Craving Pizza? Try it on the Grill!

As soon as warm weather hits St. Louis, it seems that University City comes alive. All of these people who have spent the winter hibernating, emerging only to get into a warm car, start to come out of the woodwork. People and their dogs are suddenly everywhere, kids start playing in their front yards, and, most noticeably, the smell of barbecue is in the air. I’m right there with everyone—we long for the first day we can grill out and suddenly many of our meals are both cooked and eaten outdoors!

With Spring finally appearing, I know many people are firing up their grills. While you can’t ever go wrong with grilled chicken or a big hamburger, have you ever considered cooking pizza on the grill? A few years ago, my husband Ryan and I discovered that this was our new favorite way to enjoy the classic meal.

Making pizza on the grill requires a little bit of prep work and a set of speedy hands to throw it all together, as you’ll see in the instructions, but pizza hot off the grill is absolutely fabulous. Grilling pizza takes less time than baking it or calling in your local delivery. Because it can be made fairly quickly, it’s a great option for your next cookout—just whip up a few grilled pizzas and impress your friends with your creative use of your grill!

Pizza on the grill isn’t hard, once you have the method down. To grill up some pizza, follow these steps:

1. Select your dough. Trader Joe’s sells pizza dough for $1 each or you can really branch out and make your own with this easy recipe. Heat your grill and roll your dough out, spreading it as thinly as possible for a crispy crust.
2. Select your toppings. This part is completely up to you—whether you want to go for the basic (pepperoni and cheese) to the exotic (potato, pesto, and asparagus). Round up your toppings and bring them all out to the grill, placing them nearby for easy access (note: I recommend pre-cooking certain ingredients, such as peppers or mushrooms. Just sauté for a few minutes in a skillet on the oven since they will only be cooking on the grill for a few minutes!).
3. Carefully transfer the dough to your heated grill. Immediately close the grill and allow the dough to cook with nothing on it for 3 minutes or so. Use a spatula to check the underside of the dough (which you want lightly browned but not burnt).
4. After one side of the dough is cooked, carefully remove dough from the grill with a few spatulas or tongs, flipping it onto a baking sheet or pizza peel with the cooked side UP.
5. Quickly apply your sauce, toppings, and cheese to the cooked side of the pizza. Return the pizza to the grill, cover and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.
6. Remove cooked pizza from the grill. Allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing and digging in!

As you can see, pizza on the grill sounds fancy, but it actually rather easy. You definitely can’t recreate that grilled flavor in your oven, so next time you’re craving dinner from the grill, try pizza!