Grilling Pizza

Ribs, chicken, burgers, kebabs: we've made all these classic favorites on the grill, but barbecuing doesn't have to stick just to the basics. An outdoor charcoal grill can cook just about anything if you're willing to re-think how you cook certain items.  To try out something new with our grill, we decided to cook pizzas outside, since it's been far too hot for using the oven lately.

Cooking a pizza on the grill completely changes the flavor and texture, since you're getting that fantastic smoky edge, and the bottom crust is likely going to end up with a little bit of char. For our first attempt we decided to forgo our usual process of making the dough, and instead got a pre-made cheese pizza on clearance at Smiths for $3.49, along with a bag of pre-shredded cheese for $1.49.

Of course just the standard cheese topping won't do, so here Megan is sprinkling on the Mexican shredded cheese.

Cheese alone makes for a pretty boring pizza, and we wanted to see how the charcoal heat would affect different toppings, so we also put on sliced tomato, mushroom, green onion, and pancetta (a thinly sliced pork product similar to bacon that's usually available in the specialty cheese section of the grocery store).

As usual, we're going with indirect heat for our pizza. Unlike with a lot of other meats, it's pretty much mandatory here if you want to avoid burning the crust. Below you can see me pouring the burning coals out of our charcoal starter. The easiest way to do indirect heat with a pizza is to push all the coals onto one side, and have one half of the pizza over the coals, then turn the pizza a quarter turn every five or so minutes. As the cooking progresses and the crust browns, pull the pizza completely away from the coals to the other side of the grill so it doesn't burn.

You will definitely want to lay down a layer of tin foil before setting down the pizza. Putting tin foil underneath the pizza serves three main purposes. First, it makes it much simpler to rotate the pizza, since you only have to grab a corner of the foil and just turn the whole thing. Second, it provides structural support and prevents the dough from sagging into the coals, which can be a problem if you are making your own dough. Finally, and most importantly, it helps to prevent the crust from burning since, unlike with ribs or burgers, you aren't able to flip the pizza over part way through the cooking process.

The bottom layer of crust will cook through much more quickly than thick cut veggies, and it will take awhile for the cheese to bubble and turn the right color, so make sure to watch it carefully and turn as necessary.

The finished pizza looks fantastic, smells heavenly, and has a flavor you simply can't get by cooking with the oven.

After our first experiment, we later had a pizza grilling night with friends and family over where everyone made their own custom pizza. We made a huge ball of dough and cut up all the toppings, then set it all outside on a folding table next to the grill, along with a bowl of sauce and a plate of shredded cheese. Everyone put together a custom pie by rolling out their own dough and adding whatever toppings they wanted: onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, bacon, cheddar and mozzarella, jalapenos, green onions, tomatoes, and more.

Here are a few of the finished pizzas, with all their unique shapes and topping combinations. Using a slightly sweet homemade pizza sauce made with balsamic vinegar and a hint of sugar creates a great flavor combination with the smokiness added in from the charcoal cooking.

There will be even more outdoor barbecue adventures coming in these last few weeks left of the 2012 grilling season, so check back soon! Please be sure to let us know if you make anything interesting on the grill or try out any of our recipes.