Grilled Pizza

I finally got around to trying pizza on the grill. I've seen pictures and articles and recipes in the past but never had the time or guts... okay, guts... to try it myself.



This article is the one that finally inspired me enough to try it myself (seen on Serious Eats).

I'm not going to pretend that my first bash at grilled pizza was perfect (see that burnt pizza in the background?). As Adam mentions, it isn't difficult but it does take some practice, mostly because it is fast-paced. This is not to be tried by the slow or shy. You need to get in there and do things quickly. How quickly? In about 3 minutes, the pizza is coming off the grill.

I'm not going to put all of their steps here... you can easily click your way over there and read their how-to and tips... but here is what I learned my first go around:

• MEDIUM heat. Hubby had the grill at high and it cooked way too fast (see that burnt pizza in the background?).

• After you put the dough on the grill, immediately brush it with oil because it does not take long to need flipping (1-1.5 minutes).

• Have all ingredients prepped and sitting by the grill, ready to go.

• Don't use too many toppings. I know us North Americans are used to loading the ingredients 2 inches high... resist the urge. It takes too long. Focus on two or three, maybe four, flavors.

• Doing this with two people helps a LOT. They are not kidding when they say "top it like the devil himself is chasing your ass". The quicker your toppings are on, the quicker you can close the lid on the grill and let them warm/melt.

The result reminded me of eating in that italian restaurant a few years ago that served us wood-fired pizza. It wasn't quite the same but it was certainly closer than baking it in a traditional oven.

I'll definitely go back to this and try it again.