Big green egg

[TonyTrey]

I use a Kamado BBQ which is similar to the BGE.  The main difference between the two grills is the Kamado walls are very thick.  My grill is 500 lbs.  One of the reasons I bought the grill was my life long goal of the 'perfect pizza.'  I can easily get the Kamado up to 700-800 degrees.  I only tried it once at those temps because of the high heat.  Lifting the dome up, requires a couple of hands.  I prefer to use two hands when I slide the pizza off my peel which is hard when I'm trying to also hold the dome up.  So I have gone back to cooking in my oven using a Fibrament 15" X18" stone.

[tonymark]

Rubino what I do is cook the pizza on a pan then about a minute or two before finishing I put the pie on the stone to char the crust.
Aaron

Is the pan on the pizza stone?  Are we talking a standard aluminum pizza pan or perforated?

I just installed the new un/official BGE high temp gasket on my large BGE (I am now considered one of their guinea pigs).

Goal:  Cook NY style at 800 F on the BGE.

The Plan:  Double up the fire ring (that is the top ring), of which I have two.  Follow that with the grill and then the heat deflector with legs down.  Heat the egg until the external temp on the top is 780 F (is that possible) using an IR thermometer to measure temperature.  Open the top and place the pizza stone on the deflector, which will probably break it, or will it?  Wait 15 min and check stone to see if it is up to 750.  Throw on a pizza and 2.5 minutes later I should be in heaven.  Will this work?  Ever tried it?

Another thought, stack 2-3 layers of firebricks on top of grill with pizza stone on top of bricks and then preheat until external temp of lid is 780 F.  That should keep the pizza stone from breaking, but that may overheat the stone and cause the bottom of crust to burn!

My thinking is that if the top is hot enough and the pizza is high enough, the top of egg should radiate enough heat to cook the pizza quickly.  I may try this method this weekend.

TM

[Aaron]

I will add my two cents Canadian( abouy 1.2 cents U.S).
Tony I would not heat an egg to a temp that high on the outside of the lid,the egg exterior will not get that hot.I would heat the inside to that temp though.The part about raising the pizza as high as possible inside the dome is right for doing pizzas,the heat will radiate down onto the top,so you will get a more even bake,top and crust will cook more evenly.Both methods of raising the stone you mention should work,a bit of experimentation will get you there,the best part is even the mistakes are edible.
Hope that helps.
Aaron
Make sure you put the pizza stone in at the beginning,other wise it will probably crack from thermal shock.

[tonymark]

Last Thursday I created my first 3 minute pizza on my Big Green Egg (BGE).  My dough recipe and pictures of resulting pizza are found under the Pasty’s clone thread in New York Style forum.  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1053.msg25942.html#msg25942

Here is the setup on the BGE:

Place a second fire ring on top of the first ring (the ring is the thing above the fire bowl).
Stack lump charcoal up to the top of lower ring and light charcoal and close lid.
Cover bottom of BGE pizza stone with aluminum foil (shiny side down) and center on top of platesetter.
Once BGE is preheated place platesetter (legs down) on top of upper fire ring.
Once top of pizza stone is up to 700 F place pizza on stone.
Close lit and put daisy wheel on top with just a little opening.  This part is important for the top and center of pizza to cook.
(I am not sure what the bottom vent should be doing at this point.  1” should be good if dome is preheated correctly.)

Comments

First of all, with that much charcoal the BGE does not seem to get enough draw to support a proper fire.  This may have been due to the second fire ring, but I believe it to be a draw issue.  I was getting a flashback every time I opened the lid during the preheat.  I then recalled that a friend of mine build a 2’ stainless chimney to improve draw on his BGE for searing steaks.  So a grabbed an empty 28 oz can and placed it on top of the exhaust opening.  This helped slightly, but I had to crack the lid about 1” to get more air into the fire. 

After 35 minutes the external temperature of the lid/dome was 560 F +-30 F.  I then installed the platesetter with pizza stone and waited for the top of stone to reach 700 F.  The trick here is to point the IR thermometer down through the exhaust port to take the stone measurement.  This works surprisingly well.

Key for following photos:

The first is the makeshift chimney extension
The second is the extreme chimney exhaust
The third is my stone setup.
The last is one of the 5 pizzas made that night

FYI – the metal band that holds the lid and base to the hinge was so hot the metal expanded and became loose.  The next day I had to loosen all the nuts and adjust lid to get it to sit flush on the base again.

[tonymark]

Well it looks like I cracked my BGE at these high temperatures.  I returned it to the BGE store today (all ceramic parts are fully guaranteed not to crack from heat).  They brought out the product development guy and he was not too happy about what I have been doing.(I posted on BGE forum)  They agreed (with a lecture) to replace the cracked portion of the egg this one time.  I was told not to repeat these activities.  I am still unsure of the range of the warranty, but I now know I crossed the line.  I really didn't think the thing would crack.

Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on a 7 minute pizza for now.

It will be a few years before I can manage to build a proper brick oven.

TM

[gottabedapan]

Well it looks like I cracked my BGE at these high temperatures.  I returned it to the BGE store today (all ceramic parts are fully guaranteed not to crack from heat).  They brought out the product development guy and he was not too happy about what I have been doing.(I posted on BGE forum)  They agreed (with a lecture) to replace the cracked portion of the egg this one time.  I was told not to repeat these activities.  I am still unsure of the range of the warranty, but I now know I crossed the line.  I really didn't think the thing would crack.

Tonymark,

Cracked fire boxes and/or fire rings appear to be an on-going issue with BGEs. (I did a google search of the BGE forum and turned up 800+ hits, going back to 2000 (y2k). If you haven't already run across it, check out the question on [http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#cracked]cracked fireboxes[/url] in the Naked Whiz's BGE FAQ.

As to their telling you not to repeat your high-temp activities and "agreeing" to replace the firebox/fire ring "this one time," they're begging. BGE claims that the "new space age ceramics" they use will "withstand 2000 ° of heat without damage" (see "Lifetime Ceramic Guarantee" at the bottom of the linked page), so even if you run the thing up to 900°, you'd be well within the specified operating temperature range for the unit. Unless you do something specifically prohibited in the warranty, they're begging if they think they can get away with denying a future claim for replacement.

[tonymark]

The cracked fire box is "normal".  Everyone I know who own a BGE has a cracked fire box.

I actually cracked the bottom GREEN portion of the egg.  John from BGE claims that this is rare.  He stated that I put too much charcoal in and turned the egg into a kiln and that it was not intended to perform this way.

I think they would have a hard time denying a replacement.  All I would have to say is "Primo" and I think they would cave.

TM

[AKSteve]

Well it looks like I cracked my BGE at these high temperatures.  I returned it to the BGE store today (all ceramic parts are fully guaranteed not to crack from heat).  They brought out the product development guy and he was not too happy about what I have been doing.(I posted on BGE forum)  They agreed (with a lecture) to replace the cracked portion of the egg this one time.  I was told not to repeat these activities.  I am still unsure of the range of the warranty, but I now know I crossed the line.  I really didn't think the thing would crack.

Oh well, I guess I will have to settle on a 7 minute pizza for now.

It will be a few years before I can manage to build a proper brick oven.

TM

Tonymark,

If it's fully guaranteed not to crack from heat, then they should honor your warranty. If they won't, you could see if you can return it and purchase an actual Kamado brand (from kamado.com) ceramic cooker. They have much thicker ceramic walls that will hold up to these high temps better. There's a fairly lengthy break-in procedure to cure the outer (decorative) ceramic tiles, but after that you can hit 700 degrees on a regular basis. I take mine up to over a 1,000 degrees every so often to do a cleaning procedure after making bbq.

The only problem I've had with my Kamado in it's first 2 years is that I rushed through the break-in procedure too soon and burned off some of the adhesive for the exterior tiles. They sent me out some new tiles & a grout kit right away to fix things up. That and I gained 15lbs. Pizza & bbq aren't the most healthy of hobbies. :-)


Steve

[tonymark]

Last night I made some pizza on the BGE.  What is amazing is I cook 3 pizzas start to finish in 1:15 minutes.  That includes lighting the egg, preheating and cooking the pizzas.
 
I lit the charcoal with chimney starter, dump charcoal from chimney and heated for 30 minutes (including start time).  The external temp of dome was about 300 F, read with IR thermometer. I then put plate setter on (legs down) with BGE 14" pizza stone on top.  That is the standard setup recommended by BGE corp.

I heated until stone was 600 F and ran inside and prepared first Margarita.  I cooked it 5 1/2 minutes with a rotate 1/2 way through.  That one burned.

I then cooked white pizza for my son in 3 1/2 minutes with great results.

I then cooked another Margarita for 4 1/2 minutes that was perfect.

I posted some photos of the white pizza and the 2nd Margarita here http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,2727.msg26796.html#msg26796

I played with the daisy wheel top during the cooking.  I can't say why or how long or when.  I thought closing the top would help cook the top more.  I am not really sure.

Also, I closed the bottom vent and top between every pizza to prevent the stone from overheating.

TM

[mmarton]

I used the ceramic insert sold by Big Green Egg for pizza shown in a previous post and enjoyed the results, but the bottom would always cook much faster and leave the top a little underdone.

This same insert is also used as a heat shield/diffuser for slow cooking, which I do for BBQ.  You just turn it upside down and lay the grill on the three legs once the fire is going.  For pizza, you do the same thing except put another stone on top of the grill.  You preheat for about 45 minutes at high temps and then put it on. 

Doing it this way results in the top and bottom cooking at almost the same speed and you can cook at a higher temperature without any danger of burning the bottom. Results are outstanding.

[bigbrojon]

Just got my BGE a few weeks ago and want to go into full production mode for neighborhood parties.  The heat seems to be my biggest issue.  I can get it to top out on the dome thermostat, but open the lid once and I'm back down to 500F, especially when I put in the pizza stone (by the way, I am using a well used pampered chef stone on a BGE rack extender (it is like a standard main grate with two smaller grates above it-- I put the pizza stone on the top grate and this seems to work really well-- the stone is far enough away from the fire that it doesn't burn the crust, and close enough to the top of the dome that it gets the top done at about the same time).  I can pull off a 90 second bake using this format, but usually only once or twice before things cool down. 

Anyway, I have been thinking about fabricating a ducting system into the bottom of the BGE and giving it more air with a reversed shop vac.  I have been using my wife's hair drier (you can imagine the argument) with success, but I just need more heat faster. 

At the same time, I am only 33 and don't want to leave this earth riding shards of green ceramic into heaven.  Anyone ever done this before (I mean the part about supercharging the BGE with a reversed shop vac and not the part about riding BGE shards to Kingdom Come)?

Jon

[Bryan S]

Just got my BGE a few weeks ago and want to go into full production mode for neighborhood parties.  The heat seems to be my biggest issue.  I can get it to top out on the dome thermostat, but open the lid once and I'm back down to 500F, especially when I put in the pizza stone (by the way, I am using a well used pampered chef stone on a BGE rack extender (it is like a standard main grate with two smaller grates above it-- I put the pizza stone on the top grate and this seems to work really well-- the stone is far enough away from the fire that it doesn't burn the crust, and close enough to the top of the dome that it gets the top done at about the same time).  I can pull off a 90 second bake using this format, but usually only once or twice before things cool down. 

Anyway, I have been thinking about fabricating a ducting system into the bottom of the BGE and giving it more air with a reversed shop vac.  I have been using my wife's hair drier (you can imagine the argument) with success, but I just need more heat faster. 

At the same time, I am only 33 and don't want to leave this earth riding shards of green ceramic into heaven.  Anyone ever done this before (I mean the part about supercharging the BGE with a reversed shop vac and not the part about riding BGE shards to Kingdom Come)?

Jon

Jon, Using a reversed Shop Vac to feed air into the BGE would be way, way too much air flow. You'll blow ash out the top vent not to mention you could pound out some horse shoes with the BGE. Use a computer fan and some duct work to keep a steady air stream keeping the coals up to temp. 

[tonymark]

Consider using a better charcoal.  Cowboy does not seem to get very hot.  Big Green Egg charcoal is all I can find that gets hot enough for proper pizza.  Read all my posts in this thread about preheating the egg.  30 minutes wide open and then put on the plate-setter and stone (beware the BGE pizza stone can handle the shock of the temp change, but your stone may crack.

TM

[bigbrojon]

Thanks for the help guys. 

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I wanted to use the smallest shop vac and not the full size one, but I think you may be right Bryan S.  Would a computer fan be powerful enough though?  Can anyone think of a variable speed method that I could use?  Maybe I will go wander around radio shack, home depot, etc. looking for a solution.  I will let you know if I find anything.  Foot operated would also be a plus. 

I have no problem getting to about 550F and holding without tampering (great for heating the stone and dome), but I just need the blast of heat immediately after putting the pie into the egg to get the egg air to 900+F temporarily and get that 90 second bake.  I think that is the secret to having the toppings finish at the same time as the crust and give me the recovery time that I need to really crank these things out.   

I am currently using BGE lump charcoal but the cost and the drive to get it is killing me.  What about a BGE lump blended with another brand?  Is there another type of lump that would work from WalMart or Home Depot?

Jon 

[Bryan S]

Thanks for the help guys. 

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I wanted to use the smallest shop vac and not the full size one, but I think you may be right Bryan S.  Would a computer fan be powerful enough though?  Can anyone think of a variable speed method that I could use?  Maybe I will go wander around radio shack, home depot, etc. looking for a solution.  I will let you know if I find anything.  Foot operated would also be a plus. 

I have no problem getting to about 550F and holding without tampering (great for heating the stone and dome), but I just need the blast of heat immediately after putting the pie into the egg to get the egg air to 900+F temporarily and get that 90 second bake.  I think that is the secret to having the toppings finish at the same time as the crust and give me the recovery time that I need to really crank these things out.   

I am currently using BGE lump charcoal but the cost and the drive to get it is killing me.  What about a BGE lump blended with another brand?  Is there another type of lump that would work from WalMart or Home Depot?

Jon 

Jon, I use the BBQ Guru on my WSM which uses a 10 CFM computer fan to control the temps. http://www.thebbqguru.com/.
As far as finding a good lump look here http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag for the best rated lump. I'm lucky as i get the Humphrey's Lump here in central PA. Not sure if you have any Gordon Food Service stores around where you live but they carry Royal Oak Lump for a good price. http://www.gfs.com/gfs_us.html HTH

[bigbrojon]

Exactly what I was looking for!  Thanks!

[Jack]

Before you go out and buy a Guru, do complete research.  While I am still designing a smoker to build, I found another highly regarded temperature controller; the stoker. 

http://www.rocksbarbque.com/index.html

BTW - my dilema is whether to build a vertical or an offset smoker.

Jack

[Bryan S]

Before you go out and buy a Guru, do complete research.  While I am still designing a smoker to build, I found another highly regarded temperature controller; the stoker. 

http://www.rocksbarbque.com/index.html

BTW - my dilema is whether to build a vertical or an offset smoker.

Jack

4 years ago when i bought my Guru they were the only one, Stoker is the New kid on the block. You can get the pros and cons of both from us WSM people here. http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/9270072103

[icemncmth]

I can add to this ...I have been cooking on an egg for years...

I bought the egg for pizza ...but use it for other things...

when I cook pizza it open up the bottom vent all the way and keep the top vent open..no daisy wheel..

I use the plate setter legs down..then I take some 1/2" copper pipe elbows that have been flattened a little and put them on the plate setter..I use about 6. I then put my pizza stone on top of that..this gives a little air space between the plate setter and stone...

The reason I do this is coal pizza ovens heat from the top ...not from the bottom.

I have cooked over 30 pizzas in one night doing this...

I will bake them at 900+ deg for 4 mins or so....

Now my gasket has been gone for years..but it works for me...

Some people think that if the gasket is gone than you can't do a low and slow.

Well I cooked 2 pork butts for 26 hours....