Taking on my arch-nemesis...

[xaugievike]

Today is the day I re-enter the arena and lock horns with my long-time enemy.....pizza.

Hey - stop laughing! Everyone has a weakness....this one is mine.

I suck at pizza and always have. From not being able to even get the pie off the peel, to not being able to get it off of a stone, to weak sauce, to sometimes all of the above at once, and more...

I swore off even trying for a long time b/c of the frustration. slowly reintroduced myself to some research. and today I go back in....wish me luck. I'll update later, and if I dont, well....you know what happened.

[smokenoob]

Good luck perfecting the 7th deadly sin!
remember, pics required so we can fully evaluate your progress!

[Steve R.]

I'm right there with you, xaugievike. Pizza is not a skill anyone in my family ever had, and I don't have a point of reference for how it should be done, other than what I have read on here. I'll figure it out one day, but it's hard because it isn't something I would do very often even if I was good at it.

[Steve B]

Good luck brother. I too struggle with pizza. So you are not alone my friend.

[wrgilb]

Get your stone to at least 500 degrees, having an IR thermometer is a must. We roll our dough out on parchment paper and after getting all the stuff on, we put it on the stone with a wooden peel still on the paper. After a couple of minutes you can lift the edge of the pie and pull out the paper. When finished we remove it with a metal peel. Don't over pile the toppings and keep checking the bottom of the pie for doneness by lifting the edge and looking.

[Sfdrew28]

Does the parchment paper prevent the bottom from cooking properly?

[wrgilb]

Not at all, you'll cook it about 2 minutes before you remove the paper and then the pie sits on the stone.

[Troutman]

Go ahead and be this guy.....git 'em

[Mudkat]

Never give up on pizza!

[Jetski]

I'm not the best at pizza either (or probably anything for that matter!). As stated above, one thing that really helps and I probably won't do it any other way going forward is to use parchment paper under the pizza (cut to just fit under the pizza) as it goes on the stone. I do remove it after a minute or two as it easily slides out from the pizza after it starts cooking. Good luck!

[Ernest]

Forget the pizza stone and other specialized pizza thingamajigs.
Cast iron, high heat = pizza. No need t preheat the cast iron.

Pizza sauce is very easy to make. You just need a secret ingredient in it...... good quality anchovies.

[Sfdrew28]

You're not alone! I am so hit or miss with my pizzas. Yesterday was my worst miss as the dough just ripped apart and I used the same recipe that it came out great last time. I literally launched my failed pizza from the grill into the field next to where I live off the pizza wheel. LOL Just ordered the "The Elements of Pizza" to try and become a zen pizza master.

[xaugievike]

ha - im glad im not the only one!! a stone, a peel, a few bottles....all may or may not have been launched a time or 4.....

[FireMan]

But, but then we wouldn’t be able to say "xaugie sucks at pizza". It sorta has a nice ring to it. I am torn.

[xaugievike]

if history is an indicator you'll still be able to make the claim - so for now, you dont have to give a rip....I'll let you know if/when you should.

[EdF]

I dunno, that "Elements of Pizza" book could be a game changer from what I've read in it so far. And my wife, who is . a good pizzamaker, agrees!

[HouseHomey]

Pizza is not an issue for me. I can eat a whole one.

[xaugievike]

I finally won a round!!!

im not declaring victory, but I definitely got some shots in tonight....just the fact that I got it off the peel and onto a grill beats 3/4 of my previous attempts. getting it off the stone accounts for the other 1/4!

made 2 versions of the same pie. version 1 I made on my kettle. On this version I dont think I had my fire hot enough or I didnt let the stone get hot enough first - or likely a combo of both....the bottom started to burn before the top of the pizza was melted/bubbling like I hoped for. I left the pie in for way longer than planned and had some blackening on the bottom that I didnt like. I did have a probe in to check relative temps and it was reading 533 when I added the pizza...I know this is where an IR thermo would help and I ordered one before logging in here. lesson learned. it wasn't a total loss at all. some parts that weren't burnt were very good and I could taste that hint of charcoal/live fire taste that I want in the future.

so I audibled and fired up the genesis at full song and moved the stone over there....this pie behaved more like I expected. was only in for like 6 minutes. bottom was bubbling and browned and the bottom was perfectly crispy with no burning. the other mouths agreed that this one was better (duh).

so at least I made a dent as far as technique goes. gives me a place to hopefully improve from next time where I will repeat the recipe. if that goes well I can start tinkering more with ingredients....which, I should add, were not bad! I added molasses to this crust aiming for some sweetness and it delivered.

[gmascolo51]

Looking good, one option to practice a little is precook the dough a little this way you have the beginnings of a crust making it easier to slide off until you are 100% comfortable. Stand ready with a fork and poke any bubbles if you try that method this way you get a nice crust cooked through and melted cheese on top. I made a focaccia bread last night and it came out terrible I was so mad but just keep at it.

[jfmorris]

The times I made pizza on the grill I followed the dough recipe and the instructions in "The Barbecue Bible" (Raichlen), and I did it on the Weber Genesis, on the stock cast iron grates, and also over charcoal on my offset with a charcoal pan in the main chamber. Came out great, although the first pizza I ever did was a little "blackened" on the bottom. I don't have a pizza stone (wife cracked it in two years ago), but his instructions are to get the dough onto the grill for 1-2 minutes, let the bottom cook, then FLIP the crust, and build the pizza on the grill, on the side that you just cooked for 1-2 minutes. I just had my sauce and toppings all laid out ready to go on the side table, and slapped it all on there pretty quick and closed the lid for a few minutes, then it was done.

I'll have to try this again, then maybe progress to a pizza stone or something on the grill.