We have talked about grilled pizza quite a bit, here at The Kitchn, but I realized that we have never done a front-to-back explanation of how to grill pizza at home. Well, we are remedying that today. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on grilling pizza. Honestly, this method is not hard, once you get the hang of it, and it makes some of the best pizza you'll ever eat!
I actually used to be very intimidated by grilling pizza. I had a couple of bad experiences (charred crust! flaming pizza sauce!) but then I got my method straight. It's not hard, but you do need to be organized. The key to simple pizza on the grill is to top the pizza after you've put it on the grill. It also helps if you cook the dough for a few minutes, flip it, and then top it. Also, I love really thin crust pizza (think wafer thin) but I leave my crusts slightly thicker when grilling.
Your grill will get so much hotter than your oven, and in the end, that is the real benefit to grilling pizza. Your kitchen isn't heated up by the oven, and a blazingly hot grill means a crisper bite and those deliciously charred spots on the bottom of the crust. Not too charred, of course, but hopefully just enough for your taste!
What You Need
Ingredients
Pizza dough (like our thin crust pizza recipe - it doesn't even need time to raise! Just mix, knead, and go!)
Pizza sauce (check out these tips for great sauce or try one of these tomato sauce alternatives)
Toppings (keep them light: Cheese, ricotta, greens, prosciutto or whatever else you like)
Olive oil
Equipment
Grill, gas or charcoal
Brush
Metal tongs
Metal spatula
Instructions
1. Heat the grill. You should heat it quite hot; my grill was about 600°F with the lid on while baking this particular pizza. If you have a choice on your grill between direct and indirect heat, set it up so the pizza is over direct heat.
2. Gather your ingredients and toppings. Set up a table or bench near the grill so that you have easy access to everything. Good grilled pizza is as much about the organization and logistics as it is about actual cooking!
3. Also have your tools close to hand. You will want a pair of long metal tongs. A spatula may be helpful, although not absolutely necessary. You may want a hot pad or oven mitt if your grill lid gets hot.
4. Prep your dough. It should be stretched or rolled out into a thin circle. (Circle-ish — as you can see, my pizzas usually resemble continents more than they do the moon!)
5. Brush the dough with olive oil.
6. Take the lid off the grill. Lay the dough round on the grill, olive-oil-brushed-side down. Brush the top of the dough with a thin layer of olive oil too. Let the dough cook for about 3 minutes, with the lid off. Use the tongs to lift up the dough from time to time, checking on how it is doing. You want nice grill marks on it, but you don't want the dough to get crispy.
7. Flip the dough over with the tongs or spatula. The dough should come up easily and flip without tearing. Now is where your organization comes in! You need to top the pizza quickly. Spread on a thin layer of sauce, some cheese, and toppings. It shouldn't be too heavily loaded, or the pizza won't cook well.
8. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes.
9. Remove the lid and check the pizza. The edges should be crisp and well done, and the cheese should all be melted. Drag the pizza off with the spatula or tongs. Let cool for 3 minutes, then cut into pieces and eat!
Additional Notes:
• Of course, you need to keep an eye on the heat. This method works perfectly every time on my own grill. But it depends on thin you stretch your dough, and how hot your grill gets. Flipping the dough gives you an extra measure of control and certainty, though, that the crust will be cooked through by the time your toppings have melted and warmed.
And that's all there is to it! Happy pizza-eating!
Did I miss anything in this tutorial? Any good tips you have for cooking pizza on the grill? Do you have any favorite combinations of toppings to share?
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(Images: Faith Durand)
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This is a staple at my summer bbqs. Also, it helps to roll out several crusts in advance, stack them with wax paper between, then throw them in the freezer for a few minutes. Keeps them from stretching and sticking when you put them on the grill.
I'm the world's #1 advocate of pizza on the grill, so I'm happy to see this article!
I will add that using a sheet of aluminum foil can add a lot of convenience to the process. You can easily prep several pizzas at a time and have them ready to pop onto the grill as the previous pizza is done cooking. Good for entertaining, in fact it can be fun to prep to this stage and let guests put their own toppings on the pizzas. The foil is also more forgiving of cases where the dough is very thin or even broken.
I usually dust the foil with cornmeal before putting the dough on, which not only prevents sticking but also buffers the heat slightly and provides a bit of insurance against the worst scorching.
Pizza on the Grill: Learn It! Live It! Love It!
To my post above: the foil goes on the grill with the dough, in case that wasn't clear...
Anyone know what grill is depicted in the photos?
In case you're similarly inspired, I strongly advise against using a pizza stone. Some extra-hot natural wood chunk charcoal caused mine to break due to the heat!
@mcbuck it is the Element Grill from Fuego.
mcbuck: If you click on the second photo, there's a link in the description for what the grill is. It's an Element Grill by Fuego.
I wondered why one couldn't take the semi-cooked base off at stage 7 and assemble at one's leisure but then I thought that it might be too hard to handle with the toppings on. I use a SuperPeel (q.v. - no connection!) which might do the job.
Anyone have experience making pizza on an indoor grill? Unfortunately, that's all I have now. Would it get hot enough directly over a burner?
@fergusg yes, you could definitely do that, but I find that the crust still isn't baked enough to support it very well. A peel would help, but I don't find it too much trouble to assemble on the grill.
@Laucus116, here's a good post from Emma on cooking pizza in a cast iron pan on the stovetop. This also makes very yummy pizza.
@Laucus116 Heston Blumenthal (owner of "the best restaurant in the world") did this on TV. He preheated a heavy frying pan under the grill (UK - I think that's a broiler to you?), upside down 'til super hot. He then assembled the pizza on top of that and put it back under to cook.
Someone's transcribed the full recipe here, along with a video, but the latter doesn't seem to be working at the moment.
http://videosift.com/video/How-to-cook-the-Perfect-Pizza-Heston-Blumenthal
Ignore most of it (unless you're a masochist) - this was part of a series ("In search of perfection") on how to make the best recipes possible, irrespective of practicality. For example, he makes part of the dough 24hrs in advance and the tomatoes are pre-cooked for 4 hours. And the rest...
To give me time to put the toppings on and for the cheese to have enough time to melt, I decrease the heat slightly after flipping.
When rolling out the dough, we take a rimless baking sheet, drizzle olive oil on it and then roll the dough out on that. Then to get it on the grill, we slide the dough off and onto the grill. Works every time!
I also love wafer-thin pizza crusts. I've been using the thin crust dough on this site, rolling it out super thin, and then freezing it on waxed paper. At that point, it is a nice firm disc and you can toss it right on the grill. We love it!
The pizzas look delicious. What is your review of the grill. Is it worth the high price, have you had it long, is it hard to clean etc?
Thanks
@sonambulista there's a pretty detailed review of the grill here:
- Element Grill from Fuego
"Is it worth the high price?" - eh how do you evaluate that? (I did not buy it; it was sent to me to review.) I think if you value sleek design then yes, it can be worth it. It is an excellent grill overall; it performs well for me and I really like cooking on it. It is quite easy to clean. It all comes apart nicely for deep cleaning. But can you get cheaper less good-looking grills that work equally well? Well, yes.
It has held up well over the past year, with one caveat: I didn't start covering it until recently and the lid did rust a bit. It should definitely be covered (they sell a custom cover for it) if you are going to have it out in the open.
Faith Durand and fergusg thanks for the links. I'll have to try these out.
the only way to have summer pizza!
I can't wait to try this! I just mixed up a batch of my regular pizza dough last night for tonight's dinner, but I hadn't thought of making it on the grill! I am really excited to see how it turns out.
Ok, I got my Element Fuego grill, and am awaiting the new pizza stone..but, has anyone had any practice or tips on making a gluten-free pizza dough?