Grilled pizza. There is nothing quite like it. While a lot of people may be intimidated with how to cook pizza on a grill, whether using gas or charcoal, a pizza stone or without a baking stone. It’s actually almost easier than it it in an oven at home, and the results are almost always delicious.
Cooking pizza on a grill requires a few things. The most important thing is the right recipe for pizza dough. Most doughs involve yeast, water, a little oil, and flour, and in most cases that is really all you need.
Now, here is where things start getting muddled and tricky. You know you want pizza and you have your dough, but you probably have no idea what to do next!
Some people ask me if a baking stone is necessary. You’ll need to be careful about the type of baking stone you use in a grill, as all are not safe to use, so make sure if you are using one you choose one that is rated and made specifically for grill use.
The good news is, unless you’re using a gluten free crust (which is typically different in texture) you don’t really need a baking stone. Some find that it helps and is a necessity in an oven, but on a grill, that’s not always the case.
There is a little secret for making the perfect grilled pizza, whether on a gas or charcoal grill. What is it? You need a hot side and a cold side. If you’re using really small charcoal grill, then you may not be able to do this, but for most people with a kettle grill or your traditional gas grill, this is actually quite easy.
If you are using charcoal, you’ll want to light your charcoal the way you normally would, keeping one side with less coals than the other side once you spread them around. Make sure you are using a high quality natural charcoal. If using a gas grill, your job is much easier, simply leave one burner on high and one on the lowest temperature you can get.
First, you will want to cook the crust on the high side. Make sure you have all of your toppings ready right next to you, because this will cook really fast – within just a few minutes you’ll have a nice puffy crust. Once the bottom is browned to your liking, you’re ready to flip it over onto the cool side. Now load up your toppings, close the lid of the grill for a few minutes and cook until your toppings are bubbly and the bottom of the crust is cooked to your liking.
So now you now how to cook pizza on a gas grill (or use charcoal) and with a pizza stone for the grill or not. It’s a little more advanced grilling, but if you love to grill and you love pizza, the efforts are well worth it.
