Fresh pizza is the best kind of pizza to cook but then, we do not always have the time to do that. So here, we will guide you on how to make frozen pizza on the charcoal grill for more fun food.
Oftentimes people look down on frozen pizzas and say that it does not look or taste as good as fresh ones. While this can be true sometimes, it does have its own benefits compared to fresh.
If you have frozen pizza, the first option that you would probably think of is to cook it right away in the oven. It is a great way to cook frozen pizza but know that there are other ways.
You can use other appliances in order to cook your frozen pizza at home. Charcoal grills produce a unique environment and flavor to the pizza which you will surely appreciate.
There is the authenticity that we always look for in pizzas. Charcoal grills are able to bring that to any type of pizza so whether you cook it fresh or frozen, your pizza will still taste great.
Frozen pizza still gives you the same nutrients as fresh pizzas. You can also get creative by adding even more nutrients and ingredients to the pizza since you are making it at home.
It also costs less when it comes to time and effort. The pizza is already prepared for you so you no longer need to go and do the shopping for the ingredients for your next pizza meal.
Combined with the charcoal grill like the Kamado Joe or Big Green Egg as your cooking appliance, you will be able to produce a pizza that is more flavorful and tastier compared to fresh pizzas that are cooked in conventional ovens.
So if you want to know the process of cooking frozen pizzas on charcoal grills, then read on as we give you the details of what exactly you need to do in order to perfect this delicious recipe.
Let’s Get Straight To It
Once you bought the frozen pizza from your favorite brand, then you can get started with the process. First, you need to deal with your grill and set it up properly for the pizza.
Step 1. Clean The Charcoal Grill
Pizzas, no matter the shape, size, or form need a lot of heat in order to be cooked properly. You are going to need as much firepower from your grill and so you need to prepare it beforehand.
Cleaning the charcoal grill is very important since a cleaner grill will give more way to air. The more air gets in the grill, the hotter the grill will become so the pizza cooks faster.
Make sure to wipe all the food residuals off of the grill grates. The residuals on the side of the grill will also be a factor so keep them out of the grill and create more airways inside it.
Remove the ashes underneath from past cookouts and then keep the charcoal that is still usable in the firebox. Shake the firebox a little bit to make the ashes fall off as well.
This will remove any blockage for the air to get in the firebox and heat up the charcoals. Do the cleaning process every after using the grill so you do not have to do it before cooking.
Step 2. Preheat The Grill
Since your grill uses charcoal as fuel, you are going to need to preheat it ahead of time. See, it will not heat up as fast as gas fuels or even wood so fire up the grill right after cleaning it.
Charcoal grills are powerful so wait for it to reach temperatures between 450 degrees Fahrenheit and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This will usually take around 20 to 30 minutes.
What you are going to need most is to heat up the cooking surface of the grill. If you do not want your pizza crust to burn, then preheat a pizza stone along with the grill itself.
Step 3. Use Pizza Stone
In order to make the perfect cooking surface and environment for the frozen pizza, you will have to preheat a pizza stone in the grill. These are great cooking surfaces that remove moisture.
However, pizza stones are not fans of direct heat or thermal shocks. They can easily break if you apply any of the two said factors so you need to avoid them as much as possible.
In order to avoid thermal shock, do not put the pizza on a hot grill. Let it heat up with the grill so it can gradually adapt to the temperature change within the charcoal grill that you are using.
For indirect heat, you can either use a heat deflector to prevent the flames from going as high up as the grates or use firebricks to place the pizza stone on and then let it heat up.
Step 4. Prepare The Frozen Pizza
Before putting the frozen pizza on the grill, you will need to treat the dough and defrost the toppings. This way, you will have a more evenly cooked pizza once it is out of the grill.
See, when you put the pizza directly on the grill without defrosting it for a little bit, you will risk breaking the pizza stone due to thermal shock. Even worse, you might be having a raw pizza.
Frozen pizza will cook fast on the outside but then it will have a hard time heating up the insides let alone cook it. So make sure to leave the pizza on the counter 10 minutes before cooking it.
You can also treat the dough of the frozen pizza in order to let the heat pass through easily. Leave the plastic cover of the pizza to catch the toppings and then turn it upside down.
Using a fork, poke some holes at the bottom of the pizza dough. Do not make large holes as the sauce and some of the toppings will just drip out of the pizza through the crust.
Step 5. Cook The Frozen Pizza
Remove the plastic wrapping of the pizza and then place it on the pizza stone. Close the lid of the grill in order to create convection heat within the grill to cook the pizza evenly.
You can also put the pizza on a broiler 30 seconds before putting the pizza in the grill. This will let the pizza crust adjust to the heat and start cooking right away once you put it in the grill.
The pizza stone will do its job and start cooking the crust by eliminating the unnecessary moisture in it. Leave the pizza in the grill for 4 minutes before opening the grill to check it.
See if all sides of the pizza are cooking evenly and if not, turn the pizza around to cook the raw sides. Close the lid once again and then let the pizza cook for another 5 minutes.
Check every 4 minutes if the pizza already has a crispy crust and cooked toppings. Then once it is cooked, remove the pizza from the grill and then set it aside on the table before cutting.
While it is still hot, you can finish up the frozen pizza that you have just cooked by putting garnishes that you love. This will make your pizza even healthier and more delicious.
Tips to Improve Your Cooking
When you are used to cooking frozen pizza on the charcoal grill, it will be easy to modify your techniques. You can use some of the following tips in order to make the pizza even greater.
Use Wood
Charcoal does produce smoke that is induced in the pizza. However, there are times when the charcoal heats up too quickly that the smoke does not go out of the grill.
So in order to create more smoke to be added to the flavors of your pizza, you will need to put a lump of wood on top of the charcoals. There, you will see how much smoke is produced.
This will bring the authentic flavor to your pizza.
Add Ingredients But Do Not Overdo
When you cook pizza at home, you have the freedom to put any ingredients that you want. So get your favorite ones and then add them to the frozen pizza that you have.
Just make sure you do not put too many toppings on the pizza or else the crust will become soggy. Get more vegetables and add them to the frozen pizza to make it healthier.
Conclusion
The secret to making the perfect pizza is to do it more often. That way, you will see where you went wrong and change it the next time you cook one or improve the flavors even more.
This concept is also true with frozen pizzas, you can practice more by cooking frequently. Charcoal grills are great for producing an authentic flavor on the pizza so use them often.
Follow the instructions above and in a few weeks, you will be able to make frozen pizzas better than fresh pizzas made in gas ovens. That is a huge advantage and you will be having pizzas for meals more often!
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