I realized after the comments left on the Perfect Pizza Crust, that most people think I’m insane. So many readers commented on how I should be grilling pizzas instead of baking them in the oven, in this hot, humid, nasty weather.
Well, duh, what do you think I’ve been doing?
That was said with sarcasm. And love. Lots of love.
I think the last time we turned on the oven to make pizza was back in May, when we were in the middle of the coldest Spring on record {I don’t know if that’s actually true, but it was pretty dang cold}. That was before the summer turned out to be the hottest one on record {again, I have no idea if this statement is actually true}. We love grilling pizzas. We live for grilling pizzas. Actually, we use our grill for pizzas more than anything else. And that, I think, makes the grill a little sad.
I don’t know for sure. I haven’t actually asked it. If I did, that may finally be the proof that I am insane.
As if you needed any proof.
Anyway…Hubs is in charge of the grill, and therefore he’s the master behind grilling our pizzas. I don’t even know how to turn the thing on. And while I’m pretty sure I could figure it out, I really don’t want to. I’m the master of the oven, he can be the master of the grill.
Now, grilling a pizza is kind of an art. Over the last year or so, he’s changed his method, for the better I must add. We rarely have charred pizza crust anymore {which was always the grills fault, never the griller}. Now our crusts are cooked perfectly, with that subtle smoked flavor infused in the crust, the sauce, the cheese, right on up to the toppings. Mmmmmm, it’s so good.
So I asked, begged, pleaded with Hubs to put together a tutorial, so I can share his pizza grilling art with all of you. Because I love you, and you too deserve to be able to master the art of grilling a pizza. Or at least hand off the instructions, so someone else can master if for you.
How to Grill a Pizza
Preheat the grill on high. Then reduce the heat to just above medium. If the heat is too high the bottom of the crust will blacken very quickly while the top will not bake all of the way.
Press or roll out your favorite pizza dough {perhaps the Pioneer Woman’s, beer battered, or thin and crispy} onto tin foil sprayed with non-stick spray. Don’t make your pizza too big, or you will have trouble managing it on the grill. Or worse yet it won’t fit on the grill at all. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil.
Using a pizza paddle, slide the dough onto the grill, olive oil side down. This can be a little tricky and takes some practice.
Once the dough is on the grill, close the top and wait for a couple minutes. Closing the top of the preheated grill will ensure that the top of the crust is baked.
After a couple of minutes open the grill and rotate the crust 90 degrees. This will help the crust cook evenly and avoid blackening the areas that are closest to the flame. If the crust is still sticking to the grill and is not easily moved, it is not ready to rotate yet. If you notice that areas of the crust are blackening too quickly, lower the heat.
Allow the crust to bake for a few more minutes, with the grill closed if the top is still doughy. The dough is ready when the top is baked, there are nice grill marks on the bottom and the crust can be easily removed from the grill. You may see some darker spots here and there, but this is not a bad thing. It gives the pizza character and adds more flavor. Slide the baked crust onto a pizza paddle or cookie sheet.
Turn the heat to high and close the grill to get it as hot as possible.
Top the baked crust with your favorite sauce {easy pizza sauce would be a wonderful choice} and toppings.
Once the pizza is ready and the grill is very hot, turn the heat down to medium-high and place the pizza on the top rack.
Close the grill and let the pizza baked until the cheese is melted and a little bubbly. Peek in frequently to ensure that the crust is not getting burnt.
If the pizza is too big and it will not fit on the top rack, you may have to lower the heat even more and bake the pizza directly on the grill. You can also turn off one side of the grill and turn the other side to high or medium-high. Put the pizza on the non-heated side and rotate halfway through baking so it is evenly baked.
Once done, remove the pizza, cut and enjoy. And share. Maybe.
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this! I am going to print it for my husband (also master of the grill in my house). I’ve been wanting to try grilled pizza forever!
Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
*drooling*
yum! will have to try this sometime. thanks!
I have never tried a beer battered dough. It sounds so good and I am so glad you mentioned it in your post. Love the step by step photos! We need them! The pizza looks delicious
It is really good. It’s more of a thick crust, just so you know.
We love grilling pizza, too. We don’t put the pizza directly on the grill, rather we use a large terra cotta saucer that came from the garden section of our local hardware store. We just grilled one up this weekend and it was delicious.
You can read about how we grill our pizza here:
http://bowlofcherrys.blogspot.com/2010/11/foodie-friday-grilled-pizza.html
We used to use our pizza stone, but found that we like the flavor better directly on the grill. Plus, our pizza stone didn’t seem to enjoy being used on the grill, we broke one last year.
I live in a condo so we can’t grill pizza, and it makes me so sad because I keep seeing so many blog posts about grilled pizza.
Boooo!!!!!!
Wow your posts makes it look so simple. We will have to try this at home for sure. Thanks! Come over and visit us today. We have a wonderful country rib recipe.
It is simple, but there’s really an art to it. It takes a while to get it just right. Good luck!
This looks really good. I have always wanted to grill pizza before.
Holy Cannoli Recipes
I hope you give it a try!
Thank you! We love pizza, and I’ve wanted to try it on the grill at some point. I have a “pizza week” on my blog this week. Wheat (or spelt) pizza crust is shared, and I’ll be sharing a sweet thai chicken pizza and vegetarian pizza recipe later this week!
I definitely want to try it on the grill! Thanks for the tutorial!
Ohh, your pizzas sound wonderful! I love experimenting with new doughs.
Thank you (and the Hubs) so much for this fabulous tutorial. Grilled pizza sounds amazing. Now my spouse and I just have to buy a grill (or convince my dad to do this–he’s quite the grill master, but very old school)
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YUM! we love grilled pizza. I haven’t done it in a while though…thinking I need to and use a few of your hubby’s tips!
Nice post… I grilled a pizza on my boat grill just last month on our vacation… I used a pan so I really didn’t get the “grilled” taste on the crust… Its all trial and error then success! Thanks for the most helpful tips!
Have a great week end!
Rainey @ The Project Table
We haven’t tried it with a pan, but we have used a pizza stone. We found that you get a better grilled flavor by grilling directly on the grill.
Looks Delish!
We’d love you to share your recipes with us at
Simply Delish Saturday
Hi Alli,
This is a great tutorial. Very good instruction’s , I am going to have “Honey Bunny” study the post. Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
See you soon,
Miz Helen
I hope you and “Honey Bunny” have a chance to try it. Love that nickname!
Goodness! I’ve never tried this. Ever. But our grill is just about to give up the ghost, so I don’t think I would risk my pizza dough with it–flames flashing up and scorching the bottom? Maybe next year, if we find a deal on a new grill…and if I do, I’ll be heading back here for your excellent instructions. Thanks for linking to Food on Fridays!
Please tell our hubby his tutorial was awesome. We did this last night and it worked perfectly…the pizza did not burn or stick to the grill at all…we were making 6 individual ones and so we actually finished them off (let the cheese finish melting) in the oven because I didn’t want them to burn. YUM-O!!