The pie dressed with the State Brand sharp white cheddar did taste like a Mack’s pizza.    It also had the runny, gooey cheese.  Steve said he also enjoyed the taste of the cheese.  We both couldn’t believe the this pie would only be made with white cheddar.  It really looked like mozzarella cheese after the pie was baked.

Steve took a video of me trying to throw the pie, but I am not going to post it.

Norma

After all this work, you finally did it!  Congratulations & good for you for being so determined.

Matt

[norma427]

I wouldn't throw it THAT high, though, unless the dough was incredibly resilient. 

RoadPizza,

The only reason Steve and I took this video was to show how resilient the dough was.  Since I was trying to make a dough and crust something like Mack's, it had to be able to be thrown.

Best of luck to you and your pizza makers in learning with the Throw Dough. 

After all this work, you finally did it!  Congratulations & good for you for being so determined.

Matt

Matt,

I really don't know as of this date, if I really made a Mack's pizza, but it sure tasted like it to me.  I am always determined.  It is my nature.  Thanks for the congrats.

Norma

Steve and I weighed out 9 oz. of State Brand of sharp white cheddar for half of the pizza and 9 oz. of the blend of X-sharp white cheddar and State Brand of sharp white cheddar for the other half of the pizza.  Also we weighed out 14 1/2 oz. of Gangi sauce.  We didn't use all the Gangi sauce from the plastic squeeze bottle.  I didn't write down the exact ingredients we used with the Gangi sauce, but I think there were 2 teaspoons of sugar added to a larger amount of sauce than we used.  I will have to remember to write down the amount next week.  When you are trying to wait on customers or doing other things, you sometimes can forget to write down what you used.  If Steve can remember, he can also comment.  We also tasted the Gangi sauce before Steve added the other ingredients of sugar and garlic powder.  It still tasted sour or bitter in my opinion.

The sharp white cheddar had a very buttery flavor in the finished pie. In my opinion it tasted like someone had added straight butter to the final pie. I guess it was from the amount of fat in the sharp white cheddar.

Norma