Fire Grilled Pizza

[belfpala]

Holy shit.

Link? I wanna compare it to mine.

I don't have a link. It would be a custom build from a vendor I've used many times. Criteria were: burns wood, reaches specified ceiling and floor temperatures, no smoke leaves the oven, the outside surfaces maintain a reasonable (non-dangerous) temperature, and has a capacity for 2-3 12" pizzas at a time.

I'd be selling those 12" pizzas for $10-$15, which I'm sure you know would be significant profit.

[nightside1234]

lol that sounds gross!

[Verdris]

I don't have a link. It would be a custom build from a vendor I've used many times. Criteria were: burns wood, reaches specified ceiling and floor temperatures, no smoke leaves the oven, the outside surfaces maintain a reasonable (non-dangerous) temperature, and has a capacity for 2-3 12" pizzas at a time.

I'd be selling those 12" pizzas for $10-$15, which I'm sure you know would be significant profit.

Yeah...mine's quite small.

[belfpala]

Yeah...mine's quite small.

That's what she sai... oh, wait, I did it wrong.

I might be insane, but I want to introduce REAL PIZZA to my market area. I can't stand how bad the pizza is here. Even the joints that get amazing positive reviews from locals are terrible, in my opinion. I just need the oven. And I just need to decide how to position it... I have a source in Italy for real mozzarella di bufala, but I have another source in Wisconsin at less than 1/4 the price... I hate business.

[Gorthalis]

Dunno about you, but there is a HUGE difference between the places that do wood-fired pizzas and those who don't where I live. They're two entirely different beasts.

If we're talking about wood-fired versus fast food-type Pizza, I would be tempted to call them different foods. Similar to how different ways to prepare meat gives them different names. If the wood-fired (or grilled, as I assume they may call it elsewhere) pizza is anything like fast food pizza, they're doing it wrong.

The other possiblity is that we're talking about two entirely different things here and that these "fire grilled" pizzas aren't actually the traditional kind of pizza at all. Just a fast food pizza chucked in a grill.

[Speaknoevil]

That's what she sai... oh, wait, I did it wrong.

I might be insane, but I want to introduce REAL PIZZA to my market area. I can't stand how bad the pizza is here. Even the joints that get amazing positive reviews from locals are terrible, in my opinion. I just need the oven. And I just need to decide how to position it... I have a source in Italy for real mozzarella di bufala, but I have another source in Wisconsin at less than 1/4 the price... I hate business.

How much business would you pull from marketing authentic Italian ingredients? I'd say that would boost your revenue enough to make up for the cheese cost.

[belfpala]

How much business would you pull from marketing authentic Italian ingredients? I'd say that would boost your revenue enough to make up for the cheese cost.

I don't know if I could pull it off. I'm 100% Scandinavian by descent (50/50 Norwegian and Swedish).

Would you be willing to pay $20 for a single serving pizza made by some Scandinavian dude? That's what I'd need to charge if I had the Italian cheese. (Note: That's not entirely out of line for the place I'm running. I put a $18 cheeseburger on the menu a few months ago, and it's one of the best sellers).

[Snugglees]

When I went on holidays in the country to visit my uncle their friends had a home made pizza oven which they cooked home made pizza in. (Using a lot of their own grown ingrediants :P)
It was one of the best pizzas I've ever tried.

[Badpaladin]

I've done it before, but slightly differently.

-> Grill steak strips
-> Grill green bell peppers
-> Grill red onions
-> "soft grill" the dough

Put peppers/steak/onions on pizza that has lots of homemade sauce, add cilantro, cheese (most stuff works) and a few squirts of lemon juice. Toss it on the grill.

You'll absolutely never go back to standard pizza again. There is a difference. Well, unless you like chewy pizza.

[oplawlz]

If we're talking about wood-fired versus fast food-type Pizza, I would be tempted to call them different foods. Similar to how different ways to prepare meat gives them different names. If the wood-fired (or grilled, as I assume they may call it elsewhere) pizza is anything like fast food pizza, they're doing it wrong.

That is pretty much how I look at it. The pizza from pizza hut is one thing, the pizza from a real New York pizza parlor is something entirely different, and the pizza from Italy is something else again. Don't even get into Chicago style pizza.

To compare them and say one is real while another is not is kind of silly, they all have their fans.

[belfpala]

I've done it before, but slightly differently.

-> Grill steak strips
-> Grill green bell peppers
-> Grill red onions
-> "soft grill" the dough

Put peppers/steak/onions on pizza that has lots of homemade sauce, add cilantro, cheese (most stuff works) and a few squirts of lemon juice. Toss it on the grill.

You'll absolutely never go back to standard pizza again. There is a difference. Well, unless you like chewy pizza.

Yeah, that's pretty much it if we really mean GRILLED grilled pizza.. Debate the toppings, whatever, but finish everything, then grill the crust, then add the toppings. The only difference I have is that you should finish it under a broiler to melt the cheese rather than on the grill.

As long as the crust and sauce are good... then anything goes.

[Yoshimiko]

I've had a myraid of types of pizzas, and from mom and pop with Pizza Ovens that cook your pizza in just over a minute, to Pizza hut -like joints, My favorite two pizzas have always been dominoes and Papa Johns.

To me, Pizza is about the sauce. Now I know that pizza doesn't have to have a sauce - but for me that's what makes or breaks it. I like Sun-dried tomatoes ontop, with a nice sweet/tangy pizza sauce. I've just found Papa Johns does it best. :P

But saying someones tastes are trash , just because they enjoy something different than you - that's..kinda messed up.

[Badpaladin]

As long as the crust and sauce are good... then anything goes.

So basically just use ragu and it's set?

[Yoshimiko]

So basically just use ragu and it's set?

He said good. I'd hardly call Ragu good.

[belfpala]

But saying someones tastes are trash , just because they enjoy something different than you - that's..kinda messed up.

I disagree with everything else you said... but I agree with this part. There's no accounting for taste. For me, pizza does three things: 1) if I tilt a slice downward, nothing falls off; 2) if I hold a slice horizontal, it bends slightly but not all the way; and, 3) if I fold it in half lengthwise, it bends with resistance but does not crack. And obviously the crust, sauce, and toppings also taste good.

yeah... I said I'm a pizza snob.

---------- Post added 2011-11-25 at 05:50 AM ----------

He said good. I'd hardly call Ragu good.

To be fair... ragù (Italian) or ragoût (French) is very good sauce. It's not the fault of the sauce that a crappy mass-produced brand stole the name.

I wouldn't use it as pizza sauce, but still...

[Yoshimiko]

I disagree with everything else you said... but I agree with this part. There's no accounting for taste. For me, pizza does three things: 1) if I tilt a slice downward, nothing falls off; 2) if I hold a slice horizontal, it bends slightly but not all the way; and, 3) if I fold it in half lengthwise, it bends with resistance but does not crack. And obviously the crust, sauce, and toppings also taste good.

yeah... I said I'm a pizza snob.

Apparently I'm a big backwards from what "good pizza" is suppose to be. I don't like my crust crunch, I like my sauce on the sweet side, and cheese is optional. I only use one of two toppings; tomatoes, or Italian Sausage. I have strange tastes. If I was of Italian decent, I'm sure I'd have a family member somewhere who'd slay me for those comments.

To be fair... ragù (Italian) or ragoût (French) is very good sauce. It's not the fault of the sauce that a crappy mass-produced brand stole the name.

I wouldn't use it as pizza sauce, but still...

Oh? Interesting bit of trivia knowledge, thanks.

[lordjust]

It's funny how people make that kind of claim all the time, but it isn't true at all. I've had tons of pizzas "made properly" and it doesn't add anything. What's important to me is the ingredients and ratios, so long as they don't severely fuck it up while cooking and burn it.

If it was about cooking the pizza "properly", I don't think they would use the term 'fire grilled', I think they would use the term "stone oven" or something to that sort. Fire grilled implies over an open flame, like you would with meat.

The thing is it is true. At a lower temperature it takes longer to cook the pizza and you have a crispy pizza with totally dry toppings or the other way round. You need the high temperature so that the pizza gets crispy and the toppings stay juicy.

As for fire grilled pizza. Over here in germany there are some rare places where they grill the pizza. They just take the pizza and throw it on the barbecue. It tastes good because the dough gets some smoky flavor but the toppings especially the cheese will taste different than you're used to.

[patrixlul]

If you think that, you've failed to understand what I've been saying at all. My point is, I doesn't taste any different to me, nor do I know anybody who thinks it tastes different. The point of fire grilling something is to get a smoky flavor from it. I don't know anybody who likes smoky pizza, and while there are certainly people who do like it, I feel like the phrase is used because people associate it with goodness because of fire grilled meat, not because it is any different or that they are attempting to impart any smoky flavor at all in these restaurants (I certainly haven't tasted it).



Yes, because what I like is obvious garbage because you don't like it (assuming you even know what I like).

Quite a few people here have said that it does make a difference to them.

From a cooking standpoint fire grilling something isn't to get a "smokey" flavor, it's to get a charred flavor. When you char something it changes the actual composition of the material. Charred bread imparts a different taste than baked bread.

So yes, a fire grilled pizza is different than your standard oven cooked pizza, and also the hotter the oven is creates a different flavor and texture to the bread.

A hamburger is a hamburger, but the flavor profile changes completely depending how the meat is cooked, to the ingredients used, to the type of bread. Spaghetti will taste different from one household to another.

Personally fire-grilled doesn't really matter to me, it's just a quick way to cook a pizza and it gives a nice crispy charry crust. I prefer pizza cooked in extremely hot ovens. You get that solid crust with tiny char spots and big bubbles around the edges, and the top is all gooey. Yum.

Now as for the actual "smokey" part of your argument. Grilling and smoking are completely different. Grilling with fire doesn't necessarily mean smoke, most restaurants will have gas burning grills meaning no smokey taste. Haven't you ever watched King of the Hill? Now if they're advertising wood fire pizza and you can't tell the difference, then they're probably using it just to trick people. Fire does not equal smoke when it comes to cooking. Make sense?

---------- Post added 2011-11-24 at 09:59 PM ----------

He said good. I'd hardly call Ragu good.

Ragu is a general term for sauce. It's also a brand. Cooking channel for the win.

[belfpala]

From a cooking standpoint fire grilling something isn't to get a "smokey" flavor, it's to get a charred flavor. When you char something it changes the actual composition of the material. Charred bread imparts a different taste than baked bread.

Maillard reaction. It's awesome for flavor.

[patrixlul]

Maillard reaction. It's awesome for flavor.

Yup. It's why you get a good sear on meats before you roast/slow-roast them. Tastes good man.

It's also the basis of some really good sauces. Get up all those burnt bits with some deglazing liquid. Good stuff.

ps. I'm watching cooking channel atm.