Pizza on the grill

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

You know all that crud and crust that over the years forms on the outside of your ci frying pan? Well I read many moons ago that if you have a charcoal grill, when you are done BBQing, place your ci pan directly on top (not of the rack) of the remaing coals while they are dying out. Then while the pan is still hot and all the coals are now cold, scrape off all that crud and crust. The really hot heat of the coals will burn off most of it and the rest will be soft enough to scrape off easily.

Like a self-cleaning oven. It just might work. I'll have to give it a try.
Thanks.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

Like a self-cleaning oven. It just might work. I'll have to give it a try.
Thanks.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

If the coals are still very hot, they could burn off all the seasoning on the skillet. I've stripped all the seasoning from a carbon steel wok in my gas grill (intentionally).

 

[Addie]

If the coals are still very hot, they could burn off all the seasoning on the skillet. I've stripped all the seasoning from a carbon steel wok in my gas grill (intentionally).

You are not scrubbing the inside. And the opposite just may happen. If in doubt, then season the inside with a bit of oil first.

 

[Addie]

You are not scrubbing the inside. And the opposite just may happen. If in doubt, then season the inside with a bit of oil first.

To continue. When you place the skillet directly on the coals, you are softening all the crud on the outside. That makes it so much easier to remove what does not burn off. But you do have to work with it while it is hot. Use a thick safe oven glove to hold the handle. If it cools down to the point where it becomes difficult to remove the crud, then stop. The next time you fire up the coals, repeat the process and finish the job. Use a wire brush. It does a great job. I would suggest piling the cooling coals around the outside of the skillet directly next to the crud.

 

[JDianaWatson]

Can anyone help I just bought my firstl pizza stone and tried it out yesterday, I couldnt get the pizza on the stone from the back of a sheet pan and the all the filling just spilled on the stone and now I cant get rid of the dark marks on the stone

 

[FrankZ]

Dark marks are not going away. Put the stone in a 500F oven and burn the food. Let it cool the you can wipe the charcoal dust off. Pizza stones are not meant to be pretty.

To get the pizza off the sheet pan onto to the stone use some semolina flour. I would suggest getting a pizza peel instead of the pan. Sprinkle the semolina on the peel and put the stretched dough on there. I give mine a bit of a jiggle to be sure I didn't leave a sticky spot.

Good luck

 

[Addie]

You can also use corn meal. That is what most pizzerias use. Inexpensive and easier to find. But Like Frank said, get a peel. they are not too expensive. Don't skimp on the handle. All you get with a short handle is a quick burn.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Dark marks are not going away. Put the stone in a 500F oven and burn the food. Let it cool the you can wipe the charcoal dust off. Pizza stones are not meant to be pretty.

To get the pizza off the sheet pan onto to the stone use some semolina flour. I would suggest getting a pizza peel instead of the pan. Sprinkle the semolina on the peel and put the stretched dough on there. I give mine a bit of a jiggle to be sure I didn't leave a sticky spot.

Good luck

You can also use corn meal. That is what most pizzerias use. Inexpensive and easier to find. But Like Frank said, get a peel. they are not too expensive. Don't skimp on the handle. All you get with a short handle is a quick burn.

+1 (or is that +2??) ... and don't be skimpy with the flour or cornmeal. Give the peal a shake once you have the dough stretched to the correct size to be sure it will slide off. There is nothing worse than getting the pizza dressed and then finding it won't slide off the peal.

 

[FrankZ]

I suggest semolina mostly because I like it better. I tried corn meal (which is cheaper) and did not like the way the dough came off the peel, not the burnt corm meal taste that it left.

It does, however, get the job done.

 

[Addie]

I suggest semolina mostly because I like it better. I tried corn meal (which is cheaper) and did not like the way the dough came off the peel, not the burnt corm meal taste that it left.

It does, however, get the job done.

I grew up with burnt corn meal on the bottom of pizza. To me it is part of the flavor. We have a place here is Eastie. It has been voted over and over the number one pizza in New England. The dough is really thin and crispy and burnt on the bottom with the corn meal. The crust has bubbles and is crispy also. I never eat the crust. It is made in a wood burning oven. A very old oven.

 

[cjs]

I would add that as you top your pizza, continue giving it a llittle shake every so often to make sure it still will continue to slide on your "ball bearings" of cornmeal. There could be be spots that begin sticking after the weight of your toppings.

Good luck.

 

[Addie]

Where's the little green button at the top that brings you to the last post that hasn't been read? It is missinig on this thread! Now that I have found it, I look for it everytime I open a thread.

 

[taxlady]

Where's the little green button at the top that brings you to the last post that hasn't been read? It is missinig on this thread! Now that I have found it, I look for it everytime I open a thread.

If you have already read all the posts, the green button isn't there. Once in a while, usually on threads with only one page, it just isn't there.

 

[runwestierun]

I have a different method for grilling pizza. I assemble the pizza on a round aluminum pizza pan, the kind with lots of holes in it, NOT non-stick (they can't take the heat). I preheat the grill with all the burners turned to high for 15 minutes. I place a wok ring, the ring you place under the wok to keep it steady (they are $3 at the restaurant supply store), directly in the middle of the grill and I place the pizza pan on the ring and close the lid. The temp is 750-800F. The pizza takes 4 minutes to cook and it browns in a very lovely rustic way--it's as close as I can get to the pizzas of Naples (they are cooked at 1050F). I love this method. You must be very careful because everything is so blistering hot, and you must get the pizza off the pan within 30 seconds or it will burn because the pan keeps cooking it. It doesn't work to put the pan directly on the grill, it must be elevated on the wok ring.

 

[Janet H]

The wok ring is a great idea - I'm going to give it a try.

 

[Phocaena]

Has anyone tried:

The Pampered Chef, Ltd.

I have it on my wish list of things I "think" I want to acquire as I embark on my adventure of being a Pampered Chef consultant. The good, the bad, the ugly? What about the microwave chip maker? Again, I have that circled as s/thing I want!

The Pampered Chef, Ltd.

I haven't tried the pan so can not assist you there but I DO own 2 of the microwave chip makers exactly like in the advertisement you've linked to. My advice based on experience is to suggest that you save your money with these. They do make chips that are reasonable, but truly still a little disappointing. Nowhere near as nice as from a bought packet, although probably healthier due to the lack of all that salt. I followed the instructions to the letter, and over about 6 or 7 attempts.

I'd rate the results at 6/10 IMHO. Sorry to be a damn squid but it is an honest answer for you.

 

[RPCookin]

I didn't read the entire thread, but what I did read here is different from every pizza grilling method or recipe I've read. I've never read any that recommend anything but cooking the crust directly on the grill. I made pizza for 3 of us tonight as my neighbor's wife is in Hawaii caring for her sick mother. I used a method from a special edition from Fine Cooking magazine. It's called simply "Pizza on the Grill", and it has made a believer out of me. I made the crust according to their basic recipe. I cooked it by their 1-2-3 method, using their recommended alteration for finishing in the oven when cooking more than one or 2 pizzas. I made 3 crusts, rolled out thin, then grilled at medium direct heat for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the second side. This can be done the morning of the party and they will keep just fine at room temperature. Then what I did was preheat the oven to 450, bake the crusts for about 4 minutes to re-crisp them, then apply toppings and cook for another 7 minutes. The best I've ever had, bar none. Next time when it's just me and my wife, I'll make 2 crusts (we prefer different topping combos) and do them complete on the grill by finishing them on medium indirect heat.

What I don't get is why so many here use a stone? My stone lives in my oven and is used mostly for free standing breads or focaccia, but never on the grill. I've used several methods of grilling and never used anything but the grill grate, and it has always worked just fine, only tonight's was a cut above because of using a different heat level. It was a wonderfully crisp, crunchy crust that held up to all the toppings you could pile on. The sauce recipe also came from the same source, and may have contributed much to the success of the meal, but the crust was a real hit.