-35- Thunder Bellys BBQ BBQ'd Pizza, Yes ,That is Correct, BBQ'd Pizza
By Lance Schmidt
Published Oct 26, 2007
Thunder Bellys BBQ:
BBQ'd Pizza!
Pizza! It's not just for breakfast anymore! Really! The trend now is to serve pizza for lunch and dinner, not just as a breakfast food. (Grin) Seriously though, let's do pizza on the grill for a change. Think about it. The best pizza parlors that I know of use a wood fired or coal fired pizza oven. Those kind of ovens get hot, hot, hot! You can buy an outdoor pizza oven for a couple of thousand dollars, or turn your existing kettle grill into one. Try it my way before spending those big bucks. (smile)
To do this right, we have to shift gears and build our charcoal fire a little bit differently. Instead of shoving the charcoal to one side as we do for 99.9% of our BBQ'ing, we will build the fire in the center of the kettle grill. We want to build a small bed of charcoal, (approx. sixty briquettes), in a circle roughly the same size as the pizza you will be BBQ'ing. (I can't believe I actually counted the briquettes! Don't ask me to do that again!) Build it about three briquettes high. Make sure that you have an even fire. Move the charcoal around if you have to before placing the pizza on the grill. We want to achieve as even a fire as we can.
You can use pizza stones, (high heat treated clay/stone tiles), or a pizza pan. When you get really good at this, you can also go directly on the grill grate itself. I like using a pizza pan with holes. It makes for easy removal when the pizza is done. Use some peanut oil on the pizza pan just before placing it over the fire. You can do a from scratch pizza or use a store bought frozen pizza that you have schmaltzed up with your own additional toppings. Don't make it too thick. You want the center to get done. BBQ your pizza with the kettle grill lid on for 10 to 15 minutes. Check the pizza doneness by lifting up the edge of the pizza a little bit to check the bottom. When the edges turn a golden brown, it will be done. A little bit of scorching is to be expected, even encouraged. When done to your liking, cut quickly, and serve promptly. Once you taste the smokiness of the charcoal on the toppings, and savor the crispy crust, you will never make pizza in the oven again. (Smile)
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