Test Kitchen #17: Grilled Pizza

In the same Recipe Zaar newsletter that I got the instructions for last week's stuffed peppers, was a hot topic section asking, "Can you grill a pizza?" Clicking on the link led to a chat forum led by a woman named Rita who posted her steps and pics for grilling a pizza. Totally amazed that you could actually put raw dough on a hot grill and not have it drip through the grates to certain doom below, I just had to try it for myself.

Arriving at Dad's on schedule, we spent a few minutes brainstorming what type of pizza we should make before heading off to the store for ingredients. I definitely wanted to make a traditional margarita style pie with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil leaves. Dad already had some sweet Italian sausage in the house, so the obvious combination was a sausage, peppers and onions pie. We also picked up some mushrooms, pepperoni and a block of Parmesan for grating.


I was completely surprised by not only how easy it was to make a pizza on the grill, but how it tasted so much better than your average homemade oven pizza. The crust is thin and crispy, but still holds the weight of your toppings without bending. It's summer's perfect answer to the homemade pizza dinner. Why bother sweating to death in a hot kitchen with the oven cranked to 450° when you can be outside sitting on your deck, enjoying a cold drink, and a nice breeze?! Your own personal pizza is just minutes away.

We used a refrigerated dough from the supermarket and divided it in half to make two 8" pies. For the dough that would become the margarita pizza, I kneaded in some oregano and rosemary. Making sure the grill surface was clean, we greased it up some olive oil and spread a little on one side of each of the doughs. Very carefully, we placed the dough on the grill, oil side down and hoped for the best. With large grilling tongs, we peeked under the crust to see if the grill marks had appeared and then with one quick flip, turned the crust over.


Once the crust had been flipped, the race was on to get the sauce and all the toppings on the lid closed. The hardest and longest part of the entire process is all in the prep work. As Rita, instructs in her forum post, it's a good idea to have all your toppings within easy reach of the grill, cooked and ready to go. Once the toppings are on, the pizza only needs about five more minutes to melt the cheeses and re-warm the other toppings. With each pie the size of a small dinner plate, we took a break from our remaining kitchen chores to enjoy our lunch outside on the deck.

The verdict from Dad, "This is a winner." Enough said.

If you need a recipe for some easy guidelines, check out Rita's instructions for a Grilled Sausage and Peppers Pizza. Obviously you can put just about anything on your pizza, but I found her recipe very helpful for prepping tips and cooking times.

This one will definitely make another appearance on the summer menu. Could be a great crowd pleaser for company; just slice them up into bit-size pieces and you've got a great picnic appetizer.