The wait is OVER... Pizza in my NEW La Piazza Piccolo wood fired pizza oven

[@codyduncan195]

Can't wait to see the comparison between the pizza oven and the KJ with the DoJoe. Homemade pizzas are just about my favorite thing to cook on the KJ. Better than any pizza place, even that local place that you really like.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Absolutely!

[@AddictOfLearning]

+1 on this request!

[@AddictOfLearning]

Just going to say I respect you so much more that you waited 6 months after getting this to post a video so you can really work through things. Just one of the many reasons why I enjoy watching your channel.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks. I refuse to become the as seen on tv of bbq channels. It takes me what it takes me to feel confident in something before showing something that might be junk and you all go get it and are disappointed with your purchase along with me

[@samm7177]

Great pie, James! If you’re looking for more hydration in your dough, I would consider making either a “poolish” or “biga” starter and use as little flour as possible to stretch it (I use solely semolina to stretch). On KZbin, its Vito Iacopelli who has popularized this pre-fermentation technique which always leads to a “soft and crunchy” Neopolitan style pie. Give poolish or biga a try!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

will do, thanks!

[@samm7177]

It will take your pizza game to the next level! Not just with adding umami with the pre-fermentation but also how you stretch/handle the dough is important. Link to one of his biga recipes below: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5PaZneLebBqfNU

[@JayDoc895]

I love Vito! If you haven’t already, definitely watch his videos. It will take your pizza game to new heights! Thank you for the video James!

[@Mark-n4c9t]

Just a suggestion if it hasn’t already been mentioned. For the wood you add at the end it is a good idea to place that in the oven where the pizza will sit. It will heat up the wood, start to smoke and instantly ignite when you eventually place it on the fire. Also, get your sourdough starter created for sourdough bread and pizza! 😍

[@adamparisi745]

You're bang on with that.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I didn’t do that this time as the fire was so hot the splits combusted right away but when doing something like chicken and the temps aren’t nuclear I have and it works great. Good tip, thanks Mark

[@paulthomas3782]

Great video James loving all the different content, the Pizza sure did look good Cheers.

[@smokingtarheel3003]

hydration is epic with high temp pizzas and you nailed it!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks

[@kappatvating]

Yaaaasssd the epic battle between the Dojo and the oven!!!! I can’t wait

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Yaaaassss

[@RumandCook]

Good stuff! There is definitely an art to the dough piece. Funny how so few ingredients, but it can be so vastly different each time you make it.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Very true!

[@davidpearson8043]

You should try using Vito Iacopelli’s poolish method, turns out great!

[@ledheavy26]

I was going to suggest he start doing a poolish or even getting into sourdough. Once I went sourdough there's no way I'd go back.

[@davidpearson8043]

@@ledheavy26 agreed. Longer fermented doughs add so much flavor.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

thanks, will have to check it out!

[@davidpearson8043]

@@SmokingDadBBQ it’s really nice! And thanks for the great video!

[@elliotevans244]

This is my favorite video of Vito’s. Actually it’s not Vito’s channel but he guest stars and goes through his recipe step by step. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZvWdHiAbaiKosk

[@bent7131]

Haha, watching smoking dad bbq with his sweet grill setup is like going camping and your buddy shows up with a 150k overlanding rig while you look over at your '94 square headlight wrangler and think," ok old friend, let's get 'er done!" Love my old egg and love this channel!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Hahaha it is overkill at times. Loved my eggs when I had them and there is nothing I am doing that can’t be done on an egg of any vintage

[@ManCaveMeals]

Looks great! shaping the pizza is still my biggest weakness... i have never mastered it.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks John, as you can tell it is still an area for improvement for me too lol

[@ManCaveMeals]

@@SmokingDadBBQ I think yours looked excellent. it's just that neapolitan pizza is a real art and it takes time to master like anything else. My foray into neapolitan pizza has given me some insight. #1 - Its difficult to MASTER. #2 - Even when it's not mastered, it's still really good. #3 - Neapolitan is NOT EVEN my favorite type of pizza. I intend to focus more on pizzas that I can cook in my Joe. In fact, my wood fired oven is up for sale.. lol

[@65hillsy]

One thing i do before the 1st pizza goes in is to mop the floor of the oven in order to get rid of the ash and it also cools down the floor a bit. I have seen Vito use a damp cloth on the end of his peel to achieve the same.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good call

[@adamparisi745]

Well done! For an early effort looks pretty good. I have a couple of suggestions that may help. First, as someone else mentioned is you want a rolling fire over the top of your pizza. A good bed of coals for heat and preheated wood to ignite quickly for your flame. If the base is burning, and your deck is too hot give it a misting of water to bring the temp down a bit. Or a higher hydration dough. I also noticed that the base and crust was quite pale, you've dusted with too much flour. Wheat flour. Try a little semolina on the peel and instead of dumping the dough ball in flour, dust your hands instead. Or keep a bowl of water to keep your hands slightly wet when handling the dough. Also while I do think you pick up a little smoke, the more important thing that's going on is the caramelisation that's happening when the flame hits the topping which I believe also deposits some of the unburned volatiles in the flame onto the pizza.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Some great tips. Thanks Adam

[@marktremblay8898]

I'm having trouble getting the balance right for the flame to cook the top and the bricks to get the bottom cooked. Recently the top is so hot that the peperoni burns way before the bottom is done. I try to ge the deck to about 700-800 degrees and then a modest to low flame from the wood. Maybe the top of my oven is too hot - but trying to figure out the right mix here and not getting it. We have a Forno Venetzia Torino 200 40-Inch Countertop Outdoor Wood-Fired Pizza Oven from BBQ guys. The oven build seems pretty good. The bricks do cool off about a 100 degrees after the first pizza. So any tips/tricks you have for the entire process is appreciate. Thank you!

[@MichaelKendrick-m9q]

Can you tell me how much space is between the top of the chimney on your La Piazza and decking above it? Trying to understand if I can get away with putting it under my deck.

[@tazzsdad]

How long before you cook the first pizza do you start the fire? My boss gifted me a LaPiazza Tuscana and I just did the 2nd cook yesterday. Compared to the Kamado and its fire management, I find this one harder to manage.

[@TheRssr1979]

Can’t wait for the comparison video!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Next week

[@TheRssr1979]

Will be watching!

[@Daniel-tp5zz]

Do you recomand to buy the metal plate inside or worth the money, thanks.

[@CoolJay77]

Nice start James. Nice airy crust. I like your emphasis on the way you burn the wood. It is a controversial topic as to how much wood flavor one can get when cooking fast and at over 750 °F. However I have noticed you have baked at around 600 °F. If you don't mind some constructive criticisms, here we go. If you are shooting for Neapolitan Margherita, don't go under 750 °F oven temperature. You may go as high as 950 °F or even higher. I would try to stick between 800 °F to 870 °F At lower temperatures the pie could dry out, but OTOH it could burn at higher temperature. The center of the pie looks airy cause you did not stretch the dough enough. It ought to be around 1/8" and a bit soggy. For a 250g dough, you ought to get around 12" pie. Watch Master Pizza Chef Enzo Coccia's Dough-Stretching Technique for example, you need to slap the dough. Oil is not necessary when baking at high temperature. However if you choose to use it, don't mix in the water, as water and oil don't mix, they will each compete in being absorbed by the flour. Add the oil after the water is completely blended with the flour. The traditional Neapolitan order, water first, then mix in the salt, then 10% to 20% of the flour, then the yeast (You don't want the yeast to get into contact with the salt directly) followed by the rest of the flour, followed by oil if you choose to do so. Olive oil is the usual choice, but I doubt it does anything, however canola oil might help in making the cornice a tad bit crispier. Do not add additional flour during the mixing process. It will alter the hydration ratio. This recipe calls for 65% hydration ratio. Adding flour in random will create inconsistencies. Besides, when you go over 65% hydration, such as 70%, you will get a better crust, except that the dough will be difficult to handle. 65% is the best starting point. Do not get any sauce on the crust. just for presentation purposes. Is that cow milk mozzarella? The best way is to cut into thick julienne slices, such as the size of steak fries. However your cut is suitable for buffalo mozzarella. My biggest tiff, is that you have left out my favorite component, a drizzle of quality olive oil. As to the NY Times recipe, it is ok to blend different flours, but I would start with 00 flour, get cooking at the proper temperature, then develop your own blend of flour and blend ratio IF AT ALL need be. Excuse the long comment, considering your top notch BBQ skills, I have no doubt your pizzas will get just as good and I will learn from your experiments.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

thanks for all the great tips, such a learning curve!

[@Alex-ye1br]

I can tell you know what you're doing! Good work

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I try... thanks Alex

[@briansymes2936]

Hi James call me silly but I can’t find the recipe in the description! Can you please give me the link? Thanks in advance

[@mitchellpollock1]

Hi James! I really enjoy your channel. I am seriously considering purchasing a pizza oven from LA Piazza. Overall, what are your thoughts on their ovens? How is the quality? Any cons that you can think of? I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Hi Mitchell. I’ve recently moved the oven out of the space to make room for the jr for some up coming content, but I still have and like the oven a few years on. Answering your question varies greatly on what you have already. If you have a propane grill, and this is your first live fire appliance than it’s going to make a night and day difference in what you’re used too. If you have what I have the gap between pizza cooked in the firebox of my offset or the KJ is in its favour… but almost negligible. Fire management is easier in the offset and KJ, space is better etc. If you’re a family that does pizza parties every week and you don’t have the excessive arsenal of other live fire tools that I have to limit your enthusiasm than I’d say go for it. If you do pizza parties 3-4 times a year and you have a bunch of other toys it’s not an inexpensive investment for that few percent improvement over everything else I own.

[@jafetdotnet5268]

Is this the small oven they sell?

[@AdarBlu]

One of the ways to maintain a high temperature and not burn the top that I found from pizza dedicated channels and can confirm works in practice is to just put the dough and sauce into the oven to precook before adding the rest of the ingredients when it's half done and then to finish cooking. Enough time for the cheese to melt but not to burn it.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

great idea!

[@CoolJay77]

That applies when cooking at lower temperatures such as in this video. However it is not necessary when cooking at over 750 °F for 90 seconds or less.

[@glasscockpits]

You certainly would not want to nor would you need to par bake in these types of ovens. Temperatures can reach in excess of 900° F. The real secret to baking pizza is in controlling the floor temperature, get that right and you're on your way to great pizza. Use a turning peel to help control the bake by lifting the pizza off the floor if the bottom is cooking too fast or use it to shield the pizza if the top is overcooking (even better, move it to another more appropriate spot if oven size permits) .

[@Ashley1612]

Pizza looked great, makes me wanna fire up my Gozney Dome

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

right on!

[@emmgeevideo]

Doh! Solo just announced their pizza oven attachment for their outdoor fire pit. Something tells me that we have more comparison videos coming up 🤣

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I saw it on Instagram... hmmm resit the temptation, resit the temptation, resist the temptation lol

[@garbun0629]

Nice video! I’m debating piccolo or toscana. Size is not a big matter to my case. I don’t make few pizza at one time. In terms of quality, is toscana better? It has corderite stone over fire brick in piccolo. I’m a new to making pizza. Only has 1 yr experience.

[@nashlatkje]

If given the choice, would you still purchase this pizza grill or would you go with a different brand / model? You got me wanting to buy this so I probably will, but wanted to hear your thoughts.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

For my uses yes. I looked at some imported models that cost more and have less insulation / thinner deck etc and while I am sure there are a few things I would appreciate I don’t use an oven often enough to justify a maybe benefit for thousands more It’s doing exactly what I wanted which is giving me a space that can fit more than just pizza (some small portable ones don’t fit a lasagna pan for example) it burns wood splits (vs having to tend pellets, chips or chunks every 5 min) and is fun to use. Opposite heat signature to the joe which is fun / helpful as well

[@Anteater23]

Try making Roman style thin crust pizza. It’s the best.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

will do

[@Ratchety]

I have been wondering about sourcing some olive wood to burn during pizza cooks.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

nice!

[@collumclarke7477]

Hey James. Did u happen to take a reading of the floor/deck before putting the pizza on? How long did you have the fire lit before putting the pizza on?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i think i saw 790

[@emmgeevideo]

Ha ha... I literally showed my wife your reveal video on Sunday -- and revealed I was going to buy one for our new outdoor kitchen. Luckily she didn't say, "Does he have a video that shows how it works with pizza?" Now I can say, "Oh by the way, here's the pizza video." Hands and gravity, eh? Has a nice ring to it 😇

[@HANK_SCORPI0]

I highly recommend the Gozney Dome if you're looking into it.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

haha cheers and good luck... glad i could help a brother out with a domestic situation lol 😊

[@emmgeevideo]

@@HANK_SCORPI0 Well, a funny thing happened on the way to buying a pizza oven. I'm working with a company that makes outdoor kitchen cabinets similar to James. I sent them a design with the Piccolo sitting on a cabinet and they told me that it wouldn't work because of the heat. Based on your comment, I decided to look at the Gozney Dome and the rest is history. The Dome has great features and a stand that is very similar to the KJ. I'm looking forward to James' tips but I'll be rockin' the Dome.

[@Keith80027]

It is probably good that you live so far away as I might be over often! Looks wonderful and now I want a pizza. Do you need flames for the flavor or would the coals provide the flavor too?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

coals can provide flavour but the flames can caramelize the toppings which adds flavour too so i would aim for a bit of each

[@Dadnatron]

Is this significantly better 'enough' to buy this vs DoJoe?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

If you make pizza weekly then yes. If one or twice a year no

[@WKHC]

Been looking at a dojoe (to see if it fits my Boss Grill Egg XL (not a Kamado joe!!) or looking at an ooni pizza oven. I currently just do them on the Kamado with two pizza stones (one as heat deflector) Now I want this!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I am not sure. I know it does not fit the big green egg but haven’t seen that brand to be able to test / confirm for you

[@WKHC]

@@SmokingDadBBQ thank you for replying! I think it is rebadged all types of names but here in UK it is Boss Grill but looks like an imitation Kamado joe and all the grill racks and soapstone Kamado joe do fit inside. The diameter is 22inch and about 1 inch thick all around. With some modifications to the gaskets it is great I even picked up its 15inch little brother for small cooks

[@sheilawilliams3679]

Where can I find your pizza dough recipe?

[@airselectricalcontractors842]

i just got oklahahoma joes judge grill - have you tried pizza on that verse a pizza oven - thanks

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

got a few more, but this is my first grill vs oven pizza - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYfZn4SofN2nq68

[@Thomas_A-n5t]

Hi, I need your advice. I’m looking at the LaPiazza Grosso oven. I like what you’ve shown with it and what I’ve seen. I noticed you no longer have it in your lineup. Do you still feel this is a good oven after a year? Also I am concerned since I’m looking at making over a $4,000 purchase of this oven and some accessories but their customer service seems to be very much lacking. I have had several questions and I must have called them nearly 20 times without exaggeration and only actually got someone twice. They were very helpful and informative when they answered but follow up and any warranty scares me if they almost never answer or return my calls when I leave a message. I look forward to your response before I make my purchase with them

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I’ve recently moved the oven out of the space to make room for the jr for some up coming content, but I still have and like the oven a few years on. Answering your question varies greatly on what you have already. If you have a propane grill, and this is your first live fire appliance than it’s going to make a night and day difference in what you’re used too. If you have what I have the gap between pizza cooked in the firebox of my offset or the KJ is in its favour… but almost negligible. Fire management is easier in the offset and KJ, space is better etc. If you’re a family that does pizza parties every week and you don’t have the excessive arsenal of other live fire tools that I have to limit your enthusiasm than I’d say go for it. If you do pizza parties 3-4 times a year and you have a bunch of other toys it’s not an inexpensive investment for that few percent improvement over everything else I own.

[@Thomas_A-n5t]

@@SmokingDadBBQThanks James! So I ended up getting the Grosso. I’m sure it’s way overkill but being an electrician I always say rather be looking at it than for it lol I am extremely impressed with how fast it was shipped from southern Florida to western New York. I had it in 3 days which is fast for a freight shipment. It was extremely well packaged. The stand and the oven is built like a tank. And when I got it together it is massive. So I’m ready to play around with it for my first time and I’ve looked in the instructions which are a little lacking, it doesn’t show to do a low fire first before you go to a full pizza type fire at 800-900 degrees When I first started my search after the small table tops I almost pulled the trigger on the Gozney Dome, which I’m glad I didn’t, but their instructions were much more detailed. They talked about doing an initial 400 degree fire for maybe 20-30 minutes to cure the stone (which I figured would already be cured seeing it’s manufactured) before going to the full fire Did you have to do this or were you able to go to pizza heat right out of the crate? Also you mentioned the dough ingredients/recipe is in the description but I couldn’t find it. Since I’m brand new at all of this I’m looking for a good dough recipe that won’t incinerate in the high heat Thank you so much for all your help to a newbie

[@grahamhawes7089]

James unlocking his inner Firebat

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

lol

[@DirkHarrington]

"waitings for suckers" lolol

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Haha was cheeky that day

[@garbun0629]

How long did you pre heat your oven before putting the pizza in? I can’t get the temp up.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i am often about 40min and on my 2nd or 3rd fire by the time i have a nice coal bed and heat soaked floor

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

try adding the door when you are warming up with the vent open.. then start to close the damper slowly to trap some more heat

[@pricey78]

I considered a DoJoe but it’s quite pricy here in the UK - £300! I thought about using the pizza stone I’ve got but not yet tried this out. I’m looking forward to the comparison. Any chance you can compare all 3? Pizza oven vs DoJoe vs Pizza Stone?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i have done the stone vs. dojoe and found the dojoe ~5% better so given its very very very slight edge i jumped right to the DoJoe vs. oven

[@pricey78]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Thank you! Having watched all your videos I will need to go back and remind myself, sorry! Looking forward to the next. Keep up the great work, it’s amazing what you do 👍

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@pricey78 thanks. This is it kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqW6hoiDn7OGd7M

[@Citymats]

Looks amazing, my wife would love to see the gluten free version!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

For you guys 100 … You got it. Just. Need a clean stone so that it never touches the stone with gluten on it

[@davefortier]

James how much wood do you burn on your offset over a 12 hour brisket cook?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

At least one log every 30

[@davefortier]

@@SmokingDadBBQ thanks Bro!

[@craigflatley7370]

🇨🇦

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Cheers

[@phumes4783]

If you ever want to upgrade your pizza oven, I will buy it from you.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks. But I don’t have any plans to replace it

[@evh347]

Fast forward 12 months: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKrRn4F3ppmhZtksi=DocPun_3AZpQ5PB5

[@thirstbuster78]

Sem-oh-lina not samonella lol

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

lol caught that one too late. It’s actually 00 flour too

[@thirstbuster78]

@@SmokingDadBBQ As a pizza nerd, I appreciate the work you put into this. Fun fact, most of the world's semolina is grown in Saskatchewan. Our soil produces humigh proteins. If you can, check out Ardent Mills Neopolitan style flour. Canadian grown, milled and produced. My favorite for the last few years.

[@jameskelly4455]

3 pizza ovens and all learning…?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Always learning lol. The two kamados aren’t primarily pizza ovens

[@MrAirtaz]

you need Vito in your life! youtube him

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

will do thanks

[@ianharris8706]

Nice, I started to cheat, found a frozen dough at Provigo called Pizza Party, 6 dough balls that make 9 inch pizzas, works really well..

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Nice. Does it take the higher heat well? My local store bought ones haven’t

[@codyduncan195]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Not sure if you have Trader Joe's in your area, but they sell pizza dough that does well with the high heat of a KJ using the DoJoe.

[@ianharris8706]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Yup, no issues at all so far😀

[@Crookymonsta1]

what a gimmick

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

wood fired pizza ovens or the entire country of Italy lol? You're right, who in the world possibly cooks pizza in a wood fired pizza oven

[@Crookymonsta1]

@@SmokingDadBBQ didnt mean to trigger as a matter of fact I am Italian (from Napoli) and this my friend is a joke. I’m from the pizza police and you are under arrest.

[@francisco.lizarraga]

love seeing variety of content. Check out @vitolacopelli he loves pizza and explains the hydrations for amazing pizza at home.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Awesome thanks