Question about Lucali's sauce

[Quebert]

So after watching a bunch of YT videos on Lucali's my new obsession is to recreate one of his pies the best I can.  So what I found on Google doesn't sound right, but I read 2 places that he uses Del Monte canned tomatoes.   Which sounds well strange and wrong.  I also read a few other claims which tells me nobody actually knows and they're just guessing.  Mark himself has said he cooks it for hours, so that's my start.

I've never cooked my sauce as I've learned that a sin for NY style,  but for the sake of trying to nail one of his pies it seems like an important step. Now I know some types handle being cooked better than others. I'm heading to RD this week and know they have most of the Stanislaus line.  Would my best bet be buying Alta Cucian and running them thru a food mill?  And since everything I'd read is just people guessing at his recipe. I plan to put some EVOO in my Instapot with some smushed garlic for a few minutes on cook mode, then add the tomatoes, some salt & oregano and set it to slow cooker mode and let it simmer for a few hours.  I don't want the sauce to come out too sweet or acidic so if there's a different brand of tomatoes I should get I'm all ears.

[scott r]

I know what he is using.  I dont want to post it on a public forum but I can tell you this.  Its a house brand italian tomato from a purveyor that delivers to restaurants in NYC.   Its not a san Marzano, just a straight up italian tomato.  There are many tomatoes that can make his sauce, the magic isnt in the brand.  Just get a good quality italian tomato and you will be close.  He doesnt cook forever, just a short cook with some of they things people typically put in sauce is all it is. 

Alta cucina are awesome but they are more tangy than what he is using.

[Quebert]

I know what he is using.  I dont want to post it on a public forum but I can tell you this.  Its a house brand italian tomato from a purveyor that delivers to restaurants in NYC.   Its not a san Marzano, just a straight up italian tomato.  There are many tomatoes that can make his sauce, the magic isnt in the brand.  Just get a good quality italian tomato and you will be close.  He doesnt cook forever, just a short cook with some of they things people typically put in sauce is all it is. 

Alta cucina are awesome but they are more tangy than what he is using.

Thank you, yeah I'm overthinking things as usual, that and I've never actually had his pizza so I have no idea what flavors I'm trying to duplicate lol. I found a sauce recipe on here

1 cans of Full Red
1/2 can of 7/11
1/2 can of water
uhh and garlic, salt and a few herbs.

I'll be using a good amount of sauce (30 pizzas a week) so I think I'll give that a shot. And I'm guessing Full Red & 7/11 use the same tomatoes as the Alta Cucian. Even if not the 2 Stanislaus things I've tried were great.  And thanks for the cooking time tip, 4 hours seemed way off, but it's what I've been seeing all over YT & Reddit.

[QwertyJuan]

I know what he is using.  I dont want to post it on a public forum but I can tell you this.  Its a house brand italian tomato from a purveyor that delivers to restaurants in NYC.   Its not a san Marzano, just a straight up italian tomato.  There are many tomatoes that can make his sauce, the magic isnt in the brand.  Just get a good quality italian tomato and you will be close.  He doesnt cook forever, just a short cook with some of they things people typically put in sauce is all it is. 

Alta cucina are awesome but they are more tangy than what he is using.

Valoroso perhaps?

[sunnykhan]

I know what he is using.  I dont want to post it on a public forum but I can tell you this.  Its a house brand italian tomato from a purveyor that delivers to restaurants in NYC.   Its not a san Marzano, just a straight up italian tomato.  There are many tomatoes that can make his sauce, the magic isnt in the brand.  Just get a good quality italian tomato and you will be close.  He doesnt cook forever, just a short cook with some of they things people typically put in sauce is all it is. 

Alta cucina are awesome but they are more tangy than what he is using.

You dont want to post it ? 🙃

[QwertyJuan]

You dont want to post it ? 🙃

I'd say he has no idea and is just pretending he does. 

[scott r]

Juan, that wouldnt be my style to try to brag about secret knowledge or make something up just for the sake of being able to post something.  I speak up when I have experience or can answer a question and I am only here to help others and learn, not to stroke my own ego.

As someone who owns a pizzeria myself, I feel guilty doing this and I was trying to be respectful to Mark.  The other reason I was being vague is that there are a large number of brands of Italian tomato that taste just like these, so its not a magic bullet at all.  These are common and easy to find, and while Marcs sauce is incredible, its in his technique and balance that make it what it is, not the tomatoes themselves.  Honestly, you can also easily purchase a better canned whole peeled tomato, although they will be more costly.

Its a house brand tomato labeled just for, and sold only by Campagna And Sons, a purveyor that services quite a few of our favorite pizzerias in the NY area.  They are located in Avenel NJ.  The ones he uses (or used, he may switch around as many do) are not expensive San Marzano tomatoes, just Italian tomatoes. 

They only sell to restaurants in bulk amounts.  I wasnt trying to be cagy, I was just giving the only info needed since you wont be able to get the exact tomato anyhow unless you are a restaurant in the NY/NJ area... in which case, Mark and his family who also own pizzerias probably would rather not have all of their competitors know. 

[Georgev]

I always thought he used Alta. Saw the cans in his Miami restaurant

[scott r]

Good!  My comments were based on what he was using about 4 years ago.  People change what they buy, I know I do.  My sauce changes every year because I shoot out all the tomatoes I can find to learn what brands have had a good crop.  Some years I prefer California, some years Italian, and some years I blend the two. 

California just had an excellent crop.  Most purveyors are switching to the 2023 crop right now and the Stanislaus tomatoes are some of the best I have tasted in years right now. 

[QwertyJuan]

Juan, that wouldnt be my style to try to brag about secret knowledge or make something up just for the sake of being able to post something.  I speak up when I have experience or can answer a question and I am only here to help others and learn, not to stroke my own ego.

As someone who owns a pizzeria myself, I feel guilty doing this and I was trying to be respectful to Mark.  The other reason I was being vague is that there are a large number of brands of Italian tomato that taste just like these, so its not a magic bullet at all.  These are common and easy to find, and while Marcs sauce is incredible, its in his technique and balance that make it what it is, not the tomatoes themselves.  Honestly, you can also easily purchase a better canned whole peeled tomato, although they will be more costly.

Its a house brand tomato labeled just for, and sold only by Campagna And Sons, a purveyor that services quite a few of our favorite pizzerias in the NY area.  They are located in Avenel NJ.  The ones he uses (or used, he may switch around as many do) are not expensive San Marzano tomatoes, just Italian tomatoes. 

They only sell to restaurants in bulk amounts.  I wasnt trying to be cagy, I was just giving the only info needed since you wont be able to get the exact tomato anyhow unless you are a restaurant in the NY/NJ area... in which case, Mark and his family who also own pizzerias probably would rather not have all of their competitors know.

Makes sense I guess. It just seemed you were trying to be vague for the sake of being vague was all.

[sunnykhan]

I tried with san marzano tomatos low simmered for 30 min. I dont think he uses it. Didnt fit with the pizza. Il try with Alta Cucina tomatos next

[junep]

I tried with san marzano tomatos low simmered for 30 min. I dont think he uses it. Didnt fit with the pizza. Il try with Alta Cucina tomatos next

Sunny, Mark Iacono only brings his sauce slowly to the point of boiling and shuts it off and lets it cool. Then repeats that process. He never boils his tomatoes for a long time because he doesn't like the effect. The place where he buys his tomatoes is in Brooklyn, on 25th street, which by the way is 6 blocks from where I grew up!  They sell their own brand of tomatoes under the name Margarta. You could probably use the Altacucina which they also sell, and which you can buy on Amazon. The owner of Joe's New York pizza in L.A. uses the Alta Cucina and says they're very consistent, and he doesn't have to add sugar. he just uses some salt in them. He doesn't cook his sauce. But you can try using those Alta Cucina, possibly,  with  some of the usual additions if you like. Using Mark's process you may get something close, or certainly very good. I have one of those large cans of those Alta Cucina. My grandson is coming over for pizza and movie night tomorrow, maybe I'll finally open if I can find enough room in my over filled freezer for what I don't use. I've never had Marc's pizza so I have no idea of the flavor profile sauce. Does anybody here know about the taste?  Does it taste like it has the usual oregano, basil, salt and or sugar, maybe onion, garlic, fennels, pepperonici pepper, etc.

[QwertyJuan]

I am a huge fan of the Valorosos. We used 7/11 and Tomato Magic for years and recetly swtiched and couldn't be happier. We always immersion blended anyhow so that didn't matter to us.

[scott r]

They sell their own brand of tomatoes under the name Margarta.

It is Margarita brand, those are imported from Italy by Campagna And Sons

[bscsmkr]

Here is a pic showing some ingredients. I cannot make out what they all are.