Fire Bricks & Pizza

[ganesh]

I'm interested in cooking some home made pizzas on my kettle, I understand that to even the cooking process that it's best to cook above the grate. My plan is to lift up a pizza stone using fire bricks.

I have some questions for those experts out there.

1. How long do you pre heat the bbq for?
2. Do you preheat the stone separately in the oven?
3. Any stories of cracked stones? Mine is a pampered chef item we've had a few years.
4. To dissipate heat do you think wrapping the cooking grate with foil would help?
5. Fire management, which gives the best temps and cooking, coals spread out across the grate or the ring of fire technique (coal spread around the edge)?
6. To reach the required temps how much charcoal do you use?

And most importantly where do you buy the damn things? Have only found a couple of places online, but due to the weight the shipping costs are silly, I only want 3! Don't think my b&q or wickes will be able to help me.

This may be about bricks, but for the purposes of cooking so I think I'm in the right place.

Thanks all.

 

[FrenchTart]

Interesting. I can't offer much advice as I've not really tried this (though have seen it at a couple of Weber demonstrations).

Personally I would be tempted to separately preheat the pizza stone. I'd also probably use a cast iron 'stone' rather than actual stone as it's just easier to work with. I think you're on to a good idea with using tin foil to dissipate heat a little. Given that you're planning to reduce the heat in the very middle of the BBQ a little compared to the edges I'd probably try the ring of fire technique in the first instance.

I also can't imagine it would take more than 30-45 minutes to preheat the BBQ. Longer if you've got a stone in there that you're not heating up separately.

This is all me guessing based on my knowledge of smoking low and slow and making pizzas in an oven however. Maybe someone with more specific experience will be able to offer you better advice

edit: You probably already know this but I'll say it anyhow. For higher temperatures you should use lumpwood charcoal rather than charcoal briquettes.

 

[ganesh]

Interesting. I can't offer much advice as I've not really tried this (though have seen it at a couple of Weber demonstrations).

Personally I would be tempted to separately preheat the pizza stone. I'd also probably use a cast iron 'stone' rather than actual stone as it's just easier to work with. I think you're on to a good idea with using tin foil to dissipate heat a little. Given that you're planning to reduce the heat in the very middle of the BBQ a little compared to the edges I'd probably try the ring of fire technique in the first instance.

I also can't imagine it would take more than 30-45 minutes to preheat the BBQ. Longer if you've got a stone in there that you're not heating up separately.

This is all me guessing based on my knowledge of smoking low and slow and making pizzas in an oven however. Maybe someone with more specific experience will be able to offer you better advice

edit: You probably already know this but I'll say it anyhow. For higher temperatures you should use lumpwood charcoal rather than charcoal briquettes.

You've surprised me, I thought with all your culinary adventures you'd be some kind of bbq pizza guru!

 

[FrenchTart]

You've surprised me, I thought with all your culinary adventures you'd be some kind of bbq pizza guru!

Lol. Thanks, I guess

I was tempted to get into BBQing pizza a while back but eventually settled on the scorching hot pizza stone + grill technique. Unfortunately the pellet smoker I mostly use right now isn't suitable for pizza making either (doesn't really get to a high enough temperature).

Sorry to not be more help Really interested in hearing how it goes though.

 

[monkeyspank]

I've cracked a couple of cheap pizza stones in my kettle BBQ. But then i coughed up for an emile Henry one which works fine. I just use house bricks under it. Lump wood is better than briquettes. I get them really hot in a chimney starter and then they only need 5-10 mins in the BBQ to get really hot.

 

[ganesh]

I'd also probably use a cast iron 'stone' rather than actual stone as it's just easier to work with.

You probably already know this but I'll say it anyhow. For higher temperatures you should use lumpwood charcoal rather than charcoal briquettes.

I thought ceramic stones are better as they draw moisture from the dough?

And of course lump will be used, perfect for some hot pizza grilling.

 

[john_s]

And most importantly where do you buy the damn things? Have only found a couple of places online, but due to the weight the shipping costs are silly, I only want 3! Don't think my b&q or wickes will be able to help me.

Local builders' merchant?

I'd be tempted to try an independent rather than one of the national merchants though.

 

[FrenchTart]

I thought ceramic stones are better as they draw moisture from the dough?

And of course lump will be used, perfect for some hot pizza grilling.

That does ring a bell as something that has been bandied around but I'm not sure how much effect it has in reality. The bases I cook on cast iron pizza stones are extremely crispy and not at all soggy so the results certainly seem fine. It would be interesting to compare sometime.

 

[f00b4r]

This 3cm thick cordierite pizza stone just dropped in price to its lowest in a long time (had a Camel alert on it) for those that are looking for a baking/pizza stone.

EDIT: it also comes with a pizza paddle, although i am not sure how good quality that is.

 

[ganesh]

Tried my first bbq pizzas last night, balanced the stone on some coke cans which seemed to work well enough. Unfortunately I only had briquettes, so had to make do with them. Lit two chimneys full and arranged them around the edge, temperature maxed out at around 250c which I was a little disappointed with. But hopefully next time using lump I can get it hotter.

The dough was ok, but definitely needs practice.