TRADER JOE SAYS: “With its rectangular shape, deep, crispy-edged crust, and golden underside, Detroit-style pizza has been wowing pizza fans and converting thin crust devotees since 1946. Believe it or not, the original Detroit-style pie was said to have been baked in steel pans originally used for auto parts!Trader Joe’s Detroit Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza is decidedly not assembled in auto part pans, it is packaged in a rectangular, oven-friendly pan that’s sprinkled with cheese prior to pizza assembly. This crucial step delivers the golden, crispy-on-the-underside and pillowy-on-the-inside crust that’s characteristic of a Detroit Style pie.“
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/detroit-style-uncured-pepperoni-pizza-083764
NEW ITEM
-If you are looking to try Trader Joe’s (new) DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA all I can say is I wish you LUCK finding it in the freezer case. If you don’t see it, ask the front desk, as to when it comes in.
I was looking for it over days and days and most of the time, all I found was an empty shelf.
Since it was introduced, it seemed to Sell Out, fast. Naturally this is due to social media, as at the moment this has been a hot item. I guess each store gets a certain amount per day and whatever they get, sells out pretty fast.
When items get very hot, I always wonder – Is it really that good or is it just Hype due to social media?
When I finally saw it in the freezer, I didn’t hesitate, and grabbed one to try.
Here’s my honest review.
First I should say as a native “Noo Yawkah” and a lover of our classic style of pizza, I’ve never been a big fan of thick crust pizza. The crust on this pizza is pretty thick as you can see in the pix.
But GUESS WHAT? Tasting this Trader Joe’s pizza all I can say is I see why this is So Popular. I never had a Detroit pizza in my life so I can’t judge how accurate Trader Joe’s version is to a real one, but this is very good.
My wife and I both enjoyed eating it, despite the amount of crust. We found this to be really yummy. It really hit the spot when we were in the mood for pizza for a dinner. And yes, I made dinner a little healthier by making a veggie side dish!
Yes it is pretty dough-y for me, but overall, it really is quite tasty. All the elements were good. A nice thick tomato sauce, very flavorful and tomato-y, which matched perfectly with the nice amount of cheese.
The star of the show is of course that pepperoni.
The uncured pepperoni on this pizza is EXCELLENT. Not greasy, there was no pool of grease you see usually see on pepperoni pizza. Nor did it shrink up into cups like most pepperoni does.
How Spicy? I thought this uncured pepperoni was pretty mild.
What I’ve learned with this pizza is how to make this as good as possible. The main point being, make sure to get it well baked. See the last pic for how it looked when we ate it (i made some veggies for a side) It does come in a paper pan which you can put right in the oven for convenience.
TIPS: The package says bake in the included oven safe paper pan for 23-25 minutes at 425F. Rearrange the pepperoni evenly.
As you see, I made our meal a bit healthier adding some veggies to our dinner… It was all SO YUMMY!
Notes:
I thought a metal pan might give it a better bake than the paper one it comes in (seeing as a real one is baked in a steel pan, right?) So I took it out of their pan and put the pizza on a small sheet pan. At the very least, even if you use their pan, put that on top of a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Anyway your call on that. I should try both methods.
Be sure to let your oven get nice and pre-heated, give it a least 10-15 minutes after it hits temp before you put in the pizza.
Of course all ovens vary widely. In ours, it needed more than their listed time (23-25) at 425 to get really well baked, which is what I think you want with this pizza. It should look like the picture on the box. Deep deep brown cheese. After the recommended time, I tried it and decided the crust wasn’t nearly baked enough. I put it back in the oven. In our oven it needed another 5 minutes to get nice and deep brown all over. I also added a squirt of olive oil on the bottom of the pan to give the crust some help as it was a bit dry. Olive oil will help brown and crisp the bottom and improve it quite a bit. Figure perhaps 30 minutes baking time? Check it often towards the 22-23 minute mark and adjust as needed.
I think I could have even brushed on some oil on the edges/sides. It looks a little dry as you can see; easily fixed with some more evoo. I will do that next time.
Personalize with your own Seasonings: I added my normal seasonings I like; slivered garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper…. Feel free to do what you like to your pizza. I hit this after it came out with some fresh grated pecorino. I had fresh basil which of course was terrific on it. Do your own thing and enjoy! But even as is with nothing, this is quite good.
How big is it? 24 oz. (1 1/2 lbs)
Now my wife thought we should eat the whole thing. We could have, but I was the “voice of reason” and said no, let’s eat 2/3 of it and leave a third for leftovers. But the wife fought me bitterly and snuck in a few bites! Yes, she really like this.
Not a bad deal at $8 bucks for a pizza that can feed 2 or maybe 3 people. $7.99 makes it one of TJ’s more expensive pizzas due to the quality ingredients of that pepperoni. But the quality is there. So worth it.
People say this is one of the best pizzas Trader Joe’s sells.
Just know if you ate the whole thing all by yourself, about 1750 calories. Personally I wouldn’t do that, but that’s your call.
Trader Joe’s frozen UNCURED PEPPERONI DETROIT PIZZA $7.99 (24 oz)
I would buy this again.
(TIP: one reader suggests using the included pan but putting a sheet pan under that. They said it did get very well browned up on in the included pan)
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