The Texas BBQ Forum

Well, what do you say?-- New day, new pics? Might as well. I suppose there are very many ways to cue a pizza. One real nice way I have found is like this:



Those cast iron griddles are great! and have many advantages, like keeping the pizza hot, hot, hot. And if you have trivets (to protect your tabletop), you can serve right from the pan. Oh, in case your wondering, that dough looks dark because I used all whole wheat flour.

But anyway, I did not do that this time. Rather, I got ahold of some whole wheat pita breads instead. Ready made and stiff enough to move around, they are very convenient and easy, easy to use. I made three different kinds-- one is all pepperoni, one is bockwurst and jalapeno, and one is chicken, garlic, olive, fresh basil. I made sure I got the hickory chips a smokin' before I placed them on the grill, indirect or course. And here is how it went:

Excellent, bc! My favorite pizza is pepperoni & jalapeno. Where did ya get those cool cast iron griddles? I'd love to give your pizzas a try - they sure look tasty!

tex

Those look/sound great!

Thanks guys!

Tex, I, too, just luv and am most fond of jalapenos with my pepperoni. This time was different because me bro don't. Another variation that is one of my favs is achovies, mushrooms, and japs. That's like divine to me.

Anywho, I picked up dem dar griddles from my local Walmart. Price be good, too. But if you can't find them around your area, I know you can get them from the Lodge website. They're excellent griddles, very well seasoned. I understand they also offer a dedicated pizza pan that is bigger and has convenient handles. You can check out this link to see it if you like:
https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/ ... oduct=3984

And of course you can Google and shop the web for the best deal.

With that, if I may, for anyone interested and does not know, I'd like to offer a few recommendations. One is to get yourself a good acrylic pizza cutter to go with whatever cast iron griddles/pans you get. This allows you to cut the pizza directly into the pan without risk of scoring your seasoning finish. Mine looks something like this:


I got mine from Target for less than 10 bucs. I've cut many a pizza with it, and it's still going strong. (I'm actually surprised it has not melted!).

Another recommendation is to liberally oil your griddle/pan before you lay the dough down in it. This not only makes for a nice crust on the bottom, but guarantees a truly non stick surface. I favor the "Smart Balance Omega-3" oil, but whatever suits your fancy is fine. I would just avoid using evoo in this situation because of its low smoke point not standing up to high heat very well, and thus imparting a flavor you might not enjoy.

One more recommendation is if you like a light, fluffy, thick "pan" pizza experience, then once you lay your dough out onto the pan, let it sit out at room temp at least for an hour before you cook it to let it rise, rise, rise. Unless you incorporate double acting baking powder into your dough, as risen as it is going into the heat is as risen as it will come out of the heat.

One final thing-- for anyone who wants a really wonderful pizza sauce, I will share that here. This is a guaranteed winner (at least that's what everyone tells me). And it's so easy to make (can't beat that!). Here it is:

Pizza Sauce Recipe

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 tsp crushed oregano
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp basil
1 large (rounded) tsp garlic powder
1/2 large teaspoon sea salt

Simply mix all ingredients. Wait at least an hour before you use it to allow the flavors to develop and work together.

For those six pizzas, I used about 10 oz of sauce. It freezes beautifully for future use. Now whether you use the griddles or the pan, that cast iron retains heat so well beyond belief. Your last piece will taste every bit as hot as your first one, as you can serve directly from it conveniently.

very nice beercuer

Anchovies and mushrooms ---- now we're talking pizza! Nice job on yours!

Good looking pies bc.

I thank you, friends.

Anchovies and mushrooms ---- now we're talking pizza!

Yahooooo! Jack-- I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Very nice pizzas! When it comes to pizza, that is where the veggie in me comes out; have to have all veggies on mine. My baking stone is my best friend! I would like to eventually try anchovies, but will probably do a pasta with them first, where the filets melt into the oil...

copkid wrote:Very nice pizzas! When it comes to pizza, that is where the veggie in me comes out; have to have all veggies on mine. My baking stone is my best friend! I would like to eventually try anchovies, but will probably do a pasta with them first, where the filets melt into the oil...

Why thank you, Laura! Great to see ya here! You know, I too can get into a veggie pizza, especially if it includes fresh basil, and/or jalapenos. In fact, I've had all jalapeno pizzas that were more or less "wall to wall" covered. My goodness, they're hot! , but the flavor sure comes out! So you're sold on those baking stones? I wonder, have you ever had trouble with 'em breaking? Anyway, your idea about the ancovy pasta sounds inspired... mmmmmmmmm...-- I think I'd like to look into that myself. Please do try them on a pizza, they're grrrrreat!

I bought my baking stone from Pampered Chef about 8 yrs ago(the only thing I've ever been happy with them about) and it is still going strong. You must always put it in a cold oven and let it come up to temp as the oven does and it won't crack. Never use soap on them, like cast iron. They can make a $3 cheapie pizza taste like a million bucks!

Nice pizzas!!!!

Sapo

What knife do you use to cut pizza? I like this one http://amzn.to/2DOAZnr I recommend