I have a Recteq RT-590. Just bought the GMG pizza attachment, which supposedly fits the Recteq: [https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/wood-fired-pizza-attachment/](https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/accessories/wood-fired-pizza-attachment/)
Gonna be doing a 14″ pie. \~375g dough (Trader Joe’s pre-made), \~4-5 oz sauce (Rao’s), \~6-8 oz cheese (low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella, shredded from a block), and some pepperoni.
Any suggestions as to what I should set the temperature on my grill to? And what temperature I should be aiming to measure on the GMG pizza stone w/ the IR thermometer before I put the pizza on it to cook?
Also, any tips as to expected timing? From what I’ve read I was thinking I’d set the grill to 400-ish which might result in a pizza stone temp in the 500-600 range. Put the pizza in and turn it every minute or two, with the expectation it would probably be done in 4-5 minutes?
Thanks for any advice!
by aunsafe2015
2 Comments
Hey OP,
Unfortunately you’re starting on the wrong foot with a premade dough. It’s going to have oil which will burn and cause browning on the crust that isn’t ideal and the hydration is probably nowhere near what it needs to be. You’re better off taking the stone inside and throwing it in your kitchen oven and cooking the pizza on it. With high temp pizza ovens they require a very specific criteria for dough in order to fully reap the rewards from the high temp, otherwise a regular oven will suffice and be simpler/easier to cook with. Speaking from experience, I have a Grilla Silverbac and cook in the pizza oven and indoors once a week at the minimum.
Here’s what I’d suggest for next time. Take a look at either Ooni dough recipes through their app or Serious Eats. Use fresh mozzarella. Grab a can of San Marzano tomatoes or similar and use them as a base for your sauce (I usually only add basil/salt). Seems like you have most of this down aside from the dough!
More specifically to your questions, I run mine anywhere between 375-425 to make an imitation Neapolitan style pizza. It’s honestly really finicky in terms of time/temp especially in the colder months in New England. Generally pizzas take 3-5 minutes in my experience. I try to keep mine below 650° stone temp because the dome doesn’t hold temp as well as it should for an authentic Neapolitan. The bottom just burns while the top doesn’t cook fast enough due to heat loss. Make sure you turn your pie!!! I’m honestly still perfecting my technique too, high temp pizza is so challenging compared to just doing a NY style pie when I take the stone inside in my kitchen oven at 550°.
Setting the temp to 400 is a good start. The shape funnels all the heat towards that concentrated box, so 650F is a reasonable expectation as long as you preheat it long enough. (At least 30 minutes) it may even get way hotter than that, but I guess it depends on how close the thermostat is to the oven.
But at that temp, 5 minutes may be too long depending on the dough and toppings. You’ll get a feel for it. Your eyes and intuition will do more work than a timer. But the more you open the door, more heat loss.
Even a “bad pizza” is a good pizza. My wife thinks I’m too harsh on myself because she likes all of my pizzas. I’m working on making the perfect pizza indoor right now and I’ve finally nailed it. What style of pizza is your favorite?