Charcoal grill your Pizza’s

Want something different from a BBQ a “char” grilled pizza is easy to make, impressive to serve, and arguably one of the best things you’ll ever put in your mouth. Enough said.

The two strategies for grilling pizza: There are two basic approaches to grilled pizza: true grilling (in which you cook the raw dough directly on the grate over the fire) and “grill-baking,” in which you cook the pizza on a pizza stone (in effect, turning your grill into an outdoor oven).

To make true grilled pizza:

1. Set up your grill (charcoal, gas or wood-fired) for two-zone grilling so you have a hotter section where you can sear the dough, and a cooler section where you can apply and cook the toppings. If your grill is large enough, also maintain a fire-free “safety zone.”

2. Make the crust by stretching out the dough (ready made pizza dough is available from most supermarkets)  on a rimmed baking sheet generously coated with olive oil. The oil helps crisp the dough. Know that the dough will be quite elastic, and may resist your first attempts at stretching. Simply let it rest for a few minutes, and eventually, you’ll achieve the proper shape and thinness.

3. Don’t worry about making a perfect circle. There’s a fashion for a rough rectangular shape for grilled pizza.

4. Brush and oil the grill grate well.

5. Holding the dough at one end, lift and drape it over the hotter zone, using tongs to lay it flat. Grill until the bottom is browned and blistered and the top starts to blister as well, 1 to 2 minutes. Using tongs and a spatula, slide the partially cooked dough to the cooler side of the grill and let it continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. In the meantime, lightly oil the uncooked side of the crust. Flip it over onto the hotter part of the grill and grill this side, too, until it begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Once again, move the pizza to the cooler side of the grill. Arrange the toppings on the crust. Move the crust back over the hot zone to brown the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes.

7. IMPORTANT:- Remember, you build a grilled pizza in the exact opposite sequence as a conventional baked pizza. The cheese goes on first because it takes the longest to melt. Then the cooked or cured meats and grilled vegetables. Last of all, the sauce (because it’s already cooked).

8. Apply the topping sparsely, leaving plenty of exposed crust. Remember, a lot of effort goes into making and grilling the crust. You want to taste the crisp, smoky, fire-singed dough.

 

To cook pizza on a grill on a pizza stone:

1. Get yourself a pizza stone—available at most cookware shops. You want a thick stone (at least 1/2 inch) made of fire-resistant ceramic. Fire it a couple times before using it to burn off any factory dust, starting at a moderate temperature.

2. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-high (around 450 degrees) with the stone directly on the grill grate, but not directly over the coals. You can also direct grill a pizza on a stone, but keep the fire low or your stone may crack.

3. To simulate the smoke flavour of a wood-burning oven, toss a handful of un-soaked wood chips on the coals. Why un-soaked chips? Because you want a light smoke flavour, not the heavy smoke of barbecued meats.

4. Sprinkle a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet with cornmeal. Stretch out the dough with flour—not oil in this case—and arrange the crust on top.

5. Assemble the pizza in the conventional manner: sauce first, then meats and vegetables, and finally, cheese. Slide the pizza onto the hot preheated stone. Cover the grill and indirect grill the pizza until puffed, crisp, and browned, 4 to 8 minutes.

6. Let the stone cool to room temperature before cleaning (clean with a stiff-bristled brush).

If you want to try something new when it comes to your choice of toppings, add some flavourful grilled vegetables or spice up a slice with some barbecued chicken.