This is the last of five reviews & giveaways we are conducting as part of the Summer Grilling Review & Receive Series. At the end of this report are all the details of how you can win the item we are field testing this week. Be sure to read the rules.
Homemade pizza usually becomes the first casualty of the summer heat, as it takes a true Marquis de Sade personality to crank up the indoor oven when it’s sweltering. Barbecued Pizza has always been a tasty alternative … IF you can get it done without burning the crust, tearing the dough, destroying your pie, and making an absolute mess of your grill. Thankfully, the folks at Broil King have come up with some products to make the grilled “Zah” experience not only easy and enjoyable, but also so delectable you’ll be tempted to never make it in a conventional oven again – even in the cool of Fall and Winter. Leading the pack in their pizza grilling accessory arena is the Broil King Imperial™ Pizza Stone Grill Set which comes with everything you’ll need to become an outdoor pizza pro. With the included stone, cradle, and peel you should have all the tools to successfully go from kitchen, to grill, to table.
When we removed the contents from the package, we immediately noticed the usual high-quality materials used in all the Broil King grilling accessories we have reviewed in this series. The 13″ stone is solid with a smooth side for pizza and other baked goods, and a ribbed side for delicate items like fish (yes, it’s that versatile!). The cradle is made with 100% sturdy 1.2mm stainless steel, adorned with the customary Broil King stamped oversized 10mm handles. It also sports an integrated stone thermometer to let you know when the stone is ready to go. The wooden pizza peel is made with solid, thick wood and features a detachable handle for easy storage. Additionally, we found instructions and a grilled pizza recipe included.
Setting up the Broil King Imperial™ Pizza Stone Grill Set is simple and quick. Just screw in the heavy duty wooden handle to the pizza peel (no need to over tighten it, especially if you are going to unscrew it for convenient storage). Bolt on the stone thermometer to the cradle. And, place the stone into the cradle. That’s it … all ready to go.
For this field test, we decided to jump in with both feet and make a raw dough, medium-crust, BBQ Chicken pizza. Of course, you can also use ready-made crust (ie. Boboli, Mama Mary’s, etc.), or even frozen pizza on this pizza stone. But, the allure of a fresh dough pie was too much to resist. The instructions call for a stone temp of about 500°F for thicker crusts, and about 600°F for thinner crust pizzas. To achieve the lower end temperature, you’ll need to utilize an indirect method of cooking. We fired up our Broil King Baron 440 with all four burners going on the “High” setting until our desired stone temp was reached and then turned the two outer burners down to “Medium” and the two inner burners to “Low”, which ended up cooking our pizza to perfection.
To prepare our pizza, we lightly sprinkled some flour on the peel to make it easy for it to slide off onto the stone, as well as some directly on the stone so that it wouldn’t stick. Then, we hand shaped our dough directly on the peel, and added our sauce, cheese, barbecued chicken, and shaved sweet onion. Once the stone was at temp, the pie readily slid onto the stone. One feature we really liked was the way the front half of the cradle was flush to the stone which made sliding the pizza onto the stone effortless. Plus, the back half has a 1″ collar so that your pizza won’t slide off the stone, either when slid on or off of the stone. We also liked how the peel was custom designed to perfectly fit the cradle, and the beveled edge which made the process of placing and removing the pizza a breeze. Just 12 minutes after closing the lid on the grill, our pizza crust was cooked to perfection, the cheese was melted like lava, and we were ready to munch on some zah that rivaled any professional pizzeria. By the way, we also had our smoker box going during the cooking process, which really added some incredible flavor.
The one issue we have with the Broil King Imperial™ Pizza Stone Grill Set is that the instructions call for cleaning of the stone with warm water and a mild soap. Though, we have always been taught to NEVER put soap or water on your stone. They are made of a very porous material that will absorb the water and soap, imparting those tastes onto your next pizza cooked on the stone. We recommend using a stiff brush to just lightly scrape away any large pieces of crust or cheese baked onto the stone … you can also cook it off. Don’t worry about any stains or discoloration of your stone, it’s natural and actually adds flavor. Warm soapy water is okay for the cradle and the peel. Also, be sure not to submerge the thermometer when cleaning the cradle.
Aside from the care discrepancy, we found the Broil King Imperial™ Pizza Stone Grill Set to be a top notch batch of tools that will turn any grill into an outdoor stone pizza oven. It also has the versatility of being able to cook flat breads, cookies, fish etc. Add in the fact that it is constructed from heavy duty materials, and it should be a grilling accessory that is a part of your personal collection for years to come. In fact, the only one who won’t like this set is your local pizza delivery person.
MSRP – $74.95, seen online as low as $66
Cave Club Rating: 4.5 Clubs
Cave Club Scale
5 Clubs = The Missing Link
4 Clubs = Rock Solid
3 Clubs = Better Than Sharp Stick
2 Clubs = Not Fully Evolved
1 Club = Should Be Extinct
WANT TO WIN A BROIL KING IMPERIAL™ PIZZA STONE GRILL SET?
This Friday 9/4/2015, one lucky person will win their own sample of the Broil King Imperial™ Pizza Stone Grill Set! To enter, you’ll have to read the above review here on the C3 blog and comment below with the words “I WANT ONE” by 11:59:59PM PDT this Thursday 9/3/2015.
Want additional entries? It’s simple! Gain an additional entry when you “Like” Caution: Caveman Cooking on Facebook, and another each when you follow us on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll also gain another entry when you “Like” Broil King on Facebook, and another each when you follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Plus, one more entry by “Sharing” our Facebook link to this week’s review of the Broil King Q-Lite™. Of course, if you already like or follow us on those sites you will automatically receive those entries … just let us know your names on those sites in your comment below. That’s 8 total entries up for grabs to give you a a better shot of winning. Be sure to read the contest rules.
Good luck!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! See who won.
©2015 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This review originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.