Authentic Chicago Deep Dish...in Excruciating Detail

[Pequod]

This thread is all about authentic Chicago Style Deep Dish, but cooked on the KK, of course. I did a thread similar to this on the Guru once. Put the entire site to sleep. If you caught that one, feel free to skip this one. Heck, skip it if you're not interested too. I won't be offended. Or you may find you need a nap in the middle. That's fine. We'll still be here when you wake up.

First, let's parse the name. Most deep dish I see posted on the internet is NOT Chicago style, yet most people feel the need to insert that word "Chicago" in front of "Deep Dish", no matter how heretical it may be. Bottom line is there are a lot of deep dish pizzas out there, many quite good, but only some of these qualify as Chicago Style. Nothing wrong with making and enjoying those other pies, just don't offend a great city by calling it Chicago Style when it's not.

So what makes it "Chicago Style"? To me, it comes down to two key things: The crust and the tomatoes.

First, the crust. Many people think Chicago Style pizza crust is similar to a loaf of bread -- very doughy. Others think there is cornmeal in the crust. Don't get me going on that one. Let's just say I agree with this:  http://www.realdeepdish.com/2009/05-06-pizza-rant-2-6-pat-bruno-im-calling-you-out/. Both of these are WRONG! The classic Chicago Style pizza crust, such as you'll find at Lou Malnati's, Pizzeria Uno, or Gino's East, has a biscuit-like texture. A bit crisp on the outside, giving way to a biscuity crumb on the inside. Again, if you like cornmeal in your dough or making pizza out of a loaf of bread, by all means keep doing it. Just don't call it Chicago Style or you'll be labeled either a heretic or a Cubs fan!

Next, the tomatoes on a Chicago Style pizza have a distinctly bright flavor, and are usually a bit chunky as well. The closest I've come to replicating that flavor is with a particular brand: 6-in-1 All Purpose Ground Tomatoes. They aren't chunky enough, but the flavor is spot on and you can always add some high quality diced or hand crushed tomatoes for chunkiness.

Let's start with the dough. Here's my favorite dough recipe for a 13" Deep Dish pizza. The recipe you'll find at http://www.realdeepdish.com is also excellent and I used to make one very similar to that, but I like this better:

350g AP Flour - 95%
20g Semolina - 5%
170g Water - 46%
64g Corn oil (17%)
14g Olive oil (4%)
1/4 tsp Salt - (.35%)
1/2 tsp Sugar - (.5%)
2g instant dry yeast - (.5%)

First, mix all the dry ingredients except for the yeast, then pour in the oil. Remember, since we're not making bread, we're trying to *avoid* gluten formation, so we don't want to proof the yeast and we don't want to over-knead the dough.

Partially mix in the oil, then add the water and partially mix that too. Then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Stir that in until just barely combined, then knead the dough in the bowl with one hand for no more than two minutes. Now cover it with plastic and let it rise in the oven with only the oven light on for heat for up to five hours. It will rise, but not much.

While that's going on, we also want to drain the tomatoes in a strainer over a cereal bowl.  Some people like to spoon them right from the can. I prefer to let the water drain out so that the pizza isn't too wet.

I also like to de-fat my pepperoni so that we don't get a grease slick on top. Put the pepperoni on a plate between paper towel sheets, then nuke for 30 seconds. Amazing how much grease is pulled out.

Sliced and sautéed my onion for just a bit. No pics of that. Instead I give you my fancy new teak cutting board. Sweet, no?

After five hours, the dough has risen, but gluten matrix is weak to non-existent. No way that dough would pass the windowpane test.

Grease my decades old, highly seasoned steel deep dish pizza pan. I've been doing deep dish pizza much longer than I've been doing barbecue. Bought this one while I was still in college and realized the need to master this before leaving Illinois for good.

Spread the dough, and pinch it half way up those two inch sides.

You can use 8 to 16 ounces of mozzarella, depending on how cheesy you want it. This mozzarella is from a cow I own in the Shenandoah Valley, then delivered the whole, unpasteurized milk to an Italian Grandmother nearby to make the cheese for me.

I lied. Safeway had this in stock. I'm using 12 ounces of the stuff.

Then top the cheese with the sautéed onions.

Now ready for the tomatoes. Here's what they look like after draining all afternoon.

Look at all that water.

Most, but not all of the drained tomatoes go on the pie.

Now sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano. I prefer fresh basil, but none available today.

Grate some parmesan directly on top.

Then all of that de-fatted pepperoni.

Onto the KK at 450.

Turn it after about 15 minutes. Don't know if I really needed to do that in the KK, but always do it in the oven and it's a habit,

And after about 15 minutes more, we're ready.

Let it rest for five minutes.

Remove it from the pan.

Plated.

Perfect. Here's the bottom.

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by HalfSmoke

[ckreef]

Great looking pizza. I love  Chicago style deep dish pizzas although I make them Reef style. 

 

[MacKenzie]

So that is what a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza looks like, tasty tasty tasty. 

 

Thanks for the details, all the details.  

Edited March 4, 2017 by MacKenzie

[Shuley]

I throughly enjoyed this. I will have to try your technique sometime. While I love my version of deep dish pizza I was fairly certain it wasn't authentic and this post confirmed that


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[Steve M]

Nice write up. I lol'd at the italian grandmother part.

[Keith OctoForks]

IDK if I've ever had a Chicago style pie other than maybe Godfathers?   We have this http://www.oleys.net/  (look for the deep dish)

Words can't describe how good it is.   If I ever have the patience "If" I'd love to try your recipe!    It's a labor of love no doubt

Edited March 4, 2017 by Keith OctoForks

[Aussie Ora]

Only tried one deep dish might have to try another one looks great .milk from your cow to the Italian grandmother love it lol

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

[Pequod]

8 minutes ago, Keith OctoForks said:

IDK if I've ever had a Chicago style pie other than maybe Godfathers?   We have this http://www.oleys.net/  (look for the deep dish)

Words can't describe how good it is.   If I ever have the patience "If" I'd love to try your recipe!    It's a labor of love no doubt

I'm in Ft. Wayne periodically for work. I'll have to ask my folks there about Oley's. 

You're close enough that I'd recommend a pizza crawl! Start downtown and hit the original Pizzeria Uno (NOT the heretical chain of the same name), Malnati's, and Gino's East. Then head to the south side and hit the original Aurelio's in Homewood for thin crust (my first stop whenever I return home). Move over to Sanfratellos for a completely different deep dish. The original has closed, but they still have locations in Dyer, IN. And if you're still hungry head down to Champaign-Urbana and sample Papa Del's. Different take on deep dish, but totally awesome. Almost forgot! Must get a stuffed spinach pizza from Edwardo's in Chicago, and Giordano's as well.

[Bruce Pearson]

That pizza looks totally delicious. Funny I just order a team cutting board today.

[tony b]

@HalfSmoke - that's a pretty good comprehensive rundown of good Chicago pizza joints, but you left off Pequod's.

[Pequod]

1 minute ago, tony b said:

@HalfSmoke - that's a pretty good comprehensive rundown of good Chicago pizza joints, but you left off Pequod's.

Only because I've never been there. I think they rose to fame after my time. Need hit that one sometime when I'm back. 

[tony b]

Definitely. Be prepared to wait for a table, though. It's pretty popular. But, it's worth it.

I still haven't made it to Art of Pizza yet, which gets raves, too.

[Keith OctoForks]

18 hours ago, HalfSmoke said:

I'm in Ft. Wayne periodically for work. I'll have to ask my folks there about Oley's. 

You're close enough that I'd recommend a pizza crawl! Start downtown and hit the original Pizzeria Uno (NOT the heretical chain of the same name), Malnati's, and Gino's East. Then head to the south side and hit the original Aurelio's in Homewood for thin crust (my first stop whenever I return home). Move over to Sanfratellos for a completely different deep dish. The original has closed, but they still have locations in Dyer, IN. And if you're still hungry head down to Champaign-Urbana and sample Papa Del's. Different take on deep dish, but totally awesome. Almost forgot! Must get a stuffed spinach pizza from Edwardo's in Chicago, and Giordano's as well.

You know your ZA places!   BTW I just ordered an Oley's pizza just because of this post!   The urge for a deep dish pie was just to much to resist. lol

[Garvinque]

Way to go HalfSmoke was just asking you about deep dish pans I now have a recipe to go with!

 

Garvin

[Pequod]

I was wrong. Cornmeal DOES belong in Chicago Style Deep Dish:

http://www.realdeepdish.com/2013/04-01-amazing-you-can-really-taste-the-cornmeal/

 

 

 

 

 

[tony b]

[Pequod]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I made this exact post over at Amazing Ribs a few days ago. It was immediately stickied by a moderator, and one of the old gents there replied with an awesome story of how he knew Ike Sewell (founder of Uno's), Rudy Malnati, and the other kingpins and creators of authentic Chicago Style Deep Dish back in "the day" when it was up and coming. Said he's going to make my recipe just for the memories. WOW! How cool is that?? 

 

Posted an earlier version of this at the Guru and I think it died a quick death with someone (NOT a Chicagoan) commenting about the awesomeness of the ATK "Chicago" Deep Dish Recipe...cornmeal crust and all...   

[ckreef]

Very kewl. 

As for the Guru that can be a fickle group. Usually posts I think everyone will like dies a quick death and my boring posts takes on a life of their own. If you would have had pulled pork in the pizza  they would still be talking about it. 

 

 

[tony b]

Very kewl!

One of the reasons that I don't post over there - too many haters. 

[Pequod]

22 minutes ago, tony b said:

Very kewl!

One of the reasons that I don't post over there - too many haters. 

I don't know if it's haters as much as they have a narrowband filter that centers on Kamado Joe and traditional cooking. Don't post there nearly as much as I used to. Starting to like Amazing Ribs a lot more and poking back in at the Brethren more for the diversity of cookers and cook styles.