robby Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 I posted my first cook pics in the general forum, but I guess the rest go here. Great first attempt at apizza (used to live in New Haven). Really nice turn out. Only want to let stone get a little hotter next time. This was nine minutes at 600. Mangare Robby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Nice looking pizza Robby. Do you have the upper/sear grill? If so, try putting it on top of the main grate next time, so your pizza is cooked up high in the dome. You get to use more of the collected heat up there. That big stone does take some time to heat up. I usually put it on right after I start the grill and let it heat up along with the grill for about 30 minutes. The top side looks nice and browned, was the crust undercooked on the bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 I learned last week I need another peel!!! One isn't enough. And I also didn't use cornmeal on the pizza stone this time!! Worked great; thanks again FM! Where do folks prepare your pizza; on the peel or counter? Only works making it on the peel for me. That's why one isn't enough. I make a wet Italian dough, thin crust, and I can't slide it loaded from counter to peel to save my ass. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 JB, make the pie on the peel. When you are ready, take the pie out and load it into the grill. Go back inside and make another pie on the same peel. When its time for the first pie to come out of the grill, you just slide a pizza pan under it and carry it in. Once they are cooked you can pick them up with just about anything, including a pair of tongs to drag them across the lip of a sheet pan if thats all you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Good idea FM. At least for the time being; but I still plan on having a second peel. I also need tips for streatching the dough. The middle gets a little thin on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 I am assuming that you are starting with a ball of dough? Here is how I do it... -Dust your counter with flour. -Take the dough ball and set it right in your flour container. This will let just enough flour stick to anything that will be too wet to work with. FLip it over so now two sides are floured. -On your counter, flatten the ball to a round disk using the heel of your hand, then with the tips of your fingers press down firmly into the dough further flattening it (think of the shape of your hand if you were palming a ball). Using your finger tips like this is similar to docking the dough and helps prevent bubbles. -Take your fingers and press a flat area around where the crust should be, so you have a thick ridge of crust, a thinner area, and then a thick center disk. Now you should have what looks like a small pizza with a thick crust in the center -Pick it up, and using the knuckles of your curled under fingers, stretch the center section of the dough outward in all directions. -I am guessing that you dont want to toss it in the air to stretch the outside into shape, so you can stretch the crust section in a similar manner. -Lay it onto your peel, which you have already rubbed with flour, and do your final shaping there. If its too big in one area, lift that edge and allow it to pull back into shape some. Once its topped and ready to cook, lift one edge, blow a puff of air under it and it will be ready to slide right off onto the stone. I use a flat aluminum pizza pan to remove mine from the grill, since the peel will likely be occupied by the next pizza ready to go. I also dont like cutting on my peel, I like to keep them as smooth and dry as possible so they slide easier, so the pan works out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Parchment paper I find that parchment paper works great. Heat the stone. Make the pizza on parchment paper. Put peel under the parchment paper, slide it all onto the stone. Paper comes off fine once the pizza is cooked. Sometimes, if I don't use parchment paper and wait too long to put the pizza on the grill, the dough starts to rise and gets sticky/soft. Then it either stretches too much when I try to slide it off the peel, or it gets stuck to the stone too soon. I'll put up with it all, in the interest of exceptional pizza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 All this pizza talk is getting me hungry, that looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Thanks FM. Great explaination!!! Appreciate the details. I'll kick the wife out next time so I can concentrate. She always accuses me of too much flower, and too much messing with the dough, claims I'm making it tough. If she sees me toss the dough ball into the flower; she'll bite my head off. Sanny, Thanks for the parchment paper idea. Good one, but I'm hoping to master it without though; I want to do it like the Italians!!! hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 So guys, I heat soaked my KK to 237 degrees for about 5 hours while doing some ribs this past weekend (I know, no pics, but just look in my history there are LOTS of ribs). Anyway, I watched the TelTru on the dome very closely, I watched my DigiQ II very closely, and I watched a thermometer inside the KK very closely. All read 237 degrees and stayed there rock steady after about the 2 1/2 hour mark. There were variations at the beginning of the cook. It is also still chilly here so it took a bit of time to heat soak the KK. However, once it was all dialed in there was no temperature variation between the dome Tel Tru, DigiQ II, or thermometer inside the KK. Does this negate the need to put things on the top rack? The space is rather finite inside the KK. Once the KK is heatsoaked, I don't think it matters where the food is... Thoughts? Thx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 After 5 hours, no, of course not. But after an hour, with a hot fire and 600 degrees at the dome, there will be a fairly significant difference. Watch your temps closely next time...I dont think its a huge difference, like 20-30 degrees, but see if you can measure it the first couple hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Yup - that is consistent with what I am finding. A bit of a difference in the early stages of the cook and virtually no difference (literally none) once the KK is heat soaked. Guess I'll have to experiment with the time of the year to figure out how long the KK takes to get heat soaked.... Just one more reason to move to a warmer client - more consistent temps on the KK without the Northeast winter variable! Thanks FM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungeti Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Pizza Peel Hello all I have not been on here in like 5 months. I have been a traveling fool for my company. So I am sure I owe an apology or 2 for people send me messages. Still loving the KK. Just got on here, I believe I have mastered the temp setting and cooking on the KK. I have yet to cook a pizza. As I am reading this, I see people keep referring to a peel. What is that? Also, if anyone has a special dough recipe they recommend, I would not mind trying it out. TYSM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 A pizza peel is the big paddle that you use to move pizzas around. The dough recipe I use is posted in this thread, its very simple and easy: http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2928 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myself888 Posted April 6, 2010 Report Share Posted April 6, 2010 Puff of Air in your EYE I am assuming that you are starting with a ball of dough? Here is how I do it... -Dust your counter with flour...... Once its topped and ready to cook, lift one edge, blow a puff of air under it and it will be ready to slide right off onto the stone...... One of the best pieces of advice I have yet read is this "puff of air" that Firemonkey suggests for moving your raw pizza to the grill. It works great! Unfortunately, I was still using flour and corn meal because my dough is so wet. I wanted to SEE how this worked so much that I got blow back from the peel and an eye full of flour/corn meal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Re: Parchment paper I find that parchment paper works great. Heat the stone. Make the pizza on parchment paper. Put peel under the parchment paper' date=' slide it all onto the stone. Paper comes off fine once the pizza is cooked.[/quote'] +1 We bake at somewhere around 600 F, for around 8 minutes, for thin crust pizza. After three minutes, I move the pizza from the parchment paper (which is starting to brown) onto a "pizza screen" (available at any restaurant supply store in many diameters) for the rest of the cook. This breathes better than direct contact with the stone, and browns slower so the topping can catch up. We've also started using boiling water for the sponge for the crust. An off-the-wall experiment that lead to a more cracker-like crust. Years ago I'd seen boiling water used to make potsticker dough in my very first exposure to homemade noodles, which gave me the idea. I've since learned in discussions with bakers that boiling water can be used in e.g. pumpernickel bread. And an academic history of pasta points out a rule known for centuries, "cold water makes hard dough now, hot water makes hard noodles later". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Re: Puff of Air in your EYE I got blow back from the peel and an eye full of flour/corn meal. Thats okay...we have a resident eye doc around here somewhere But how did the pizza turn out? Hopefully you didn't have to try the "opaque" dining experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Rex Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Aluminum or wood We haven't tried pizza yet on the KK and we are currently looking at different Peels. Sooooooooo, the question is wood or aluminum, best size and square or rounded front..... Thanks in advance, T Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Re: Aluminum or wood We haven't tried pizza yet on the KK and we are currently looking at different Peels. Sooooooooo, the question is wood or aluminum, best size and square or rounded front..... Thanks in advance, T Rex I have an aluminum square (straight) front, with a wooden handle, it works fine, I have never used wooden. I have used a rimless cookie sheet and that works just as well, however it doesn't look as cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 corn meal? Corn meal in the eye is superior to an eyeball punctured by a cactus spine! Had to fix that one with super glue. Worked pretty good, too. Patient got their vision back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
