Pellegrino's pizza

[Drunk Tank]

I have been wanting to try pizza on the big green egg and I already have a pizza stone for it. I am not about to try to get my oven to 800 but I can easily get up to 750-800 on the egg. I need to read more on the dough process and give it a shot. It looks delicious!

[Chachi]

Like I said, my oven only gets to about 550. If I could get it to 800 degrees safely then I'd do it in a heartbeat. Varasano has done some crazy things with his oven that I'm not interested in trying. Rather than putting money towards purchasing new oven doors (which he's done) I'd rather put money towards a wood fired stove.

Depending on how wet the dough is, how thin I stretch the crust, and how much cheese and sauce is on it, a pizza takes between 5 and 7 minutes to cook in my oven.

I don't know that the instant oatmeal analogy is accurate. Instant oatmeal cooks fast because it has been pre-cooked, dried and finely milled. It is very different from oats. A better analogy (and one that Varasano uses) is to try baking cookies at a drastically lower temperature, say 200 instead of 350. You won't get the same results. The cookies cooked at a lower temperature will have a different texture and won't seem right.

You misunderstood what I meant by the oatmeal comment. Family dinners are a rarity at our household and being a stay at home mom with 3 wee ones it's nice to have quick meals. Oh how I'd love to be able to cook dinner in less than 2 minutes! Oatmeal is fast...but it would get old night after night.

[pellegrino]

You misunderstood what I meant by the oatmeal comment. Family dinners are a rarity at our household and being a stay at home mom with 3 wee ones it's nice to have quick meals. Oh how I'd love to be able to cook dinner in less than 2 minutes! Oatmeal is fast...but it would get old night after night.

yeah, I realized that about an hour after I responded, oatmeal would does get old.

[pellegrino]

I have been wanting to try pizza on the big green egg and I already have a pizza stone for it. I am not about to try to get my oven to 800 but I can easily get up to 750-800 on the egg. I need to read more on the dough process and give it a shot. It looks delicious!

I'd be interested in seeing how that turns out. UtahDan and SuperGabers were talking about grilled pizza using a conventional grill. It would be interesting to see how a kamado style grill does on it.

[landpoke]

I have been wanting to try pizza on the big green egg and I already have a pizza stone for it. I am not about to try to get my oven to 800 but I can easily get up to 750-800 on the egg. I need to read more on the dough process and give it a shot. It looks delicious!

Why do you need a stone? Because of the heat you're using? We grill pizzas from time to time and we put them directly on the grill (after solidifying the crust a bit in the oven.)

[pellegrino]

Why do you need a stone? Because of the heat you're using? We grill pizzas from time to time and we put them directly on the grill (after solidifying the crust a bit in the oven.)

the stone would make this unnecessary and as a result will give you a better crust.

[landpoke]

the stone would make this unnecessary and as a result will give you a better crust.

Gotcha. So I should just fish a good flat rock out of the crick next time we're making pizza?

[pellegrino]

Gotcha. So I should just fish a good flat rock out of the crick next time we're making pizza?

sounds like a great idea, just don't blame me when that river rock explodes and injures you and your guests.

[landpoke]

sounds like a great idea, just don't blame me when that river rock explodes and injures you and your guests.

No amount of qualification can take away your liability in this situation. Especially after you've held yourself out as an expert.

[SuperGabers]

We seriously had a great time. In retrospect, I am a little embarrassed about how much pizza I ate, and ate, and ate...

Pizza night is Thursday around here...

[SuperGabers]

Hey Pell, do you mix it, let it raise, punch it down, and then put it into the fridge?

[Surfah]

Hey Pell, do you mix it, let it raise, punch it down, and then put it into the fridge?

Mix for just a minute it or two. Then autolyze for 20 minutes. Then wet knead. Rest. Then it goes in the fridge. My hands didn't touch the dough except to form balls to go into the storage container and then to make the crust the following day.

It took me about 10 readings of Varasano's website for me to understand what to do. Once you understand the process it's easy. Takes about 45 minutes to an hour though. I used the spreadsheet to get me started but like Varasano, feel and look was more important to me than anything.

[wuapinmon]

We might go to Varasano's restaurant again tomorrow or Thursday if my mom will watch the damned kids. I'll let yall know if the pizza crust is better this time around, because last time it tasted like creosote.

[Chachi]

Why do you need a stone? Because of the heat you're using? We grill pizzas from time to time and we put them directly on the grill (after solidifying the crust a bit in the oven.)

I have grilled pizza as well...I brushed a little olive oil on it and placed on the grill. Flipped then added the toppings asap. I previously grilled some asian style bbq chicken, shredded that for the meat. I mixed a homemade alfredo with homemade teriyaki sauce for the pizza sauce. Topped with sliced red onion, cilantro and cheese. Shiz. Now I'm hungry. Double Shiz...going grocery shopping hungry. This won't be a good grocery bill...sorry FN.

[SuperGabers]

The dough is in the Kitchen Aid now...

ps... Chachi... I HEART your icon! I'm gonna have to see if they make tee shirts with that on it.