Firemonkey Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 I received this pizza stone from an unnamed source and I finally got around to giving it a try. This stone came in a S/S liner, just like the KK drip pan, and some Gen2 HDs. The stone was in the liner, but not attached, and so I decided to use it without the liner as I would be heating it with the grill. The SS liner is intended as a layer of protection from placing it on a hot grill.Here is a peek at the stone:It is an inch or two larger than the KK deflector, but the same thickness. It happens to be the same size as the store bought pizza stones I have (15" FWIR) What sets the stone apart is its mirror smooth finish on top, instead of a white alumina coating on the standard deflector. You can almost see a reflection in this surface:I decided to christen this stone with a few calzones, so the first thing I had to do was grill a few sweet Italian sausages for the filling. I grilled the sausages on the main grill under the stone which was on the upper grill. In hindsight, this may not have been the smartest, since the greasy smoke from the sausages left a film on the top of the stone. No problem though, I just cleaned it off with a wet paper towel when the sausages were done.I set the grill to 475 degrees to preheat while I went in to build the calzones. The stuffing was some sauteed onions, garlic and spinach, which was mixed in with some ricotta cheese. Top it with some pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, and mozzarella.Fold them over, and seal the edges, give them an egg wash to help with a nice golden brown shine and put them on the preheated stone. Check them every 10 minutes or so to make sure they are browning evenly, and rotate them around if necessary.When they are golden brown, bring them in and top them with sauce. I just mixed some pizza sauce from a jar with a can of my favorite canned tomatoes, and simmered with some oregano and basil while the calzones baked.The verdict on the stone? I like it. The dough was perfect on top and bottom, cooked evenly, and not too crunchy on the bottom. You may recall my previous pizza rig consisted of a HD under the pizza stone with some spacers. This stone was naked on the upper rack, right above the fire and it still diffused enough of the heat to keep the bottom from burning even after 30 mins of baking. Ill try to do some pizza soon to further test it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Those look great FM!! No cornmeal or anything, just placed on a bare stone? Nice. You always do such a nice job. I'm friggen jealous dude!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Nope no cornmeal or anything. You dont need cornmeal to keep the bread from sticking to the stone, you need it sometimes to help get a pizza to slide off the peal and onto the stone. I just picked these up and put them on the stone, so no cornmeal needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Out of curiosity, did you make the dough or was it store-bought? Up here a "calzone" is apparently the same as a "hot pocket" (I bought an "Italian Calzone" locally and it was a bad Italian sub in a calzone wrapping - not even any cheese!). If the one decent pizza place I've found doesn't sell them I may be forced to make my own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I make the dough, using something pretty close to the Wolfgang Puck recipe: 1 package active dry or fresh yeast 1 teaspoon honey 1 cup warm water (105º F to 115º F) 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing Full recipe here I dont measure the honey, and I usually end up with 1.5 or 2 Tablespoons by the time I am done squeezing the bottle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 The results seem to speak for themselves, so can you name the source? My pizza stone is a little small for my liking, his one looks like a better fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 How about a hint? Its made from HW refractory material Dennis will have to chime in here about the composition of the stone, since I really dont know what it is made of, but I do know that he had been working on his own version of a composition similar to fibrament. I'm not sure if thats what this is made of or just regular refractory. I dont know if these are ready for mainstream distribution yet, so I hope I am not leaking and secrets here. On the size, I just measured, and it is a 15" stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 I should have known from the SS pan! Well, cat's out ,looks like the test marketing staff from Bali has busy! As I only have one type of cooker, anyone out there know if there is a market for a stone of this size for any other type of cooker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 The size is standard, its the exact same diameter as the pizza stones you can get at Bed, Bath & Beyond for about $10. What sets this one apart is the thickness, which at least helps it diffuse and distribute heat, and if pre-heated long enough hold the heat so you can reload faster. Of course, if its also got the heat transference and other fibrament properties, thats a bonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Nope no cornmeal or anything. You dont need cornmeal to keep the bread from sticking to the stone, you need it sometimes to help get a pizza to slide off the peal and onto the stone. FM, are you saying I only need the cornmeal on my peel to get slide action; not a dash on the baking stone too? Interesting; I'll have to try it. I've always been afraid the pizza dough would stick to the stone without cornmeal, like it does to the peel. Maybe now I won't have to fight so much cornmeal burning on the stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yep, that is correct, JB. The dough will only stick for the first 30 seconds or so, after that it cooks enough to release clean. The only thing that will stick on the stone is any cheese or wet stuff that you shake off while sliding the pizza onto it. BTW, a little trick to get the pizza sliding easier - just before you are ready to put it on the grill, lift the edge of the pizza and blow a short puff of air under it. You will see it lift up with the bubble under it. You'll have it sliding off no problem. Dont forget to rub your peel with a little flour before you start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Awesome. Good trick with the blowing action!! I'll give it a try next time. Thanks mucho Bud!!! Can't belive I've been doing it wrong all this time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Fe I wonder if a piece of cast iron would make a decent pizza cooking surface? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Re: Fe I wonder if a piece of cast iron would make a decent pizza cooking surface? Would it hold its seasoning under the high temps of a pizza cook? I mean the seasoning of the iron, of course, not the seasoning of the pizza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 seasoning Good question. Certainly there is no reason to use cast iron other than just out of curiosity. There's plenty of stones available. But if I ever did try it I would just clean and oil the cast iron after use like any other piece of cast iron. So far I have not tried pizza on the KK yet anyway, just thinking out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 I have a round lodge griddle that I've sometimes used as a deflector. Any seasoning it had is long burned off. I saw a program that said high heat in a fire is one way that "they" (you know - those people) recondition old cast iron. It takes the old finish off, and makes it ready to accept new seasoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 If I hadn't seen you make these step by step, I would have sworn you went to the restaurant and bought them! Better looking than anything I have seen at any pizzeria lately!!! Great job FM and thanks for the post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchop Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 beautiful calzones FM! what a pretty pizza stone too. that polished surface reminds me of marble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted February 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Hey, glad you guys got a chance to see them. I mean, it's only been a year since I posted this thread! ...and with PC posting, too! I feel like I'm being visited by the ghost of BBQs past! Doc- the iron will work but it gives a different style of crust. It puts more of a really thin "fried" layer on the bottom of the crust. I've used a cast iron skillet to make deep dish pizza by letting the crust rise in the pan. The oil coating required for it to release and come out clean makes a light golden fried texture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Hey' date=' glad you guys got a chance to see them. I mean, it's only been a year since I posted this thread! [/quote'] Heh Heh - Yup - I did notice the date but did not remember the thread. Guess I need to thank Doc for posting the comment and resurrecting those Calzones!!! Just another reminder that there is a LOT of great stuff in the KK forum archives that need to be searched out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
