Grilling Trend: Pizza
On a hot summer day, sizzling meat and vegetables on the grill is an ideal way to prepare a meal. You can enjoy the fresh air and you don’t have to fill your house with the heat that your oven puts out while cooking. For some people, grilling season is something they look forward to all year. Hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and steaks are all traditional fare that many people enjoy with the smoky, char-grilled flavors that come from cooking over an open flame. If you want to prepare something different at your next cookout that will really surprise your guests, put away your barbecue recipes and start preparing your favorite pizza dough.
Pizza is actually a great food to cook on the grill because the smoke will give the pie a little extra flavoring. The open fire also mimics a wood burning oven better than the one in your kitchen does, giving pizza a more traditional look and taste. Yet, many people are surprised when they hear someone mention cooking pizza on their grill. As a student at a culinary academy your guests will think that you must have learned a secret technique for making this unusual grill item. While they try to puzzle over how you plan to flip a fully loaded pizza on the grill, you’ll have the satisfaction of creating a simple and delicious meal for your friends and family.
Here are the basics for grilling pizza:
- First, you want to make sure your grill is clean and oiled well before you get started. A prepared grill is key, otherwise the dough will stick and you will lose parts of the pizza trying to pry it off.
- After you make the dough and sauce using your favorite recipes that you picked up in your online culinary courses, work the dough into a circle without making it too thin. The thinner the pizza dough, the faster it will cook.
- Brush both sides of the dough with olive oil before placing it onto direct heat. After four or five minutes the bottom should be golden and ready to flip.
- Before flipping, place the crust on a tray. Add your sauce and a light array of toppings on the cooked side. Any meats or heavy veggies will need to be pre-cooked since the pizza itself grills very quickly.
- Place the pizza back on the grill, close the lid and wait another few minutes for your pizza to finish. Enjoy!
