How to Make Perfect Pizzas on the Grill
The other day my sister sent out a text that made me wish I could jump right into my phone and teleport to her house to sit down and eat dinner with them. (Forgive me, I just watched the cult-classic movie from 1989, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, so it’s on my mind to just hop in a payphone and travel through time to see any wicked sweet celebrity or historic figure I want to!) They made individual pizzas on their grill and their pizzas looked totally excellent, dudes! ;)
What a brilliant idea! I loved the days where we smelled the familiar smell of my mom’s famous pizza dough and we knew we got to dress up our own pizzas however we wanted! I loved the idea of doing this on the grill so you don’t heat up the whole house, as we are all in the hottest month of the year.
While it sounds like such a perfect idea, the execution is crucial for everything to cook all the way through, all while not burning up. Here are a few tips I rounded up from Food Network to make perfect pizzas on the grill this month. (I also posted a totally gnarly recipe at the end for some wicked sweet stuffed crust deep-dish pizza you make on a cookie sheet that you then cook in your grill. It’s totally sick, dudes!)
Prep your Ingredients.
About one pound of dough will make 2 to 4 pizzas. You’ll want to bring the dough to room temperature so the dough will easily cook all the way through. You don’t want to overload the pizza with toppings and stick with toppings that will cook quickly. Try to do all the prep things like shred your cheese and open your pizza sauce beforehand because things will move quickly once it’s on the grill.
Gather Your Tools.
You’re also going to want to start with the right tools and have them handy. You’re going to want a rolling pin, pastry brush, large spatula or pizza peel and a cutting board.
Zone Your Grill.
Always start with a clean grill--brush the grates while it’s still cold and then use a paper towel dipped with a bit of oil to brush over the grates after it’s heated up.
Create two cooking zones: For a gas grill, turn the burners on one side to high and the other side to low. For charcoal, push the hot coals to cover one-half of the grill. This allows you to quickly grill the pizza dough over direct heat, then transfer it to the cooler area for topping and finishing.
Close the lid and preheat for 15 minutes. This will burn off the oil and make the grill very hot, about 500 degrees F. For a charcoal grill, keep the lid vents open for air circulation.
It’s Pizza Time!
While the grill preheats, roll out a piece of pizza dough to a thickness of about ½ inch. Lightly brush the top side of the dough round with olive oil.
Place the dough round, oiled-side down, on the hot zone of the grill. Cook for about 1 minute, rotating as necessary with a spatula or pizza peel for even cooking.
Don’t panic if the crust seems to be sticking. Just give it a few seconds more and it will naturally release when it’s ready. (If it is darkening too quickly, move it to a cooler spot). When ready, flip the pizza crust onto the cooler side of the grill.
Now add your toppings: first up is cheese, followed by the remaining ingredients. Don’t be tempted to overload it or the toppings won’t have time to cook all the way through before the crust overcooks.
Cover the grill with the lid vents open over the cooler side and cook for 5 minutes. This pulls the hot air over from the hot zone, creating a convection-oven effect.
Open the grill and transfer the pizza back to the hot zone for 1 more minute. When the crust is browned on the bottom and the toppings are hot, it’s ready!
Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and slice and serve immediately.
Have you made pizza on the grill before? Did you think it was most excellent or totally not excellent? Please share your most excellent thoughts in the comments below, dudes!
1/3 cup olive oil
2 pounds store-bought pizza dough
ounce one 15- can crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 mozzarella cheese sticks
6 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1 pound part-skim mozzarella, thinly sliced
40 slices pepperoni
torn fresh basil leaves, for serving
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
What a brilliant idea! I loved the days where we smelled the familiar smell of my mom’s famous pizza dough and we knew we got to dress up our own pizzas however we wanted! I loved the idea of doing this on the grill so you don’t heat up the whole house, as we are all in the hottest month of the year.
While it sounds like such a perfect idea, the execution is crucial for everything to cook all the way through, all while not burning up. Here are a few tips I rounded up from Food Network to make perfect pizzas on the grill this month. (I also posted a totally gnarly recipe at the end for some wicked sweet stuffed crust deep-dish pizza you make on a cookie sheet that you then cook in your grill. It’s totally sick, dudes!)
Prep your Ingredients.
About one pound of dough will make 2 to 4 pizzas. You’ll want to bring the dough to room temperature so the dough will easily cook all the way through. You don’t want to overload the pizza with toppings and stick with toppings that will cook quickly. Try to do all the prep things like shred your cheese and open your pizza sauce beforehand because things will move quickly once it’s on the grill.
Gather Your Tools.
You’re also going to want to start with the right tools and have them handy. You’re going to want a rolling pin, pastry brush, large spatula or pizza peel and a cutting board.
Zone Your Grill.
Always start with a clean grill--brush the grates while it’s still cold and then use a paper towel dipped with a bit of oil to brush over the grates after it’s heated up.
Create two cooking zones: For a gas grill, turn the burners on one side to high and the other side to low. For charcoal, push the hot coals to cover one-half of the grill. This allows you to quickly grill the pizza dough over direct heat, then transfer it to the cooler area for topping and finishing.
Close the lid and preheat for 15 minutes. This will burn off the oil and make the grill very hot, about 500 degrees F. For a charcoal grill, keep the lid vents open for air circulation.
It’s Pizza Time!
While the grill preheats, roll out a piece of pizza dough to a thickness of about ½ inch. Lightly brush the top side of the dough round with olive oil.
Place the dough round, oiled-side down, on the hot zone of the grill. Cook for about 1 minute, rotating as necessary with a spatula or pizza peel for even cooking.
Don’t panic if the crust seems to be sticking. Just give it a few seconds more and it will naturally release when it’s ready. (If it is darkening too quickly, move it to a cooler spot). When ready, flip the pizza crust onto the cooler side of the grill.
Now add your toppings: first up is cheese, followed by the remaining ingredients. Don’t be tempted to overload it or the toppings won’t have time to cook all the way through before the crust overcooks.
Cover the grill with the lid vents open over the cooler side and cook for 5 minutes. This pulls the hot air over from the hot zone, creating a convection-oven effect.
Open the grill and transfer the pizza back to the hot zone for 1 more minute. When the crust is browned on the bottom and the toppings are hot, it’s ready!
Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and slice and serve immediately.
Have you made pizza on the grill before? Did you think it was most excellent or totally not excellent? Please share your most excellent thoughts in the comments below, dudes!
Grilled Stuffed Crust Pizza
Author: Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen Total Time: 3 hr 30 min
Cook time:
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 124
Ingredients:
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Serving size: 8
Calories per serving: 124
1/3 cup olive oil
2 pounds store-bought pizza dough
ounce one 15- can crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 mozzarella cheese sticks
6 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1 pound part-skim mozzarella, thinly sliced
40 slices pepperoni
torn fresh basil leaves, for serving
Directions:
Pour the olive oil into an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the pan, turning to coat it with the oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough fills about two-thirds of the baking sheet, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Slide your hands under the dough, lift and gently stretch it to fit the pan. (It's okay if it doesn't stretch to the corners.) For the final rise, loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside until slightly puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
While the dough rises, preheat a grill for high heat — it needs to be 500 to 600 degrees F when covered.
Stir the tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a medium bowl until combined.
When the dough has risen, place the cheese sticks all the way around the edges, leaving a half-inch border. Fold the dough up and over the cheese sticks until they are totally enclosed, then gently pinch the dough to seal, creating a stuffed crust. Stretch and pull the dough gently to fill the edges of the baking sheet. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan evenly over the dough, all the way to the edge. Then top with the sliced mozzarella, leaving the border exposed. Spoon the tomato mixture over the mozzarella, inside the border. Top with the pepperoni and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan.
Put the pizza sheet directly on the grill grates, cover the grill and cook until the crust is lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, slide the pizza directly onto the grill grates, cover and continue to cook until the crust is dark golden brown and the mozzarella is bubbly and lightly browned in spots, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes. Top with some basil leaves and cut into squares.
Source: foodnetwork.com
Slide your hands under the dough, lift and gently stretch it to fit the pan. (It's okay if it doesn't stretch to the corners.) For the final rise, loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside until slightly puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
While the dough rises, preheat a grill for high heat — it needs to be 500 to 600 degrees F when covered.
Stir the tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a medium bowl until combined.
When the dough has risen, place the cheese sticks all the way around the edges, leaving a half-inch border. Fold the dough up and over the cheese sticks until they are totally enclosed, then gently pinch the dough to seal, creating a stuffed crust. Stretch and pull the dough gently to fill the edges of the baking sheet. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan evenly over the dough, all the way to the edge. Then top with the sliced mozzarella, leaving the border exposed. Spoon the tomato mixture over the mozzarella, inside the border. Top with the pepperoni and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan.
Put the pizza sheet directly on the grill grates, cover the grill and cook until the crust is lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, slide the pizza directly onto the grill grates, cover and continue to cook until the crust is dark golden brown and the mozzarella is bubbly and lightly browned in spots, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes. Top with some basil leaves and cut into squares.
Source: foodnetwork.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
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- www.needpix.com
- www.pexels.com
- www.piqsels.com
- www.foodnetwork.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
