What's for Dinner?

[Chuck E]

I got my outdoor pizza gear last week. First go at it...

I think my grill was way too hot. I used some lump charcoal on top of some regular briquets, then added a couple chunks of oak wood. Easily 600+F.



The pizza dough seemed to have a "memory." It continually snapped back from being stretched out.



It was difficult to get it to slide around on the stone. I used cornmeal on the peel, but maybe not enough. It ended up charred on the bottom (probably from the "too hot" fire).



Tasted good, but I need to solve these problems to make it enjoyable.

 

[Rocky]

I got my outdoor pizza gear last week. First go at it...

I think my grill was way too hot. I used some lump charcoal on top of some regular briquets, then added a couple chunks of oak wood. Easily 600+F.
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The pizza dough seemed to have a "memory." It continually snapped back from being stretched out.
View attachment 64925

It was difficult to get it to slide around on the stone. I used cornmeal on the peel, but maybe not enough. It ended up charred on the bottom (probably from the "too hot" fire).
View attachment 64924

Tasted good, but I need to solve these problems to make it enjoyable.

Standing tall, Chuck!

 

[ceeaton]

I got my outdoor pizza gear last week. First go at it...

I think my grill was way too hot. I used some lump charcoal on top of some regular briquets, then added a couple chunks of oak wood. Easily 600+F.
....

Tasted good, but I need to solve these problems to make it enjoyable.

600*F is not too hot, that is actually the temperature I prefer. What might have made your stone too hot is if you had the fire under it and not in a "C" around the grill under the openings on the sides and back. I found that I have to rotate the pizza every 1 to 2 minutes or the back edge will char very quickly. 1 minute when I'm running 700+, 2 minutes at 500 or so.

The memory in your dough can be solved pretty easily. Form the dough into a rough disk, let it rest at least 10 minutes under a towel of some sort. Then try to stretch it. If it still has too much "memory", let it rest for another 10-20 minutes. It will eventually give up the goat and let you form the pie. Forming a cold dough also makes the memory more pronounced.

Hope that helps.

 

[Boatboy24]

Agree with Craig. Keep the coals out from under the stone. That 'memory' is either from the glutens, or the cold. Resting will relax the gluten.

I like your stainless steel Performer. You may want to turn the grate 90 degrees so the handle isn't in the way of the opening. I'd say your first attempt looks pretty good.

 

[Chuck E]

Yep, I did have coals under the stone. I will try to keep the heat on the outside ring...

Thanks for the tips, gents!

 

[ibglowin]

All good tips. If I can add a few thoughts. Turn, turn, turn. Keep a close eye on the bottom. If the bottom gets done before the top (happens quite often) Use your peel and lift the pie up into the upper dome area and hold it their for a minute or two (checking each minute) to get the top done. Try parchment paper. It should assist in the slide off the peel. I also use semolina flour instead of cornmeal. Higher burn temp.

Also very important. The 2nd pie (if there is one) will almost always cook faster than the 1st pie as the stone will be hotter temp unless you have left it in the oven for ~30mins or so. Keep an even closer eye on the bottom of the 2nd pie especially if the temp is close to the same as the first.

You may have better luck starting off with small personal pizza sizes with only one or two ingredients and then working your way up to large pies with more goodies.

Hope this helps!

 

[Boatboy24]

I'll second the use of semolina. 1) the higher burn temp, as Mike mentioned and 2) those little pieces are like mini ball bearings.

 

[ceeaton]

I third the semolina flour. Made such a difference getting the moist dough off the wooden peel (use the wooden one to make the pizza and put it on the stone, the metal one to turn and extract when done).

Storms rolled through around 3 pm, wasn't sure I was going to be able to cook pizza tonight. Seems every time I think I'm going to cook on the grill, it rains. Had three full sized doughs. One with some sourdough discard and high gluten flour, the other two with Sir Galahad flour (commercial all purpose). Fermented in the fridge a day. The two Galahad flour doughs were actually made on Friday and frozen, then thawed for a day in the fridge.

Lots of pictures, I know, but I learned a few things today cooking on the KettlePizza. What NM Mike said about the second pizza is very true, that stone gets a bit too hot by then and when above about 600*F will burn pretty quickly on the bottom.

My setup is a cordierite stone on the bottom, a steel on the top rack to concentrate heat on the toppings, works pretty well.



First pizza was a sourdough crust for my neighbor Jay. We try to outdo each other with thoughtful stuff, he hasn't got a pizza oven yet, so I've got him there. Stone was only running about 500*F in the middle. The high gluten flour made for an easy cook, turned a 1/4 turn every 2 minutes. Four turns and 8 minutes later and their dinner was done. Delivered in a pizza box, of course (always a nice touch). Do notice the burning on one quarter of the side crust. I had the back "rack" filled with pecan wood and it was just starting to really burn, need to make the first turn a bit quicker.



Second pizza was for my wife and daughter. She was taking an online class at the time for her nursing clinicals, so I delivered a couple of pieces so she could concentrate on her class. Like Mike said, turn it like mad (turned every minute) and watch that crust. It did singe a bit, still edible, but the stone was running at 625*F by then. A bit hot as I'm learning.





Last two pizzas were a split crust. Number three was to potentially replace #2 that I had singed. Wasn't necessary because they both ate #2 (one piece left). Number 4 was mine, had a bit too much cheese and most of the jar of anchovies I had on it went deep. Bottoms were perfect, crust was unbelievable. Stone was running at about 575 on #3, 550 on #4. Two minute quarter turns, went around twice (ie. much longer cook). #1, #3 and #4 were definitely the best. All were very good except #1, can't comment on that one but my neighbor texted me that it was "top notch".







What I learned. Don't try and cook a pizza when that stone is above 600*F. Crust gets done way too fast and you have to raise the pizza at the end on the peel to get the toppings anywhere near done. After the second pizza I took a beer break and waited about 20 minutes to put on #3 and #4. It was worth the wait. Takes a bit longer to cook, but the crust was perfectly crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle.

High gluten flour crusts can stand the heat much better than using all purpose flour. I'm not sure what chemistry is going on, but the all purpose crusts must have more sugar in them (I never add sugar when making my dough). Sugar plus heat equals browning/burning. Are more alcohols (higher sugars) being produced during the fermentation of the dough? Is the higher gluten (proteins) blocking sugar formation with heat? I know from beer making that starch is converted at certain temperatures by enzymes that are in the barley husks. That's how we get a fermentable liquid when we mash and sparge the barley malt. Does something like that happen with the flour and steam produced while cooking it?

Too much thinking for this simple mind, I need another beer...

 

[ibglowin]

Dinner goals for the week......... LOL

 

[bstnh1]

Dinner goals for the week......... LOL

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What emergency room will you be at later this week???

 

[ibglowin]

Actual dinner for the week.......

 

[sour_grapes]

Perhaps not as good as Mike's "stretch goals" posted above, but still pretty delish!

Here is a look at one of those lamb shoulder chops cum rib chops. This one was unusual in that both parts were left together into one larger chop. But let me explain the rest of the meal first.

I made grilled corn-off-the-cob again, but the seasonings tonight were cilantro, ancho chile, and lime juice. (Kind of elote inspired.) I made sauteed escarole from our farmer's market with lots of EVOO and Vitamin G. (It was pretty bitter, so I blanched it first.) We had broccoli that was steamed and then charred on the grill, seasoned with ho-made preserved lemons, capers, butter, and garlic. Mushroom caps cooked on the grill with soy, sesame, and some EVOO. The lamb was dry-brined, then seared on the hot grill, and served with fresh basil and EVOO. Seriously good!

 

[Boatboy24]

Never did get around to picking any up while in OBX, so went and got some this morning.

 

[sour_grapes]

I made a beet salad out of some beets we roasted on the grill a few days ago (shallots macerated in vinegar, mustard, EVOO); Grilled green beans with red Italian onions; seafood risotto; and grilled halibut served with a mango/jalapeno/shallot/tomato/lime/tartaric acid/cilantro salsa. All washed down with my 2019 Washington Viognier. No complaints!

 

[sour_grapes]

Another grilling night! First, I cranked the heat up to 550F to bake some focaccia. Later, we enjoyed zucchini (za'atar); tabouleh (cous-cous with parsley, lemon, EVOO, red onions, tomatoes, basil); sautéed/braised kale; and grilled pasture-raised pork chops.

 

[geek]

Picanha is called the queens of all meats in Brazil.

i think it is so true.
Only salt, nothing else.

 

[ibglowin]

Picanha is called the queens of all meats in Brazil.

i think it is so true.
Only salt, nothing else.

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[ibglowin]

@geek Now all you have to do is learn to pull it off the grill before it is shoe leather! LOL

 

[ceeaton]

Wifey at first onsite day for her nursing clinicals. So I decided to make one of her favorite meals after finding a flank steak decently cheap (very small, $7.99/lb). Salt, pepper, rest in the fridge, add some soy sauce, rest in the fridge, partially cook over some pecan wood for more flavor. Eventually marry it up with some onion, carrot, ginger root, peas and broccoli. Turned out pretty good. Just a bit too salty for my taste. Only salt added was in the GF soy sauce and a bit when marinating the meat. Will have to cut the soy sauce back a bit (only added 3 TBS).

 

[ibglowin]

Way too healthy for a Saturday night! LOL

Wifey at first onsite day for her nursing clinicals. So I decided to make one of her favorite meals after finding a flank steak decently cheap (very small, $7.99/lb). Salt, pepper, rest in the fridge, add some soy sauce, rest in the fridge, partially cook over some pecan wood for more flavor. Eventually marry it up with some onion, carrot, ginger root, peas and broccoli. Turned out pretty good. Just a bit too salty for my taste. Only salt added was in the GF soy sauce and a bit when marinating the meat. Will have to cut the soy sauce back a bit (only added 3 TBS).

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