Chicago Style Pizza

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
This is Lumalnati's style Chicago Deep dish pizza. We make it similar to the way they make it, in a 12" cast iron skillet, about 2 1/4" deep. Also, I buy the pizza kits from ALDI as I am not good at making dough, so substitute your own as you wish.

Lightly grease the cast iron skillet, do not flour.
The mix packet comes with two dough pouches, combine both together and mix according to directions, I do let it sit for 5 minutes next to the pre-heated oven before using.
Place into iron skillet and spread dough even along bottom and sides, going all the way up the side of the skillet to the rim.
Take one pound of raw ground sausage (yes raw), and roll out into a saucer shape roughly the size of the bottom of the skillet (12") Preferred thickness is around 1/8 but no thicker than 1/4 or it may not fully cook. Place this into the bottom of the skillet, don't worry if it breaks just reform it.
Use about a pound of your favorite shredded cheese (I use a combo of mozzarella and Monterrey jack) and sprinkle over the sausage.
Pour contents of pizza sauce over the top of the cheese. I think the equivalent is 8oz.
I know this sounds like a lot, but you are filling the iron skillet, and the pizza will be around 2" thick when done if you use the right amounts. And you can vary amounts to taste (more ingredients less sauce, etc just have in mind how much of each you want and fill accordingly before putting on the sauce).
Arrange tomato slices on top of the sauce, then sprinkle liberally with grated Parmesan/Romano cheese.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, I use the middle rack.
As it cooks the ingredients will pull away from the sides of the dough, you can use this space to stick a fork down and gently pull them back to check on the progress of the sausage. Once it is fully cooked you can remove it from the oven. Oven times vary so I start checking around 35 minutes.

Variations:
I like sliced mushrooms with my sausage, so I mix them in with the cheese then sprinkle onto the pizza, then sauce, then tomatoes, then grated cheese.
Any toppings you would like to add you would do the same with.
A favorite here in Chicago is still the spinach and cheese pizza. Just omit the sausage patty, mix raw spinach with the cheese, sprinkle onto the pizza then sauce then tomatoes then grated cheeses.

Hope you enjoy!
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Living in a town called Naples you'd think you could get a decent pizza. There must be a hundred Italian restaurants here but not one knows how to make an honest to goodness Chicago deep dish pizza.

Fran and I go to Lou's on Higgins a couple miles East of Arlington Heights Road every time we're in town. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. World's best pizza. Period! In Florida we get these hunger pangs so we have them FedEx'd to us. http://www.tastesofchicago.com/category/1 It's a little expensive but we like to treat ourselves every once in awhile.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Yup, thats the stuff! I keep squishing the name together LOL. We used to live in Hoffman Estates and went to Lou Malnati's as much as we could.
Now that we are closer to Chicago, we like to go to Uno's or Dewey's.
Great stuff.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Living in a town called Naples you'd think you could get a decent pizza. There must be a hundred Italian restaurants here but not one knows how to make an honest to goodness Chicago deep dish pizza.

Fran and I go to Lou's on Higgins a couple miles East of Arlington Heights Road every time we're in town. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. World's best pizza. Period! In Florida we get these hunger pangs so we have them FedEx'd to us. http://www.tastesofchicago.com/category/1 It's a little expensive but we like to treat ourselves every once in awhile.

I'm personally not a fan of Chicago style deep dish pizza but if you want a great NY style thin crust the best I have had in years in Florida was in Pompano Beach called New York 47th St Pizza. It was really good and though I've had better in my life not in Florida. I don't know if they are still in business as they don't have a web site.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
We don't have any good NY style pizzerias around here that I know of. If anybody does know of any, please tell me! I like both...
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Yup, thats the stuff! I keep squishing the name together LOL. We used to live in Hoffman Estates and went to Lou Malnati's as much as we could.
Now that we are closer to Chicago, we like to go to Uno's or Dewey's.
Great stuff.

When I first discovered Malnati's in the 70's I think they only had two or three shops. Now it's closer to thirty so there should be one close to you. We have Unos both here and in Ft. Myers but I prefer Lou's.
 

smoke king

Banned
Thanks Mav-I saw Lou Malnatis profiled on a FN program a while back. They said they shipped it all over, so I checked their website. Yow! They were mighty proud of it! I had to pass (Mrs said so) but now I can make it (or very close) myself!!

Thanks for sharing!
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Thanks Mav-I saw Lou Malnatis profiled on a FN program a while back. They said they shipped it all over, so I checked their website. Yow! They were mighty proud of it! I had to pass (Mrs said so) but now I can make it (or very close) myself!!

Thanks for sharing!

Mav's recipe looks like the real deal to me although we've never been able to duplicate Lou's crust. Just can't do it. The solid sausage layer on the bottom is a major thumbs up. Another thing, the frozen Lou's we have shipped down here are not as good as they are fresh. They lose something in the freezing I guess but we do it anyway.
 

smoke king

Banned
I kind of wondered about the whole "frozen Product" thing as well, and that kind of played into my decision too.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
The solid sausage layer is a big plus for me as well, but I also cannot duplicate their crust. Using the CI pan does help because it kinda forces you to thin out the crust and I think that is important. So keep your crust real thin when you work it on the pan, and I think you will like the results better.
 

KKsMom

Blond Member
I can't wait to try this. My husband and I are fairly new to the Chicago area and as luck would have it, there is a Lou's less than half a mile from our place so we checked it out. It truly is the best pizza either of us have ever had and now we take all of ours guests there when they come to town... Doc, we took you there in December :thumb:
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
I can't wait to try this. My husband and I are fairly new to the Chicago area and as luck would have it, there is a Lou's less than half a mile from our place so we checked it out. It truly is the best pizza either of us have ever had and now we take all of ours guests there when they come to town... Doc, we took you there in December :thumb:

this is a quote from one of my friends ...dont know how trust worth he is for pizza though..lol

Nancy's (stuffed)
Bills Pub (double decker)
Rosatis (thin crust)
Jakes (thin crust)
Lou Malnati's Pizza (Pan)
Edwardos (thin and stuffed)
 
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