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Achievement Unlocked: Pizza on the Grill: The Vortex Pizza Oven

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    Achievement Unlocked: Pizza on the Grill: The Vortex Pizza Oven

    I have been wanting to try pizza on the grill for a long time. Yesterday, my daughter announced that she is going to a backyard pizza making contest at her friend's house. Boy did that light a fire under me! About a month ago, I tested my Vortex as the base for a pizza oven. Yesterday I put it to the cook test.

    Firstly, I put the Vortex in wide end up. Fired up 42 briquettes, and dumped them in that baby. Pizza stone on top of an adjustable roasting rack, to get into the dome level. While that was warming up, I started getting the pizzas ready.

    Got the first pizza ready, and then everything goes South. I mean waaaay South!! My dome temp is only 325. Way too low for pizza! Can't find the infrared thermometer. Damn! Why didn't I look for it last night?? I quickly chucked some more coals in the chimney and got them fired up. FINALLY found the IR thermometer. Everything is a go. Or so I thought. The first pizza has been sitting so long, I can't get it off the peel! Aaaaaarggh! I finally got half of it off the peel, but all squished up, and topping was everywhere. I spilled half of my beer, and I was really royally pissed by this time! ๐Ÿ˜œ๐Ÿ˜œ๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก Well, I was about ready to quit right there. But I kept on. The next pizza was a work of art by my son. He was very meticulous about getting the toppings just so. I just wanted to get the damn thing on the grill! This time I used parchment paper, (thank you @Breadhead!) and slid that puppy on the pizza stone slick as you please. Checked in 3.5 minutes later; almost done. Pulled it off at 5 minutes. Beautiful!

    The last one was ham and pineapple. My favorite! And I don't care what anyone says, it's STILL pizza with ham and pineapple!! ๐Ÿ˜Ž Upon biting into it, my son said, "You could serve this in a restaurant!" Well I almost fell on the floor. I thought it was good, but not that good! And my son is fairly picky about what he eats. So I will take it!

    Overall conclusion: about a 75% success. I am not 100% pleased with the crust. But I learned some valuable lessons. I will be trying this again.

    P.S. The photo that looks like alien offspring was the first pizza, the total failure. I posted it to show that this was not all smooth sailing.

    Tips/Lessons learned:
    1) Find all of your tools the day before!
    2) Mis en Place is VERY important in pizza making. Have everything ready to go.
    3) Have a plan, but be ready to be flexible.
    4) Don't let your daughter "help" with the sauce unless you demonstrate what you want first!!! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚
    5) Don't push your dough. Let it relax, and tell you when to stretch it.
    6) Parchment paper is your friend.
    7) Have fun! Grilled pizza is the bomb-diggity!! ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ‰
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Thunder77; July 20, 2016, 06:49 PM.

    #2
    I thought the next to last photo was a chicken... LOL Good writeup and good lookin' pizzas too .

    Comment


    • Thunder77
      Thunder77 commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, that was the "fail!"

    #3
    Great write up and great pics! I now have a reason to get a vortex

    Comment


    • Thunder77
      Thunder77 commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, Marty! I love my Vortex for chicken. It is a chicken MACHINE! Wings, drumsticks, thighs. And it will also do a killer sear on a steak.

    • Thunder77
      Thunder77 commented
      Editing a comment
      martybartram, I bought the medium vortex for my 22 inch Weber kettle. I think I could probably have gotten the small, for a larger indirect zone. But I still love it!

    • martybartram
      martybartram commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks for the feedback!

    #4
    Nice job Thunder77 ... Everything came out good for your first attempt. Nothing ever goes perfect on your first try but you figured it out. Your next pizza cook with that gear will be much, much easier.๐Ÿ‘ Mis en Place is critical on all cooks for me. I'm anal about walking myself through a cook before I even get the ingredients out. Stretching your dough... Once you develop that skill, your dough talks to you. You know just how far to push it.

    Comment


      #5
      My best kettle pizzas have been done in the opposite fashion, by making a ring of coals around the edge so the bottom won't burn and the heat will rise to the tip and cook the top better. Makes me wondere how the Slow N Sear might work...

      Comment


      • Thunder77
        Thunder77 commented
        Editing a comment
        Mr Meathead, I was thinking along the same lines. On my next cook, I will be placing only maybe a dozen or so coals in the center of the vortex, and then wrapping the rest around the outside.

      • RonB
        RonB commented
        Editing a comment
        I have been fiddling with pizza on the grill for years and the SnS does the best job yet. I think the key is the amount of wood that you put on top of the hot coals. I used a fair amount in my last attempt and got the best pizza to date. Next time I may add a whole tree.

      #6
      Well by golly, here's the answer https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...izza-attempt-2

      Comment


      #7
      Mr Meathead I have both the SnS and the Vortex. I chose the Vortex because of the more central heat, hoping to avoid the overcooking of the side close to the SnS. Also, the Vortex gives you an awesome indirect zone that can get really HOT! I did notice that the middle of my pizzas were getting done more quickly, and I had a hot spot in the middle of the stone. That's why I am going with your method next time.

      Comment


        #8
        And this has been achieved on a Weber kettle NOT a Kamado or a BGE. Imagine that.

        Comment


        • Thunder77
          Thunder77 commented
          Editing a comment
          Well, mine will, until I can afford a BGE or similar... :-). You have to work with the tools you have!

        • DWCowles
          DWCowles commented
          Editing a comment
          I can afford a BGE or a Kamado but I have no desire of owning either

        • Breadhead
          Breadhead commented
          Editing a comment
          DWC... Ain't it great to be an American! You can do whatever you want and no one's going to jerk your chain about it, unless it's illegal.๐Ÿ‘

        #9
        Great write-up and the pizzas look great.
        Eh...except for that one weird chicken shaped alien crash landing thing. LOL

        รขโ‚ฌโ€นBut your tips/lessons also made me think...
        รขโ‚ฌโ€น
        1) Find all of your tools the day before! ~~ Very important regardless of the cook. Been there done that.
        2) Mis en Place is VERY important in pizza making. Have everything ready to go. ~~ Some would argue it's very important always. (I'd be one of those. LOL)
        3) Have a plan, but be ready to be flexible. ~~ Unquestionably (It's part of the secret to pulling off the magic.)
        4) Don't let your daughter "help" with the sauce unless you demonstrate what you want first!!! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ ~~ Or anyone for that matter! In fact...unless I'm "teaching" my kids/friends...then it's "I got this. Thanks for wanting to help but just sit back and enjoy." Not that I'm an ogre but sometimes one can't say, "You're not really helping." >:-/
        5) Don't push your dough. Let it relax, and tell you when to stretch it. ~~ Truth. Learned that working in a bakery with an owner that LOVED making his own pizzas.
        6) Parchment paper is your friend. ~~ It's almost magic. Purchase it by the case. LOL EVERY kitchen needs it.
        7) Have fun! Grilled pizza is the bomb-diggity!! ๐Ÿ˜Ž๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ‰ ~~ Yeah buddy!


        Comment


          #10
          Did the parchment paper go into the "oven"? How high of temps can it stand? I mean, if it were 700 degrees would it still work?

          Comment


          • RonB
            RonB commented
            Editing a comment
            You need to cut the parchment as close to the dough as possible after placing the dough on top of the parchment. At 700* it will definitely burn if exposed.

          #11
          I put the parchment paper in the oven. If you have any overhanging the edge of the stone, it will burn.
          Last edited by Thunder77; September 25, 2016, 07:33 AM.

          Comment


            #12
            Originally posted by morganjim View Post
            Did the parchment paper go into the "oven"? How high of temps can it stand? I mean, if it were 700 degrees would it still work?
            Any part of the parchment paper that extends over the edge of your baking stone will burn. It will NOT continue to burn past the edge of the stone.

            I cut my parchment paper so it is a half inch from the edge of my pizza stone... And I can use the same piece of parchment paper many times.๐Ÿ‘

            Yes... If the parchment paper is not exposed to DIRECT heat it will not burn... Even at 800ยฐ to 900ยฐ when baking true Neapolitan dough in a Kamado.

            Comment


            • RonB
              RonB commented
              Editing a comment
              I suggest using King Arthur parchment - the cheap stuff will burn. Been there, done that...

            #13
            Originally posted by DWCowles View Post
            And this has been achieved on a Weber kettle NOT a Kamado or a BGE. Imagine that.
            I love the way you guys think!

            Many thanks!

            Bones

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