Is there anything better than gathering friends and family together for a good old fashioned summertime cookout? You’re familiar with those priceless times – kids playing in the yard, the smell of charcoal burning in preparation, adults sipping beverages and conspiring to solve all the world’s problems. In your mind’s eye, you probably see that grill with some burgers and hotdogs sizzling on top, but we’d like to turn your thoughts to a newer concept: grilled pizza. You’ll want to take a few tips and tricks into consideration, but done right – it’ll be the best thing you grill all summer.
Keep the Crust Thin
You’ll want to make your own crust, and in order to do it right, you’ll want to make it thin. Why? When you grill pizza, part of the appeal is crunch you’ll get when biting into it. You’ll not want a thick or even soft crust for grilled pizza – the grill heat will cause a thicker crust to be chewy or tough, which isn’t what you’re going for here. So, here’s what you do: mix 1 and 2/3 cups of water together with 1 to 2 teaspoons of yeast. Let the yeast dissolve, and then stir ¼ cup of olive oil in; next, add 5 cups all purpose flour and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix it all up until your dough is formed, and then knead it for about 5 minutes. You’ll want to break the dough up into 8 lumps, grease a baking pan, and place each dough lump in the pan, turning them over so they are coated with oil. You’ll cover the pan with a damp kitchen towel, and let it rise for up to 2 hours.
Up Your Fresh Veggie Count
This isn’t your typical greasy, overly cheesy, lazy man’s pizza. This pizza is bursting with fresh taste, and you’ve worked hard to earn it. In order to get that explosion of juicy goodness in your tastebuds, you’ll want to be strategic with how you top your pizza. Go beyond your typically “cheese and pepperoni” combo. Top it with some fresh hand squashed tomatoes, some mozzarella, and squash, zucchini, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. Get creative. Use the produce you have. There are no rules!
Slow Cook It
Slow cooking is the best way to go, especially if you have any type of meat on your pizza – chopped chicken breast or bacon, especially. Cooking slowly over indirect heat will allow the meat to cook just perfectly, and make sure the veggies are all crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. If you’re using a charcoal grill, expect to let it sit for 40 minutes, rotating it about every 10.
Go ahead and swap out burgers and hotdogs for a homemade, thin crusted, slow cooked, veggie topped, grilled pizza. You (and all of your friends) will be so glad that you did!
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