Ryan's Mighty Pizza Oven Thread

[Aimless Ryan]

I used Ezzo GiAntonio pepperoni, which I'll be using for a long time. I still have nearly ten pounds of it in the freezer, and I'll probably buy another case whenever I use up all of what's left.

[Aimless Ryan]

One thing I think I figured out last night is that the back of the grill seems to be considerably hotter than the front of the grill. I guess I already knew that, because the char comes from the back of the grill, but I learned a little from the IR thermometer last night, as well. And what the gun was saying is that when the front of the bottom stone was still well below 500, the back of the stone was well above 500. Possibly a difference of 50-75 degrees, but I'm not sure. I'll try to remember to continue checking with subsequent pizzas.

[Bert]

I like how the pepperoni cup up.

[Aimless Ryan]

I want to mention this while I'm thinking about it: After my two guests and I each ate a slice of pepperoni last night, we each followed with a slice of cheese. While eating his cheese slice, Angelo told me he liked the cheese pizza better than the pepperoni pizza. Around here, that's not something you can expect to hear very frequently, because pizza in central Ohio is all about masking low-quality crust, sauce, and cheese with lots of toppings. Furthermore, Angelo has eaten my pizza many times, and he has never said anything like that before. It was like he just realized my cheese pizzas possess a little more heart and soul than the typical central Ohio pizza.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that before I forget. Was Angelo's revelation a result of baking the pizzas in the MPO? I don't know.

[pythonic]

Ryan, it's called conductivity Stone transfers heat at a slower rate than steel. 525 on 1/2" steel produces identical results to 600 on stone.

That's the beauty of steel. It can make a 525 deg. oven act like a 600 deg. one. Since most people don't have ovens that can reach 600, this is what makes it so revolutionary. The only catch is that, in order to have a balanced bake, you have to use the broiler to bolster top heat during the bake, which means you have to have a broiler in the main oven compartment.

If you can comfortably hit 525, though, and have a broiler in the main compartment, you can make these pies in your home oven with 1/2" steel plate.

Regarding steel's heaviness... that information is a bit dated.  As a single chunk of 40 lb. metal, steel is pretty brutal to have to deal with.  But members have been cutting the steel down the middle and baking on the two pieces.  20 lb. pieces are much easier to work with.

Scott,

I can hit 610F with my 3/4 in. cordierite on the bottom rack with just a 30 minute preheat in my kitchen aid gas oven.  Can steel improve my pies or would it get too hot?

Nate

[Aimless Ryan]

Yesterday I baked a 10" Donatos clone in the MPO. The bottom stone was about 575 degrees when I started baking. (I used the 13" stone that came with the MPO this time, with the bottom lined with foil.) Although Donatos bakes on dark perforated coupe pans, I baked without a pan. Both pics below are of this pizza.

The previous day I baked a tiny pizza (maybe 4", and oddly shaped), made of Donatos clone scrap dough. (I didn't take any pics of this one.) With that pizza, I used the same stone but with no foil. I'm not sure what the stone temperature was, as this pizza was basically a snack. It turned out really good, though, especially considering it was made from scrap dough that I made earlier the same day.