Cooking Help - Homemade pizza on the grill?

[CRAW]

I know a few of you have made homemade pizzas on the grill before, and I'd like to try this on Sunday. What do I need? Recipes? Etc?

Thanks in advance.

[dermaestro]

I've made it a few times with decent results. We make our dough in our bread machine. Once rolled out, I brush olive oil on one side. Heat your Q up nice and hot and throw the dough down to toast the one side. When brown, remove from grill, flip over as this is your top. Coat with whatever toppings of your liking and throw back on grill to cook. I usually put a little more olive oil on the outside crust to get a nice brown, flaky crust.

Depending on the convection action of your grill, you may have trouble getting the toppings to melt. I sometimes finish in the oven with the broiler.

[CRAW]

Thanks, but I don't plan on making my own dough - it sounds too hard as we don't have a bread maker (wife sold it in our garage sale :( ). Can I use frozen bread dough? Any special brand name?

[dermaestro]

I've never made it with pre-made dough. I imagine you could make it with the DiGiorno (sp?), though. The key seems to be cooking the dough before adding your toppings.

Brookstone was selling a pizza stone for the grill, something that may be worth looking into.

[CRAW]

I've never made it with pre-made dough. I imagine you could make it with the DiGiorno (sp?), though. The key seems to be cooking the dough before adding your toppings.

Brookstone was selling a pizza stone for the grill, something that may be worth looking into.

Is that stone different from a normal pizza stone? I have one I use in my oven. Also, if I use a stone, will I get the charred taste on the crust that I'm looking for?

[j p frog]

http://pizzatherapy.com/grilling.htm

[bigslickwood]

www.pizzamaking.com

You'll need a stone, a pizza peel (or paddle) and hopefully have a decent grill that will get up to 600-700 degrees.

Here's my recipe and dough method, you can use the dough calculator at the link above to fine tune your amounts, but this recipe makes 5 13oz balls. A 13 oz ball will make a decent 12-13" pizza. I like to make multiple smaller pies and let everyone top them how they like.

I start at least two and preferably three days in advance. I use a sourdough starter, the yeast supposedly came from a hilltop outside a famous italian pizzeria. If interested, you can look at www.sourdo.com, the guy's a world-renowned yeast expert and sells varieties from around the world.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0379.jpg

Anyway, first step. Need to activate the starter after it comes out of the fridge, so you stir it, feed it, and then I put it in this 'incubator' type unit I build which will keep it at a steady 80 degrees. I forgot to grab a picture, but a few hours later, this starter in the jar had activated enough to blow out the top of the jar and make a mess.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0380.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0381.jpg

Once the starter is done, it's time to make dough. When you're making high heat pizza like on the grill, or in my modified oven, you need wet dough. Much wetter than you would think. Baking recipes typically express things in percents, with 100% being the total weight of the flour, and everything else as a ratio of that. This makes it easy to scale any recipe up or down. A good high heat dough will usually be at least 62-65% water.

Here's the recipe I used:
Flour - 1088g - use a high gluten flour like a 'better for bread' by Gold Medal or King Arthur Bread Flour is great if you can find it.
Water - 669g - use bottled, if your tap water has a lot of chlorine or minerals
Salt - 23g - use kosher salt
Sugar - 23g
Sourdough starter - 91g

Since you're not using starter, I'd recommend this mix to get essentially the same thing, but with storebought yeast:
Flour (100%): 1145.87 g | 40.42 oz | 2.53 lbs
Water (63%): 721.9 g | 25.46 oz | 1.59 lbs
IDY (0.25%): 2.86 g | 0.1 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.95 tsp | 0.32 tbsp - Instant Dry Yeast
Salt (2%): 22.92 g | 0.81 oz | 0.05 lbs | 4.77 tsp | 1.59 tbsp
Sugar (2%): 22.92 g | 0.81 oz | 0.05 lbs | 5.75 tsp | 1.92 tbsp
Total (167.25%): 1916.46 g | 67.6 oz | 4.23 lbs | TF = N/A
Single Ball: 383.29 g | 13.52 oz | 0.85 lbs

This works best if you have a Kitchenaid type mixer. Use the paddle attachment. Mix 75% of your flour and all of the rest of the ingredients on low speed for two minutes. The let this mix sit for at least 20 minutes. It should be like a real thick cake batter.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0382.jpg

Then switch in the dough hook attachment, and start mixing on low speed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, increase the speed a little and start slowly adding the remaining a spoonful at a time. You should get it all in there in a couple minutes for a total mixing time of 8-9 minutes.

Pour it out onto a floured surface, and mix it a bit, it should form a mound which you can then portion into 13oz balls. It works well if you put each ball into a very lightly oiled container with a lid. Put these into the fridge and let them sit for a couple days.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0383.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0384.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0385.jpg

When you're ready to make pizza take the balls out of fridge about 3 hours before you begin cooking and let them warm up to room temp. They should rise during this time. Start heating your stone about an hour prior to beginning. You'll want it basically as hot as you can get it. If you have an infrared 'gun' type of thermometer (you can get one at Harbor Freight for about $30), shoot for 650+F.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0389.jpg

When you're ready, take a dough ball and turn it out onto a floured surface (make sure there's flour on your hands, too), roll it around gently to coat it with flour. Be careful, you don't want to knead it at all at this point. Being rough with it will cause it to tighten up and you won't be able to stretch it decently. Then just pick up the ball and gravity should start to stretch it. Just kind of spin it and stretch it and let gravity do most of the work. It should work easily out to the 12"-13" crust.

Put it on a floured peel or paddle. You'll need to make it on the peel so that you can then move it to your stone. Lightly sauce the crust. Too much sauce will make it soggy. Then put your toppings on. I usually put the cheese on top of the sauce, and then the toppings on top of the cheese. With this style of topping, less toppings is frequently better. It's not American style, loaded up with an inch of stuff on top. If you try that, you'll never get it off the peel.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0390.jpg

Work fast. The longer it sits on the peel, the harder it will be to get it off. Shake the peel occasionally to make sure the pizza is still sliding around. It's the flour on the peel that keeps it from sticking so make sure you keep it floured. If it sticks, you can sometimes blow air under it and then toss in a little flour.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0391.jpg

Slide it from the peel onto your stone. It should come off with a little shake. Do it fast so you don't let out too much heat. I'd leave the lid closed and not peek for 2 - 2.5 minutes, then check it and adjust the time from there.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0392.jpg

I don't do mine on the grill. I have an old oven that I disabled the locks on the cleaning cycle. I set it on Clean and let it preheat for an hour and 40 minutes. I can open the door at any time, and it doesn't see it or shut down the heat. I threw in a layer of red clay bricks (washed) from Home Depot as the baking surface. The pizzas are perfectly done in 2-3 minutes. It tends to cool the more pies you do, so the later ones take a little longer. These pics were from my daughters birthday a week or so ago. We actually made 14 pies that night.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0393.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0394.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0395.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0396.jpg

I usually make the sauce right after the dough so it can sit for a couple days, too. Homemade sauce recipe:

1 28oz. can tomato puree or crushed tomatos. I always use Cento brand crushed tomatoes, if I can find them.
14 g sugar
7 g kosher salt
3.5 g garlic powder
3.5 g onion powder (there's an enzyme in garlic and onions that can cause tomatoes to gel a bit. using powder won't cause this like fresh will)

In a small bowl combine:
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/8 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. tarragon
1/8 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika

Wet the spices down with just enough olive oil so that they are all moistened, but not floating. Put it in the microwave at 30% (defrost cycle) for 3 minutes. Then mix the spices into the rest, stir well and put it in the fridge.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0388.jpg

Enjoy and good luck!

Edit: started putting this together before I saw that you're not making your own dough. Sorry! You can definitely get good charring with a stone if it's hot enough...

[j p frog]

you are an artist! thanks for the info.

[syklopz]

Is that stone different from a normal pizza stone? I have one I use in my oven. Also, if I use a stone, will I get the charred taste on the crust that I'm looking for?

Nope. Same stone, so you will get the same flavor you like. BE CAREFUL as your grill can generate more heat than your oven, so it can burn quick. I learned that lesson the hard way.

As to using pre made dough, I've used frozen dough with some success. The House brand at our local market worked fine. If you have an Italian Bakery or deli they will likely be able to sell you fresh premade dough. Making Pizza or bread dough is really freaking easy though. I've been using this one for years. Works great:

1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar (or if you prefer, 1/2 tablespoon of Honey)
4 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Yellow cornmeal, for sprinkling the baking sheet or stone

In a bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir to combine. using a sifter, or sieve, combine flour and salt into a large glass bowl. Add the yeast mixture, cold water, and oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until a ball forms, be careful not to overwork the dough it will be tough when you cook it. Scrape dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for several minutes until dough is smooth. Allow dough to rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 2 to 4 balls (or leave as a great big one for a single pizza), let rise another 30 minutes.

[timsta007]

Holy SHIT BSW! Awesome post. Will have to reread sometime in the future and try it out!

[bigslickwood]

Another idea if you're not making your own dough. If you have a local pizza joint that's any good, (I'm not talking Domino's or Pizza Hut), maybe they'll sell you some dough balls. When I first got my oven running, I hadn't made any dough. I asked the guy down the street, he laughed his ass off when I told him what I was doing and charged me $2/ball. I brought him back a pizza, too...

[CRAW]

DAYUM BSW!!! Now that's doing some work!!! Nice job!!!

I'm scared to even attempt this now. :(

[syklopz]

DAYUM BSW!!! Now that's doing some work!!! Nice job!!!

I'm scared to even attempt this now. :(

Craw... MTFU and do it... if you have a gas stove, you can by 3x3 unglazed terracotta tiles and line the bottom of your oven. not only can you then do pizza on it, it will also heat much more evenly. and retain that heat better as a byproduct, it'll help heat the house. The first time with the tiles though, do it to season them with the doors and windows open.

[herta28]

[QUOTE=bigslickwood;35541]
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc50/5rowleys/IMG_0396.jpg[QUOTE]

This looks better than ANYTHING I've ever ordered from ANY of the local Pizziaria's....national chain or otherwise.

And now I'm hungry. Damn.

Nicely done, BSW!

[Oz]

Here's what we did in the past before going to "pizza pipeline" and buying ready to go dough (btw was $1.00 for 2 medium dough balls).

Grab a loaf of white bread from freezer and thaw out - let it rise
When bread has risen - thin it out into a flat pizza looking shape (however you want)
You can go too thin, so be careful

Preheat BBQ - but not too hot or you will burn the crust
Place olive oil on 1 side of crust and place that down
.........you might have to rotate a little if your bbq heats unevenly
Before you pull the crust off the bbq - place olive oil on top side for next go round

Take crust and flip over onto a plate or pizza pan (uncooked side down)
Put toppings of your choice on crust
(turn down heat to low on BBQ after pulling crust out)

Return pizza to bbq and close lid and cook
Check bottom of crust to see if you need to rotate or pull out before burning

We make 2 - 3 of these at a time (1 for wifey, 1 or 2 for me).


These were taken last summer with the method above!

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f347/OzzmysterG/DSC4.jpg


http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f347/OzzmysterG/DSC6.jpg

[Blake]

I've grilled pizza a few times. My first word of advice if you are going to use a pre-bought dough...Go with the cheap LIlly White pizza dough I think it is. Do NOT...and mean NOT get the Betty Crocker pizza dough. The Betty Crocker dough is meant to be pressed down in a pan, not tossed and stretched. it will rip if you try to stretch it and is a pain to work with. The Lilly White actually produces the needed gluton and tosses/stretches pretty well. When I made my pizza I par baked my dough in the oven for a few minutes to 'set" it. This made it alot easier to work with once the toppings were on it. I dropped my charcoal grate as low as it would go and let it rip till the hood read 500 degrees. All my coals were on one side of the grill so I cooked my pizza indirectly on the other side. It only took about 8 minutes for everything to cook up nicely.

Another thing I've done as well is put my stone on the grill above the coals and cook the pizza on that. This works pretty well to as long as you have a good stone. My 10 yr old Papered Chef stone works awsome for this, but the cheapy white stone I have from BB&B from a wedding gift worked like ass..it got WAY to hot and burned the pizza dough badly (again I think part of this was the Betty Crocker dough, the lilly white didn't seem to have this issue).

other than that just watch it and keep an eye on it. I prefer a thinner/crispy crust so about 5 minutes was all I need for a nice cracker crisp crust and all the toppings nicely melted.

One big thing to remember...all your meats need to be pre-cooked, you can't use raw meat toppings on a regular pizza. At these temps you are only cooking the pizza for 5, 10 minutes tops which is not enough time to cook the meats. So brown all your meats off first (save pepperoni that is) and you should have no issues.

As for sauce, pick up what ever your fav chunky spaghetti sauce is and then take a stick blender to it to get a good consistency sauce with no big chunks. We always use Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic pasta sauce.

[bigslickwood]

bump to the meat locker