Pizza!

[Oak Smoke]

We were invited to the daughters for a pizza cook out yesterday. She has to be given credit for making incredible dough and great home made pizza sauce. She built 9 pizzas that were some of the best I’ve ever had. What I want to discuss is the son in laws DoJoe pizza attachment for his Kamado Joe. I’m a complete amateur at cooking pizza. This thing was pretty impressive. He used B&B char-logs and got it to 600 F fairly quickly. From there it was put a pizza in, turn it once or twice and get it out. I have no idea if other ovens require you to turn the pizza but this one did. I should have timed it but I think it was taking about 5 minutes each. He watched them from the time he put them in until they came out. It was happening that fast. I’ve read so much about pizza cooking on here yet had no experience to relate to. I have 2 Kamado Joes. Would a DoJoe be the best way to go if I want to do this at home? Are there simpler, durable, ways to go for close to the same cost? I’m afraid I’ve been bitten by the home pizza bug. 1 more thought. I love the flavor of these. Does being cooked over charcoal contribute to that flavor?

[Richard Chrz]

Sounds like a great day with family, and with great pizza, very cool.

personally, I don’t think BB would add much flavor (I’ve cooked pizzas with it). But, a higher temp oven with the right dough will have impact on flavor, (which sounds like it was absolutely great),

edited to add my experience, and it is just mine, but I think lump is a better fire for feeding a pizza, if wood is not available.

[RonB]

I do understand being bitten buy the MCS bug. The only known cure is to buy somethin'.

But I suggest that you watch your daughter make the dough and the sauce. Then learn how to stretch the dough and top it. Then make a few pizzas at your daughters house. If you enjoy the process, go for it.

BTW - there are lots of dedicated pizza ovens out there - some cheaper and some more expensive...

I agree that cooking 'za with charcoal adds a great flavor to it.

[SheilaAnn]

+1

[HawkerXP]

I can't see the pictures..........

[Oak Smoke]

They’re invisible!

[LA Pork Butt]

I have thought about DoJoe for my BGE. BBE made one but apparently stopped. While I like Pizza we don’t cook a lot other than when the grandkids are heat. I don’t see me doing the homemade dough and sauce. While the temptation is still there, I am going to stick with frozen Red Baron Pizzas in the oven which I believe was the favorite of the Pit. By the way I’ve come to really like their four meat Pizza. I am guessing you could let them defrost and pop them into the DoJoe for a five minute cook.

[texastweeter]

I use an Italia dual pizza oven for my camp chef. It gets up to well over 750° if you put the spurs to her.

[Uncle Bob]

Some decent info above, though I don't think that most home fueled fires impart much, if any, smoke flavor. Temps are well above making smoke and residence time is pretty short. If there are discernable flavors you're enjoying it might be that your daughter does a good job of fermenting the dough during the dough making process. Cold or room temperature ferments can be very effective, but they differ in process, especially time. Additionally, any mild charring on the crust can add a sweet and nutty flavor profile.

As for the DoJo, you can make a pizza in a kamado without one, but you'll end up opening and closing the lid with some frequency. The DoJo allows you to leave the lid in place atop the insert and just feed pizzas through the built in opening. Turning the pizza is a function of how the cooker routes the majority of the heat. Depending on cooker configuration the heat will usually roll over the back or side(s), thus cooking that portion of the pie quicker. Turning, done correctly, will control evenness of outcome. The exception are pizza ovens that have a rotating stone that does the turning for you, but I'm not aware of any kamado attachment that does that.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

I've got a large BGE, and I tried the Dojoe when it first came out but it didn't fit the Green Egg. I'm glad it didn't because I returned that and got a Pizza-Porta. What I like is that the top of the pizza gets done at the same time as the crust and I don't have to bother turning the pie. It heats evenly enough that I can launch it, let it cook and pull it out wtihout fussing with it. I can get a little more than an hour of 600-degree cooking time out of a full load of lump. You can get higher temps if you want but that's the temp I'm happy with. Overall I'm pretty happy with the Pizza Porta.