Ever wonder how those pizzas have crispy and delicious crusts? You will learn how to cook pizza on a grill with a pizza stone for a crispy pizza in this post.
Grilling might not be the most convenient way to cook pizza, but it does the job. So if you ask yourself, can I grill pizzas on a regular grill then we have the answers for you.
You can cook almost any food with a gas grill like Weber Kettle or charcoal grill, and yes, you can make the best pizzas with a great grill. Your charcoal BBQ grill does a great job of making pizzas with a few tricks.
Do you need to have the basic skills and tools to ensure that the pizza will turn out crispy with perfectly cooked toppings and edges? Yes, but this can be easily practiced.
The secret behind the crispy crust on pizzas is the hot cooking surface.
You can hardly attain that on a grill with just the grill grates.
If you want an easier way to do it, then you can use a pizza stone.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
It is the most effective tool to make your pizza crust crispy. It absorbs and distributes the heat inside the gas grills or charcoal grill when cooking.
Cooking on stone helps make the grill evenly heated, just like the insides of an oven.
So with this guide, you will be able to cook crispy crusts with the help of a pizza stone and some tips.
What You Need For The Recipe
Do you need to make the dough for your pizza? You might be asking can I use store-bought dough?
You can also get store-bought dough, but I recommend making one yourself so you can work with a fresh set of dough for the pizza.
There are not many ingredients needed in making the dough, so you can easily learn how to make one.
The secret to making the best pizza dough is to keep the ingredients simple.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, salt, water, and olive oil.
With these ingredients alone, you can make the perfect pizza dough to not have to buy low-quality ones.
The benefit of making your dough at home is that you can also add some ingredients that you want.
If you have somewhat spicy toppings, you can add a little bit of sugar to the dough.
Do you need to activate the yeast first? If you are using active dry yeast, then yes, so mix it with a small amount of warm water in a bowl.
Let it sit there and activate the yeast; you will know it is ready once it starts to bubble up and foam up.
From there, you can mix it with the flour, adding a little bit while stirring until the mixture is sticky but also firm enough that it does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Mix more flour if needed.
Prepare a clean working surface by sprinkling some flour on it.
Place the dough ball on the work surface, and then knead the dough with your hands until stretched for 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a small ball and then place it on a bowl sprayed with oil.
Wait for it to double in size while preparing the toppings for your pizza; you can get any toppings you like.
If you are making a thin pepperoni pizza dough, then this is the basic dough recipe. You can also use this with other homemade pizza crusts.
The issue for most beginners here is that the dough might stick to the pizza peel cast iron. You can prevent this by using excess flour on the peel or pizza pan so the dough slides easily.
Making The Pizza On A Grill With A Pizza Stone
Step 1: Preheat The Grill
While the dough is resting, you can start the cooking process by preheating the gas grills or charcoal grill and cooking some of the toppings beforehand. If you are using meat toppings, you need to cook them first.
Do this by sauteing them on a pan until the meat is slightly brown. You can also grill the vegetable toppings ahead of time but make sure that you do not cook them all the way through.
Set the grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place the pizza stone inside. Make sure to preheat the grill with the pizza stone to make the heat more even and make the crust crispier.
Preheating the pizza stone along with the grill will also help the pizza cook properly. The crust will be crispy and browned properly without it sticking on stone on the first steps.
Step 2: Prepare The Pizza
While waiting for the grill to reach the set pizza stone grill temperature, check the dough ball if it has doubled in size. If it has, you can start to shape it and prepare the ingredients for making the pizza.
First, get the ball of dough and cut it into smaller balls. About one pound each will let you get to the right size for a small pizza, but you can adjust it according to the number of guests.
It is best to prepare the pizza dough straight onto the pizza peel to not have to struggle to transfer it later on. Put some flour on the pizza peel and shape the ball of dough.
Brush the surface of the pizza dough with olive oil, and then put the sauce on top. Place the toppings after that, and make sure not to put too many toppings on the thin crust.
Finish it up with some cheese, and then cook on stone right away. Do not leave the toppings sitting on the crust for too long as it can make the crust soggy, so time the preparation to the preheating.
Step 3: Cook The Pizza
Carefully jiggle the pizza peel to transfer the pizza into the grill and onto the pizza stone. You can also help by pulling the front of the pizza and placing it properly onto the pizza stone.
Close the grill lid and then let the pizza cook for 10 minutes. There is no need for you to flip or turn the pizza as the pizza stone grill temperature is distributed evenly inside.
Grill the pizza until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Let it rest for a little bit, put your garnishes, and then serve while the pizza is still warm.
Cooking on pizza stones is much easier as you do not need to frequently flip or turn the pizza. If you are cooking on pizza stones, just make sure that you have the right tools to help you.
Notes And Tips
So as you can see, there are not many things needed to make the pizza great. You just need to learn some skills such as timing the preparation and transferring the pizza to the grill.
That will take a few repetitions of cooking on pizza stones on the grill before you can perfect it, but there are some things that you can do to improve the quality of pizzas you make. Here are some notes and tips that you need to know.
Protect The Pizza Stone
Pizza stones help make the crusts crispy as they produce a lot of heat and make the grill’s interior evenly heated. However, they are prone to breaking, especially on direct heat.
Grills use burners that go straight up to the grill grates, so placing the pizza stone directly on the grill grates can be risky. This might not be a big problem with this recipe as it uses medium heat.
However, when grilling pizzas at high pizza stone grill temperatures, you will need to block the flames. Put a flame guard under the grill grates before putting the pizza stone on it to prevent it from breaking.
You can also use fire bricks to lift the pizza stone over the grill grates. This will help the pizza stone gather enough heat without breaking, but you will need a tall lid to do this.
Do Not Overdo The Toppings
When selecting the toppings for your pizza, you can get any type you want. Bring in some heat with jalapenos, sweetness with pineapples, a protein with meat, and anything you want.
Just be careful with the amount of each topping you put. It is best to top the pizza with just enough toppings to not weigh down on the crust and make it soggy when cooked.
I love making frozen pizzas with this technique since I do not have to prepare that much for the frozen pizza toppings and crust. Frozen pizzas are great but there are also some other challenges there, so that is for next time.
Refrain From Opening The Grill
While the pizza is cooking inside the grill, make sure not to open the lid frequently. Just open it slightly when you need to check the pizza and allow it to cook properly with the lid closed.
The only time you should open the grill’s lid is when the pizza is cooks completely. Once you open the lid, there will be a lot of heat lost inside the grill, so only open it when necessary.
Conclusion
Grilling pizzas is fun and easy to do, especially with the best grill and pizza stone. You can make the crust crispy every time, so you do not have to eat soggy ones.
I had a lot of questions like can I use other alternatives for pizza stones or regular grills when I started to grill pizzas and the answer is yes, but you will know those if you regularly cook on your grill.
With a few practices, you will perfect the recipe as long as you follow the instructions and tips above. Go and prepare your dough, grill, and pizza stones and start making your grill pizzas!
If you like the post then do not forget to share it on social media!
Leave a Reply