Adventures in Grilling Pizza

[Gracie]

I finally got around to grilling pizza. I grilled 2 pizzas, one just fresh spiced tomatoes from the garden and cheese and the other pre-grilled, spiced zucchini from the garden along with more of the above tomatoes and cheese.

I learned a few things and some things still puzzle me and overall, I'm not sure if I'd do it again.

I learned:

1. Prebaking the crust prior to topping the pizza as you have to do on the grill makes a puffier crust and one that can stand up to heavier/more toppings. I may prebake crusts in the oven in the future.

2. If you want a thin crust, prebaking/grilling is not the way to go.

3. The grill temperature is very tempermental even when making 2 pizzas.

4. The cheese does not melt completely and brown and bubble on the grill. The crust gets done way too fast (even at a low heat with the grill shut).

Things that still puzzle me:

1. The best way to get the above-mentioned cheese to melt. I ended up putting both pizzas in the broiler.

2. Why the bottom of the crust (after you flip it) gets burnt so quickly when the other side (the first side to be grilled) takes forever to get even a little brown. This happened for both pizzas and I never touched the heat control so it's not like the grill wasn't as hot for the first side of the first pizza. The second pizza was just the same.

I never really got that smoky grilled taste to the crust. It was either burnt or just barely brown. I couldn't get it to be crispy either without letting it burn (then it was REALLY crispy! :D ).

I know we've had many discussions about grilled pizza and I was really excited to try it. Does anyone with great results want to let me know what I might have done wrong? I oiled the grill rack with vegetable oil and a pastry brush so they never stuck. Right now I'm sticking (oooh no pun intended :rolleyes: !!!) to my PC stones.

Loren

[Pony]

Thanks for the review of your experience.

DH and I keep saying we are going to grill our pizzas. We make them often and love them, always coming up with new mixtures. We are worried about them just not being as good or not turning out like the way you mentioned....cheese not melting, one side burning, having to put in broiler anyways...so, i enjoyed your post b/c it made me feel how I think I might feel if I try to grill pizza.

but we might give it a try before the end of summer :) maybe do one inside and one outside

[LaraW]

Loren, how much cheese did you put on your pizza? It won't get brown and bubbly on the grill because the heat is underneath it.

I've always gotten a thin cracker-like crust when I've done my pizza on the grill. Not sure what you mean by pre-baking - are you baking in the oven before putting on the grill?

I don't really know what to tell you except that with me, it took some practice to get it right.

Does that help?

[MinEaston]

Somewhere on this board there's another thread that discusses grilled pizza but I can't find it at the moment.

The first time I grilled pizza I wasn't fond of the less-than-totally melted cheese. But I love the way the crust comes out on the grill, so I've taken to pre-baking the crust on the grill, both sides, then bringing it inside, topping it and putting it in the oven for final melting. I've also found that fresh mozzarella and havarti melt very well and with less effort, so perhaps you might try those.

If it was just me, I'd grill them the whole time, because I like "different" pizzas with non-standard toppings. DH, on the other hand, thinks pizza must have tomato sauce and fully melted mozzarella. Just like he thinks pasta must have tomato sauce :p

[Luckyfeather]

This may be a dumb question, BUT...has anyone tryed to grill a pizza on one of those grill pan things (the flat, black "tray" with holes in it like you might put fish or veggies on)? We haven't tried to grill pizza, yet, but have talked about it. I wondered about spraying the tray with Pam and putting the pizza dough on it and then topping it. Think this would work?? I'm worried about the dough sticking to the grill (although it is well seasoned).

[MinEaston]

I think grill pans have been tried and they've worked. I have a round grill saute pan that I've been meaning to try with pizza but haven't had a chance yet. I have not had any problem with the doughn sticking, and I don't even oil the grate!

One of the earlier threads did suggest putting the rolled-out pizza dough on a cookie sheet in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make it a little stiffer. That seems to work for me! Use a little bit of cornmeal, sprinkled on the cookie sheet, to make the dough easy to slide off.

[AvrilH]

i have found that using my pizza stone on the grill works very well. I heat it with the lid down, and throw the pizza on.

I realize that it doesn't get the grill marks and charring that you may be looking for. But I like to grill my pizza so that I am not heating up my house in the middle of summer.

[buddie]

this is the recipe i use and love! cheese melts for me but noy bubbly and brown

notice half time bbq is open and other half closed


BBQ PIZZA
buy pillsbury pizza dough (i usually get 2 canisters)
onion
butter
brown sugar
mushrooms (as many as desired if you like)
green pepper (sliced)
red pepper (sliced)
4 large tomatos, (chopped)
garlic (4 cloves chopped/minced more or less depending on what you like)
parsley (cleaned and chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
cheddar and mozrella cheeses
oil

slice the onion thin and saute on the oven with butter and brown sugar (as much brown sugar as you like) this will make you carmelized onions. once this is cooked scoop in a bowl and then saute the mushrooms

in a bowl mix the chopped up tomato, garlic and most of the parsley with the 2 tbsp olive oil.

roll out the dough to the shape of your BBQ rack. oil the BBQ rack and place raw rolled out dough on it. cook for about 7 minutes or until bottom is brown (with the lid open). once brown take it off the grill and flip it over onto a floured cutting board so the brown side is up. on the brown side spread out the tomato mixture, pile on mushrooms, onions, peppers and cheeses. slide back on the BBQ close the lid for about 5 minutes. watch the bottom of pizza and cook till crust is brown and cheese is melted. sprinkle with the remaining parsley this is a wonderful refreshing lite crunchy a bit chewy
pizza. you can omit the onions and mushrooms add pepperoni whatever. the only part that has to be kept (from the original recipe) is the tomato mixture.. ENJOY!!

[Gracie]

Originally posted by LaraW
Loren, how much cheese did you put on your pizza? It won't get brown and bubbly on the grill because the heat is underneath it.

I've always gotten a thin cracker-like crust when I've done my pizza on the grill. Not sure what you mean by pre-baking - are you baking in the oven before putting on the grill?

I don't really know what to tell you except that with me, it took some practice to get it right.

Does that help?

Lara what I meant by pre-baking is that grilling the dough seems to have the same effect as prebaking in the oven would. Where you grill one side then put on the toppings, the end result is like prebaking. Sorry for the confusion.

I really didn't put that much cheese on - just sprinkled some preshredded mozzarella. But of course it was cold from being in the fridge. I think the idea of fresh mozzarella may help, but I also like the browned and bubbly cheese.

I also noted while grilling pizza that the toppings don't stay on like they do for an oven-baked pizza. I guess toppings stick to raw dough. My tomatoes and zucchini just fell right off when I picked up a grilled piece to eat it.

Loren