Monday, October 14, 2019

Review: Motor City Pizza Co. - Detroit Deep Dish

Even the snobbiest pizza epicures will eat frozen pizza on occasion; there's generally an emergency pizza in my freezer. Some are good - for instance, Trader Giotto (from Trader Joe) and the German imports at ALDI are worth the calories. While none are great, some are even one level better, such as the decent facsimile of a Roberta's Neapolitan pizza that you can get at Whole Foods.

While I've never been to Detroit, I've developed a fondness for Detroit style pizza, which is a thick crusted rectangular pie, baked in a deep pan, featuring an airy crust and cheese that is deliberately spread all the way to and over the edges in order to form a crispy caramelized border all the way around. Toppings like pepperoni are baked on the pizza (riding on top and/or under the cheese) but the sauce is ladled on top in racing stripes post-bake.

I am enthralled with the version of Detroit pizza made at Via 313 in Austin, but the best I've had is the only-on-Tuesday pie at Norma's Pizza in the Roots Farmers Market in Mannheim, PA. It's cool that Via 313 makes an excellent thin-crust bar pie in addition to the Detroit style, while Norma fashions both her Detroit pie and what she calls a "Boardwalk pizza" that is a bit of a New York - Trenton hybrid.
Pre-bake, out of the package
Here in Texas, we're blessed with H-E-B supermarkets, which I'd describe to east coasters as "Wegman's quality at Shop Rite prices." It was in the H-E-B freezer case that I spotted the Motor City Pizza Co. "Detroit Style Deep Dish" frozen pizza in three styles: Cheeseburger, Supreme, and Pepperoni. Each costs about $9, and I opted for the pepperoni pizza.
Fresh out of the oven
The pans used by Norma and the iconic Buddy's Pizza in Detroit are (according to legend) fashioned after automotive parts trays. This frozen pizza, about 9" by 9" square, did come with its own baking pan, albeit one made from cardboard that can withstand oven heat.  

I probably erred when I scooped up the cheese bits that had fallen off the pizza as I re-arranged the pepperoni slices that had jostled around during handling; there was essentially no cheese able to coat the edges of the crust.

I followed the baking instructions and the pie took on an appetizing color when finished. The crust had a good crunch to it, but it lacked the airy structure at top-line places like Norma's and Via 313. 

It was also not as thick, and was a little dry and unmistakably the crust of a frozen pizza. And, unlike any other Detroit pie I've had, the inner cuts were better than the edge cuts because they were less dry.

Underside of the crust
The sauce had a pronounced herbal note, but combined with the cheese added only a very mild amount of flavor; it lacked salt and umami in general. The balance was off, too, because the substantial and dry crust needed a bigger amount on top, especially the cheese.

The pepperoni was perhaps the best part here, and it improved the overall experience. This pizza was just slightly better than average frozen pizza, but probably not as good as my benchmark frozen pizza - DiGiorno's rising crust pizza. Not bad stuff, I certainly enjoyed it, but I'm gonna restock with Roberta's frozen pizza.

39 comments:

  1. I disagree completely. We tried the supreme version and it is quite arguably the best oven pizza from home that I have ever had. To note...your pizza looks like you burnt it. I dont know if on accident or what, but mi e looked nothing like that. Stop spreading bad info.

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    1. I agree. I was shocked at how delicious this frozen pizza tasted. There was some secret ingredient in the dough...I couldn't put my finger on it.. that made it very tasty. My husband thought it was the yeast, I thought (as crazy as it sounds) maybe a pinch of nutmeg? Got it at Costco, going back today to get another before they disappear.

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    2. Easily a top 3 frozen pizza. Maybe best ever.

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    3. Banging double pepperoni pizza from Costco, and me too will be going back tomorrow to get more before they are gone,1 of the best frozen pizza's ive had,and i make my own pizza fresh pretty regular,i cant compare it to any other Detroit style pizza,cause im a Jersey man.But all good in the frozen dept. For sure ,and Jersey/ New York has banging pizza

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    4. This is quite literally one of my favorite frozen pizzas. Cheese down the edges and even underneath. It's the only frozen pizza I've kept my eye out for since I tried it a few months ago. Sadly it sells out fast at the local Walmart which is the only store that carries it locally.

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    5. Absolutely the best Frozen Pizza! We stock our freezer from Costco! I want the Supreme though! But we love love the Pepperoni!

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    6. Are you actually a food critic?? DiGiorno's?? This is the best frozen pizza I’ve ever had. It’s better than the 2 local pizza places in my town which doesn’t say much, but it definitely says I’ve had enough frozen pizza! (I’m from Seattle, I’ve had good pizza)

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    7. I tried Motor City Pizza and it was terrible! I couldn’t even taste it. Stay away!

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    8. A person would have to not have any taste buds to say they couldn't taste this pizza. My husband and myself loved this pizza, it was the first time trying it. Although my oven melted or actually caught the pan on fire I cut it off and crisped the remaining crust in a skillet of plant butter.

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    9. Comments are humorous. I agree with a lot of what the reviewer says but I'll agree that they overcooked theirs, which dried it out. Ovens are variable in temperature so it's probably not a fault of setting or time, just the real oven temp. I had it for the first time tonight and found it to be a mediocre, but overly dense, Detroit style pizza. I make a lot of pizza at home and if the crumb of my crust came out like this one, I'd be really disappointed. The exterior bits with cheese are very nice, though.

      For a frozen pizza, I'd rate a 7/10. For fresh pizza, I'd rate 3/10.

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    10. I don't like frozen pizza, or even pizza very much. This pizza sold me. One of the BEST I've ever eaten. Yum.

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  2. I'd say you cooked it for just a minute or so too long. Double Pepperoni 2 packs at Costco! Oh yeah.

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  3. It does look like you overcooked the pizza.

    Also, I'm originally from the Metro Detroit area. We don't overflow the pizza with cheese.

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  4. I literally never comment on these types of things, but this is so off base that I could not help myself. I initially happened upon this page while considering picking up a new brand of pizza that I had previously never heard of. I just tried one of these, for the first time, earlier today and it was easily one of the best frozen pizzas I have ever had. The example featured in this blog was obviously a bit overcooked. No pizza tastes as well as it should when the crust has been all dried out from overcooking it. Anyone who has never tried this brand should not take this write up too seriously. Motor City Pizza is, decidedly, one of the smartest frozen pizza purchases anyone could consider while craving deep dish.

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  5. Ditto all the other comments: I've been consuming frozen pizza since the dark days of Tony's and Totino's in the 1970s. This was one of the better ones I've had from the freezer, crust is excellent. I'd prefer sausage to pep but there's little to complain about for this $6 frozen pizza from Costco. Far better than comparably-priced options at my grocer. Maybe don't burn it though, I pulled mine after 18 minutes in convection vs the 20-22 recommended.

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  6. This is hands down the BEST frozen pizza out there. OP clearly overcooked the pizza which is why it ended up being dry.

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  7. OK, Then... I'll have to go to Costco and try it myself! I might add more cheese and maybe sausage.

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  8. I’m making one now. My “hack” for this pizza? An oil and butter mixture with garlic/Italian seasonings. Then I pour the liquid mixture all around the edges! Then cook. Dry crust problem solved! 😊

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    1. Try baking it out of the pan, crust is crispy like biting into a cheto at first then soft delicious inner bite.

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  9. Good lord you effed this frozen pizza up (smh)

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  10. Definitely one of the better frozen pizzas. The only thing I would change is that it could stand some more sauce.

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  11. This pizza is AMAZING! I had been buying the fresh version at our local Meijer but they stopped selling them. I found this in their frozen food section and decided to give it a try...expecting the dry cardboard, usual, pizzas you find in frozen foods. I was blown away....this has to be the same company as the fresh ones I had been buying all along. It is delicous! My freezer is now always stocked with at least one of each variety they sell. Much better than any of our local pizzas and at a better price! If you like a deep dish pizza and not overwhelming sauce I think you will enjoy this one for sure!

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  12. You overcooked the living hell out of that pizza; it's absolutely tragic to see. It was "dry" for that reason only. I've never had a more perfect frozen pizza than the pepperoni I just cooked; it turned me around on deep dish, which I thought I universally hated. Crunchy and perfect, buttery soft in the middle, nice spices, great quality oozing mozza like you'd get at a good pizzeria... maybe try it again but don't absolutely destroy it with fire first?

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    1. "Lacked salt and umami?" Okay, this is the most umami pizza I've ever had with all the butter flavor, and if 35% of your daily value of salt in 1/5 of the thing isn't enough salt, you are literally going to die from all the sodium you eat. I'm so confused by this review, did you even eat the pizza?

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  13. Worst pizzas I’ve ever had. Nasty crust, sauce bland and left a soapy after taste. Pepperoni was mediocre and too few slices. Looked and smelled great but nothing else about it was worth the money. Want a great frozen store bought pizza? Get a Home Run Inn. Best store bought you can find.

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    1. Plant your disinformation somewhere else.

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    2. Essentially wonder bread with some stuff on top. Disappointed.

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  14. Home Run Inn just had to do a recall due to metal in their pizza!! I'll stick with Motor City Pizza!

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  15. Unbelievably wrong! Motor City has the best crust of any frozen pizza hands down. Meats are great. Cheese is nice but a tad bland. Sauce is a bit sparse. My dream frozen pizza is Motor City's crust with Screamin' Sicilian toppings. But either one alone beats this bird's favorite, DiGiorno's.

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  16. This pizza has been our goto pizza for a year and we have it most weekends. It is really delicious, but for the last couple of times I’ve noticed the cheese is melts weird and taste different. Just wondering if they have changed the type of cheese. The cheese would fall down the sides of the pizza when baked, and make the Crust so crispy.

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  17. Make my own, it's superior. This pizza has all the wrong cheese....use brick cheese.

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  18. Wasn't a bad pizza, until I found a hair in it.
    First time I bought a Motor City Pizza, not sure if I will buy it again.

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  19. This is the Best frozen pizza 🍕 😋 ever 👍 best cook it with pan it comes with ..please don't change nothing it awesome just this way 👌

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  20. By far the best frozen Deep Pan Pizza we've ever had to include the "best frozen" Pizza we've ever had. Tried it on a whim at COSTCO and hope they never let it go.

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  21. Obviously fake comments. No way so many would come to this site and call this sad excuse for a pizza the "best they ever had."

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  22. Freaking Garbage! Horrible dedication to Detroit style......Again waste of money an will never buy again. Not even close to Buddys

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