Pizza night is always where it’s at: throwing the dough, ladling out the sauce, tossing on the cheese. And more cheese. But getting a piping hot pizza with a perfectly charred crush is hard to pull off in your average oven. So if you share our pizziaolo enthusiasm, but are short a brick oven, the best tool is likely in your backyard. You guessed it—the grill. Here, our editor in chief Adam Rapoport shows us how it’s done.
Prep Work
Stretch your dough into roughly a 12- to 14-inch crust (store-bought is totally fine, or give our Grandma-style a go) and lay it in the grill on a pizza stone that’s “ripping hot.” Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil and top with whatever cheese and sauce combination strikes your fancy. Hand-crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto are always tasty, but there is an infinite permutation of cheeses and toppings to try.
Hot Spot
Once you close the lid of the grill, resist the urge to check on your baby. The pizza needs to cook at about 500 to 600 degrees for around seven minutes to finish properly, so don’t open the outdoor oven and let the heat escape. Patience is a virtue here, we promise.
Garnish, Baby
While the pizza is cooking, ready your garnishes. Chiffonade your basil, gather your spices, and grate some Parmesan (obviously). Then take out the pizza, drizzle on a little more olive oil and then sprinkle your goodies onto the bubbling cheese. Again, pick your pleasure for this part. Dates and crumbled feta? Gorgonzola and pear? Buffalo chicken and blue cheese? Dream big.
Don’t Have a Pizza Stone? Want More Topping Inspiration? More on the Art of Grilled Pizza, Right This Way
