Celebrating National Pizza Day with biggest pie in Texas
It's National Pizza Day and what better way to celebrate than to check out the biggest pizza in Texas at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio.
Big Lou's says busy during the lunch and dinner rush hour making peoples for every taste but one in particular is for those with a very big appetite.
It takes about eight ponds of dough to start off the 62 inch pie. Instead of being tossed up in the air it has to be spread out by hand.
Then comes the 80 ounces of sauce and the seven pounds of cheese. That's all before adding the toppings!
Big Lou's owner Brian J. Lujan says the pizza didn't start out so big. "It actually started with a 37-inch pizza, we made it, we perfected it and bam it took off."
Lugan says that 17 years ago he decided he needed something to make his restaurant stand out.
"It took us probably a good 2-3 months just practicing, making sure we used the right amount of dough, making sure we used the right amount of sauce, because (you) want it to perform just like you would a 10-inch pizza," Lujan says.
Big Lou's had to have a custom table and tools made. The pizza goes into the oven in two pieces since the whole thing doesn't fit in one oven.
After about 15 minutes at 465 degrees the pie is cooked and it can be heavy. Depending on the toppings, the pizza can weight 100 pounds!
It takes two people to take the pizza to your table.
Even though Big Lou's gets between 20 and 30 requests a day they only make them by reservation. Three each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It feeds about 30 people.
"We've had a few brave souls try to do a party of five and come in and order a 62 inch pizza and you see them and watch them and think oh my gosh," Lujan says.
FOX 7 invited a group of local school staffers to help eat our pie. One of them, Mike Lopez, says he's had the gigantic pizza about five times. Lopez says he's got a few tips for those wanting to try it.
"The best strategy is to fold it up, roll it up and just go for it," Lopez says. "Definitely come in some warm ups or a drawstring type thing."
Lopez says it's all mental and that you really have to love pizza. "Its very comforting, You feel like you could lay down in it and just cover yourself in the winter and be warm that's all I can say. Like a pizza blanket there's nothing better in the world than that."
Countless people have tried the pizza and Lujan hopes many more continue to seek it out.
The pie starts at $120 so if you bring the recommended 30 people it's about $4 a person.
If you'd like to make a reservation or just to get more information you can go here.