Something that I’ve discovered this summer which is now going to become a summer tradition for me is grilled pizza. I know what you are probably thinking – how do you grill a pizza without a pizza stone? You must need special equipment and advanced grilling techniques.
Well, that’s what I thought too when I first heard of it, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Grilling pizza is one of the easiest and quickest things to make on the grill. It’s also really fun, and great for parties since you can vary the ingredients so much. Plus it provides vegetarians and vegans with a reason to get out the grill and start cooking something way more interesting than regular grilled veggies and veggie burgers.
So if you want to cook pizza in your backyard, but you don’t have an outdoor pizza oven, don’t worry! Your gas or charcoal grill will be as good as the pizza oven to make it!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
As far as tools go, you will need:
- some tongs,
- a spatula of some sort,
- a brush or spoon to spread the sauce on the pizza (if you use sauce),
- a plate to put your finished pizza on,
- a cover for the grill (if your grill doesn’t have a cover, you can probably use a large pan lid or even pan, as long as there is enough room for the pizza under it and you have a safe way to get it off the grill as it will get hot.)
Step-By-Step Tutorial On How To Grill Pizza
Step one: Clean Your Grill
Make sure the grill is clean, as the pizza will be going directly onto it. You don’t want to get sick because you haven’t taken care of properly cleaning it. In case you are not sure how to clean your grill, we got you covered. Also, make certain that you are using only the best grill cleaner.
Step Two: Get Prepared
The most important thing to do is setting up your ingredients and pizza toppings within easy reach before you start the actual cooking. Once the pizzas start grilling they will be done in about five minutes, so you won’t have time to chop veggies or shred cheese.
As I said, grilled homemade pizza is really easy, but it does require you to move quickly. So make sure you read through the instructions before you start cooking.
Step Three: Make Your Favorite Pizza
Of course, you will need pizza dough. You can either buy this from the grocery store (usually you can find it in the refrigerated section) or make it yourself (not that difficult, but will take some advanced planning). The pizza sauce is also a crucial ingredient. As with dough, you can make it on your own or buy it from a store.
There are numerous pizza recipes, so from there, the ingredients and toppings for the pizza are whatever you want. I like to go with the traditional marinara sauce, cheese, pepperoni, olives, maybe some mushrooms or peppers, fresh basil, and a little bit of olive oil. But you really can use anything you want.
Step Four: Grill Your Pizza
Gather up all your favorite toppings ready to use around your grill. Once you have everything ready, you have a hot grill, and the coals are a nice glowing red color, start flattening out your pizza dough. I like the pizzas to be more of an individual size since they are easier to handle when they are smaller.
Put the pizza dough on direct heat, and cook it for about two minutes. The top of the dough will start to bubble up a bit as the dough cooks.
After two minutes, use your tongs and spatula if you don’t have a pizza peel to lift the dough off the grill and flip it over to get the best pizza crust. This is where you have to work quickly. Put the toppings onto the pizza however you like and then cover it with the lid.
It will probably need to cook for another three or four minutes, maybe longer. Just keep an eye on it until it looks done, (I usually judge by whether the cheese has melted or not). The last thing you want is an uncooked pizza.
Step Five: Serve It Up
Your first few times out, it might look messy, but eventually, you’ll get amazing creations.
Once the pizza is done, use your tongs and spatula to transfer the pizza onto your plate. Yes, it’s really that simple. And believe me, once you’ve tasted grilled pizza you are always going to want to make your pizza this way.
To Wrap Up
A grilled pizza is a great addition to your barbecue. You can make it on a charcoal, or gas grill. It’s easier to prepare than most people think since it doesn’t require a lot of professional equipment or skills. It can take you a moment to master this recipe, but don’t give up! Sooner or later you will be able to grill the best pizza in the world! It’s also an amazing dish for every vegetarian that wants to get the most out of a Sunday barbecue.
