Victory Pig Pizza

I sometimes wondered if this web page would catch the attention of the owners of the Victory Pig.   Here's the owner's email to me when he did find out about this web page: 

Dear Lee ,

AND TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO READ ABOUT YOUR VICTORY PIG PIZZA RECIPE. YOU ARE SO FULL OF DOUGH ! YOU HAVE NO CLUE OF HOW MY GRAND MOTHER & GRANDFATHER MADE OUR PIZZA, EVEN TODAY OUR WORKERS DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DO TO OUR PRODUCT BEFORE THEY EVEN GET TO IT. YES WE ARE OFTEN IMITATED BUT NEVER DUPLICATED ! THAT'S WHY WE ARE THE ORIGINAL VICTORY PIG & THE REAL RECIPE WILL GO TO THE GRAVE WITH ME !

MR. RICHARD CECCOLI 
THE REAL OWNER NOT A IMITATION LIKE YOUR RECIPE

GOOD LUCK

I have to agree with Mr. Ceccoli, this pizza is not as good as his.  The tone of the message reminded me of a certain soup vendor in NYC. But if you're living somewhere far, far away from Wyoming Valley and are longing for pizza that likely tastes better than what you can find at your location, the recipe below may hold you over until you have a chance to go back for a visit.  And remember, when you're planning your visit that Victory Pig is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from around 5 p.m. until 11:00 p.m

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Victory Pig circa 1969

I found this recipe on a Chowhound message board a long time ago.  It's not quite the same as Victory Pig, but it's still makes good pizza.    It was posted by Shirl. S.

Victory Pig Pizza Restaurant is definitely a blast from the past. It's only open a couple evenings a week. You park your car, flash your lights and they come out to your car to serve you. (You can also eat inside if you prefer to do that.) Here is my recipe for a pizza similar to Victory Pig Pizza. It is a greasy, softdough pizza but so good!

I have found that if I put a pizza stone at the lowest level in my gas oven and use a dark jelly roll pan...it turns out great. But watch it can burn quickly. I sometimes will bake for 10 mins at the bottom then move the pan up closer to the top if the dough is getting too dark on the bottom. 

Victory Pig Style pizza
1 Lb Can of tomatoes
1 onion, sliced very thin
8 oz Muenster cheese, shredded or sliced (your preference) We like more cheese.
olive oil ( I use extra virgin)

Dough:
2 pkgs dry yeast dissolved and proofed in 1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour


Knead together until smooth. It is a soft dough. Cover and let raise for 20 mins.  Coat cookie sheet with enough of the olive oil so the dough will "fry". The pan should be well coated on bottom and up sides. Spread dough over this...not always an easy task. I find it's easier to stretch the dough off the pan, and finish it in the pan. Let raise again for 10-15 mins.  Rub top of dough lightly with more oil. Cover with half of the cheese. This is an important step...Squish the tomatoes to break them up a bit and place on top of cheese. Crushed tomatoes just don't do the job. Add onions, salt, pepper and remaining cheese.

Bake 450* for 20 mins.

 

  
After posting the recipe above, I got another recipe from someone who had a relative who worked at Victory Pig many years ago.  You'll have to scale it down make one pizza since the sauce and dough quantities are obviously for many pizzas. 

It was also a challenge to stretch the dough in the pan of oil and seemed a little impractical to keep letting the dough rise.  It turned out about the same as the recipe above.

Here are his instructions:

Victory Pig Pizza:

Dough:

  • 50lbs of GoldMedal self-rising Flower

  • 3/4 LB of salt

  • 25 lbs. of water

  • 1 1/4 LB of fleshmans yeast ( cake type )

  • mix - up, let it proof once

Pizza

Put 1 3/4 cups of Planters Peanut oil ( re-use over & over until it's dark) into large deep disk baking pan ( 12" by 18", 21/2" deep)

Put in 2 lbs. of dough

Let it rise unit it could be stretched out to fit about 2/3 of the pan, no oil on top

Let it rise

Stretch to fit entire pan, let it rise, approx. double

Topping

Sprinkle top with a palm full of salt,  lightly spoon on sauce, about one cup +

Sauce:

  • 1 gallon of Contadina whole peeled tomatoes ( in can) crushed

  • 1 gallon of Contadina tomato paste

  • 3/4 gallon of water

Put on onions:

Bermuda sweet onions ( not purple but Bermuda ) sliced very thin on a meat slicer layer on two had full of sliced onions,  salt again.

Cheese, sliced 16 slices per LB -  Wisconsin White cheddar only

Immediately put into 450  degree oven  turning every 2 minutes. Cook for about 4 to 8 minutes depending on oven temp, until crust was golden brown & bubbles formed all over the dough, pierce bubbles. 

Slide pie out of pan, save oil in pan about half is not absorbed into dough ( this allows the pizza to be fried on bottom & baked on top)

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