First pizza cook with Baking Steel

[crumbsnatcher]

It was nasty cold and icy outside so I made pies in the oven with my new Baking Steel.  I'm impressed with this Baking Steel. The bottom of the crust came out really nice. Has anyone used this on a kettle and how well does it cook on a kettle?  I don't have a kettle pizza so I'm wondering how you would set this up in a kettle?




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[MikeRocksTheRed]

If you don't have a pizza attachment like a Kettle Pizza or a Pizza Que and you do have charcoal baskets...(this is all a guess on my part, but it sounds legit)

Light a full chimney of charcoal and pour most of it around the edge of the grill with some coals in the center.
Place your charcoal baskets upside down on the cooking grate then place your baking steel (or pizza stone) on top of the baskets.
Let your steel heat for a good 15-20 minutes.
Cook your pizza.

The theory here is that moving the pizza higher in the lid will help the top of the pizza cook as quickly as the bottom will.  The biggest problem people have when doing pizzas on a kettle without a pizza attachment is the crust cooking fast than the top of the pizza.  Raising your pizza resolves this issue.

Anyone used this method?  I'm guessing on coal placement....coals around the outside edge, in the center, or all over?  I know the steel on the baskets to raise it is correct.

[kettlebb]

Yes Mike. My first and only pizza cook was two baskets of Stubbs PAC-Man and 2 baskets on the cooking grate for my pizza pan. Cook time was about 10 min. Bottom was burnt because I only have air bake pans. If I had a stone it would have been much better.


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[MikeRocksTheRed]

Yes Mike. My first and only pizza cook was two baskets of Stubbs PAC-Man and 2 baskets on the cooking grate for my pizza pan. Cook time was about 10 min. Bottom was burnt because I only have air bake pans. If I had a stone it would have been much better.


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Awesome.  I never would have thought about putting the coals on the cooking grate.  That makes so much sense!


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[kettlebb]

Sorry, I might not have been that clear. The baskets on the cooking grate were to raise the pizza pan up into the lid. Only fuel I had was a full chimney in the PAC-man baskets on the charcoal grate. Now I want to try a few coals on top!


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[MikeRocksTheRed]

Sorry, I might not have been that clear. The baskets on the cooking grate were to raise the pizza pan up into the lid. Only fuel I had was a full chimney in the PAC-man baskets on the charcoal grate. Now I want to try a few coals on top!


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OK....and yeah, coals on the cooking grate might be just what's needed to get the top to cook as quickly as the bottom.  Maybe 1/4-1/2 a chimney under the stone then two baskets of coals on the cooking grate, or just put the coals straight onto the cooking grate all the way around the edge?

[jkolantern]

Sorry, I might not have been that clear. The baskets on the cooking grate were to raise the pizza pan up into the lid. Only fuel I had was a full chimney in the PAC-man baskets on the charcoal grate. Now I want to try a few coals on top!


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OK....and yeah, coals on the cooking grate might be just what's needed to get the top to cook as quickly as the bottom.  Maybe 1/4-1/2 a chimney under the stone then two baskets of coals on the cooking grate, or just put the coals straight onto the cooking grate all the way around the edge?

Pretty sure coals ON the cooking grate under the stone will exasperate the problem of the bottom cooking too fast-remember, you're elevating the grate to get it AWAY from direct heat, and by adding coals directly under the pizza stone, you defeat this purpose.  I've had some coals under the stone outside of the pacman shape before, and that resulted in a more burnt crust.

A ring around the cooking surface would sure be interesting.  You'd probably toast a cooking grate pretty fast.  Maybe figure out a way to wedge a charcoal basket into a flip up cooking grate a la the Kettle Pizza pro grate?

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Sorry, I might not have been that clear. The baskets on the cooking grate were to raise the pizza pan up into the lid. Only fuel I had was a full chimney in the PAC-man baskets on the charcoal grate. Now I want to try a few coals on top!


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

OK....and yeah, coals on the cooking grate might be just what's needed to get the top to cook as quickly as the bottom.  Maybe 1/4-1/2 a chimney under the stone then two baskets of coals on the cooking grate, or just put the coals straight onto the cooking grate all the way around the edge?

Pretty sure coals ON the cooking grate under the stone will exasperate the problem of the bottom cooking too fast-remember, you're elevating the grate to get it AWAY from direct heat, and by adding coals directly under the pizza stone, you defeat this purpose.  I've had some coals under the stone outside of the pacman shape before, and that resulted in a more burnt crust.

A ring around the cooking surface would sure be interesting.  You'd probably toast a cooking grate pretty fast.  Maybe figure out a way to wedge a charcoal basket into a flip up cooking grate a la the Kettle Pizza pro grate?

I was not suggesting putting coals on the cooking grate under the stone.  Suggesting some coals on the coal grate then baskets on the cooking grate with coals then the stone in between the baskets.  No clue if it would work, but it might be just what is needed to put more heat above the stone so the top cooks as quickly as the crust does.

[Jason]

I'm impressed with this Baking Steel. The bottom of the crust came out really nice. Has anyone used this on a kettle and how well does it cook on a kettle?  I don't have a kettle pizza so I'm wondering how you would set this up in a kettle?

The first time I tried a "from scratch" pizza cook on my kettle, I did it like you guys are discussing. The only difference was that I just used a regular aluminum pizza pan, resting on empty charcoal baskets, on the cooking grate. Very similar results as using the oven in the house (a little taste of smoke, but nothing to write home about). It was cool to use the kettle, but didn't think it was worth the effort and continued using the oven in the house.

If you don't have access to an aftermarket pizza accessory, finding a way to get some really clean wood smoke on your pies is what will make you appreciate the effort involved with making pizzas on the kettle. Without a KP, Pizza Q or similar, I'd suggest cooking at a lower temp, and a bit longer cook time, whether you use a stone, steel or pan.

Now, after having my KP for quite some time, I really appreciate the "wood fired" flavor you get from the burning wood and that needs a LOT of air to keep that smoke clean and flowing out of the kettle. I have used both a pizza stone and a pizza steel. For the type of crust I prefer (thin and crispy), the steel does a better job.

 

[blksabbath]

It was nasty cold and icy outside so I made pies in the oven with my new Baking Steel.  I'm impressed with this Baking Steel. The bottom of the crust came out really nice. Has anyone used this on a kettle and how well does it cook on a kettle?  I don't have a kettle pizza so I'm wondering how you would set this up in a kettle?




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I use two baking steels with my kettle pizza.  The pie cooks on the lower thick steel, then I have a cooking grate on top of the kettle pizza with another thinner steel.  Once its heated up, it works awesome.  I'm doing the usual pac-man basket set up and throw some wood on a few minutes before I start cooking.

[crumbsnatcher]

It was nasty cold and icy outside so I made pies in the oven with my new Baking Steel.  I'm impressed with this Baking Steel. The bottom of the crust came out really nice. Has anyone used this on a kettle and how well does it cook on a kettle?  I don't have a kettle pizza so I'm wondering how you would set this up in a kettle?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use two baking steels with my kettle pizza.  The pie cooks on the lower thick steel, then I have a cooking grate on top of the kettle pizza with another thinner steel.  Once its heated up, it works awesome.  I'm doing the usual pac-man basket set up and throw some wood on a few minutes before I start cooking.

Thanks for the setup tip. I'll have to keep an eye out for a KP.


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[Garvinque]

https://youtu.be/m2fAOUJItw8