Pizza on the bbq--a sob story and plea for help
Hi Eaters,
So, I had a cooking disaster last night.
My oven would not chug past 300 degrees (will have landlord look at that) so I stupidly decided to toss my thin crust pizza (after languishing on a pizza stone at low heat for about 10 minutes) on the bbq.
The problem? In an effort to keep things hot (I'd already shut off the oven) I put the pizza on the grill when it was still only about 300 degrees, then cranked the heat and dropped the lid.
Result? Carbon. I charred the hell out of the bottom. It was inedible, and made me sad, because the toppings (left over pork rib meat, roasted corn, carmelized onions, mozza, olives, yellow peppers on bbq sauce) were delicious and perfectly done.
So, clearly I should have gotten the bbq good and screaming hot, THEN added the pizza and turned down the flame to let the thing bake instead of be set alight.
I am however, really interested in making future pizza's on the grill. Do you eater's have any tips to a)avoid a carcinogenic cracker or b) optimizing...everything? The crust was half set when i transferred from oven to grill, so I didn't worry about oozing through the grate, but I worry what would happen if I used a moderately loaded pizza with a delicate thin crust directly on the grates...would it hold? Or would it capsize onto the element? ANy advice would be appreciated.
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7 Comments:
Adam has some tips for grilling pizza over on Slice.
Alaina Browne at 11:11AM on 09/09/09
woot! thanks!
BananaMonkey at 11:37AM on 09/09/09
yes, those Slice tips really helped my pizza grilling experience. grill, flip, place toppings, then grill some more. It's a lot of fun.
LiveToEat at 12:29PM on 09/09/09
Easy Pleasy...take whatever your regular dough is, dressed with just a bit of olive oil..toss it over a HOT grill for just a moment or two to brown/char the bottom...don't worry about it sagging through the grill grates, the high heat should set the crust well before that can happen.
The trick is to have ALL your sauce and toppings set beside your grill space b/c you're going to top this baby FAST when the crust is ready to flip. Be sure you are using precooked meat toppings if you're using sausages etc. b/c the grill cooking times won't allow for a proper cooking for raw meats.
Once the crust is toasted, flip it OFF THE HEAT to the cool side of the grill. Dress with a bit of sauce, a FEW toppings, and cheese as you normally do. That's it...shut the lid for another minute or two with the pizza baking on the COOL side of the grill.
Open a nice ale, and enjoy.
DeaconVolker at 2:07PM on 09/09/09
My mom's done this same thing--the trick is flipping it, THEN topping it. Also, if you're cheese hasn't fully melted by the time the bottom's done, I find it helpful to keep one of the burners off, slide it over, and close the lid.
meleyna at 2:48PM on 09/09/09
I cook the first side of the crust on a very hot grill then I take the crust completely off the grill, and then turn down the barbeque to about 350 degrees. I put the rest of the ingredients on the top of the pizza and then put it back on the grill and close the lid to act like an oven. You do not need a screaming grill to do this. I have the best luck melting the cheese at about 350!
ranger99 at 5:00PM on 09/09/09
I echo the comments about browning one side first and then flipping it. One tip if you have a crowd to feed is to buy those aluminum sheets with the small holes in the bottom. Then use a little non-stick spray and put the dough on it to brown the first side. Then flip it on the sheet and let the kids add the toppings while you brown the next one. By the time you're done with that, the first pizza will be ready to go back on to heat the toppings and melt the cheese.
The aluminum sheet isn't necessary but it makes everything a little easier to take on and off the grill quickly if you are trying to feed everyone at around the same time.
FatDave at 8:24PM on 09/09/09