Grilled Pizza

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So, I've seen it online more than once in the past two weeks.

Grilled Pizza.

It's something that I never thought was possible, and wondered, indeed, how one would ever grill something so gooey.

And then I tweeted an inquiry (are you following me on twitter @mttsm?) and asked Facebook, and opened Blogher and an entire POST on the topic fell into my lap. And it seemed not only doable, but preferable, and so Tuesday night I decided I'd grill something.

I just wasn't certain what I'd grill.

I had a pork tenderloin, so that was a given. I had two Hebrew National hot dogs left over from the weekend, so I popped those on. My oldest likes hamburgers, so I grilled three of those as well. When I went back into the kitchen, I saw the open page on my computer that discussed Grilled Pizza, and just like that, I decided to whip up some pizza dough. (1 1/3 cup warm water, 1 t sugar, 2 t yeast - let it sit for 5 minutes until bubbly, then mix in 3-4 cups flour. Mix well, grease dough and let rise for 15-30 minutes.)

I stretched the dough into small circles, oiled it well on both sides, and slid it onto the grill.

I had one side of it up higher for the hot dogs and hamburgers, but one half was lower for the tenderloin, and the pizza dough went there. I closed the lid and drummed my fingers as I waited with my breath held. Would I need to scrape a gooey mess of dough off of the grill?

My husband surely thought so. 

I left it to grill for a few minutes and then, cautiously, flipped it over. So far, so good. I carefully spread some sauce on it, topped it with sliced mozzarella, and closed the lid of the grill once again. After a few more minutes, I turned it off and let the pizza rest for just another minute or two, to make sure that the cheese was melted.

It was SO GOOD. Crispy, cheesy and delicious - my husband didn't like it, because he said it was too crunchy, but everyone else loved it - especially me.

And he ended up eating four pieces, so I'm thinking he really must have liked it.

It was just a teeny bit overdone, but it was delicious. Hints: let the dough rest for a few minutes after you roll it out, don't roll an entire pizza size but rather smaller, more individual serving sizes, and oil the dough as well as the grill. The thinner the crust, the more cracker-y it will be. Every site I visited said to use a low heat and keep the crust high above the flame, but it seemed to take FOREVER to do it that way and so I cheated - I kept it on medium and it was over the flame. I just kept my eye on it.

It's going in the heavy rotation.

Comments

[Carrie]

We do grilled pizza all the time. My kids love it. We take squares of tin foil though and spray with olive oil and then put the dough on that. The kids put on what they want and then my husband puts it on the grill. When they are about halfway cooked, he slides the pizza off the tin foil directly onto the grill to finish it up. The crust comes out perfect. His favorite variation is to use barbecue sauce instead and add chicken and mozzarella yummy.

[Shelly]

yum! Gotta try it now.

[Tish]

"It's going in the 'heavy rotation'!" Soooo descriptive, I'm adopting that phrase, okay? The grilled pizza sounds great too, but it's going to have to wait a while for me to try; I can't afford to get addicted. I love the way you grilled so many different protein things for the same meal--especially three hamburgers for oldest son!

[Jenn E]

I love grilled pizza!!! MMM yummy!!1

[Bethany]

Well, I absolutely LOVE anything pizza related, so I'm sure I'd love this!!!! Haha! It looks yummy!

[kyooty]

about 10-11yrs ago, I got a recipe in an Canadian Living recipe book for BBQ pizza. The secret is cornmeal on the dough. I wonder where I put that magazine... I'm sure the clutterer that I am kept it.

[kyooty]

I found the book! they use "pans" in the recipe, but I used to bake them up a bit in the oven first, then slide them on the grill. I haven't made them in a long time, it's a 43wwpoints for the whole batch of dough. It says 8 personal size to about 5.3pts for each crust? :)(excuse me looking for calculator)cool, 5.375, wow this ww thing is good for my math brain. I could lower it by using whole wheat flours. ohh 34/8=4.25 each..hm now I'm getting hungry...

[Nicki]

Yum! I really have to learn to use the grill. This sounds exactly like the kind of pizza I would like and no one else in the family, and therefore I would not have to share. Heh.

[LizP]

Oooh yeah you posted it! I have an episode of Bobby Flay doing grilled pizza and keep eyeing the pizza dough at Trader Joe's but I've never taken the "grilled pizza" plunge! Mostly because the one time I bought the dough it stayed in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks before I remembered I had it (made hubby mad). But your dough recipe looks fast and easy!

My two little ones like olive pizza ... olives on each finger, hold the cheese, hold the sauce, and hold the crust. Hubby & one of the teenagers like my bbq pork (or chicken) pizza (I make it on a boboli style thing).

[Angie Maddox]

I am so making this. You have convinced me to give it a try. We grill out all the time, even in the winter. I think this needs to be added to our rotation also. Thanks!

[Deborah]

Mmmm! We've been grilling pizza for a long time and we love it too! The kdis get to shape their own peice of dough and away we go!

[Ouida Gabriel]

This reminds me of a Grilled Pizza that my father in law taught my husband to make (back when he still spoke with our family). He put pita bread on the grill, toasting both sides of it and then put on cooked Italian sausage, broccoli (chopped up in bite sizes) and mozzarella cheese. Close the grill and let the cheese melt. They are SO GOOD! We have not had then in awhile as it takes a lot to feed my bunch (we have 6 children too!) but I think I will ask hubby to make them for us as a 4th of July treat!

Ouida Gabriel