Keeping the House Chill- Pizza on the Grill!

Summertime is all about getting outside and spending time with friends while the weather is nice. I love to grill and come up with new ways of using the grill to keep my kitchen cool in the summertime. Follow this step by step set of instructions on how to set up your backyard barbecue for cooking pizzas and you may never look back to your boring oven again!

Step 1: Prepare Your Grill

If you are using a charcoal grill, it is important to make sure the grill is clean of ash and any debris that will prevent any kind of airflow blockage.

Step 2: Create a Thermal Barrier on Your Grill

We will be cooking at no less than 500F so you will need some kind of a barrier to diffuse the heat and allow for even, smoother cooking of your pizza.
I use various items to
1. diffuse the heat
2. absorb the heat
3. raise the pizza higher up in the grill

Here I put a plate setter with the legs up over my hardwood lump charcoal. On top of that, I put a grill grate with three fire bricks on top to again absorb, and diffuse the heat while raising the pizza cooking surface closer to the top of the grill.

Step 3: Placing Your Pizza Stone

Here on top of all of the other ceramic items, I finally place the pizza stone. If you have a gas grill, something as simple as a couple of fire bricks with the pizza stone on top may be enough for you to get the grill set correctly for cooking pizzas. The idea is to figure out a way to raise the pizza stone to within a few inches of the top of the grills dome or lid.

I prefer to pre-heat my setup for at least 45 min before attempting a pizza. An hour is preferable.

Step 4: A Simple Trick to Help Transfer Your Pizza-

When you make your pizza, roll your dough out onto parchment paper and then put on your toppings. Do not go over board on the toppings because too many will take too long to cook and make the pizza soggy.

The parchment paper with the pizza on top can go directly on your pizza stone. It easily slides on to the pizza stone and should make for a smooth transfer. When the pizza is about a third of the way to half way done, you can peek at it and slip out the parchment paper from underneath. Then allow the pizza to finish cooking.

Step 5: Freestyle and Go Crazy With What Types of Pizzas You Can Create

Now it is time to reach into the cooler and grab a round of Mikes Hard Lemonade for you and your friends so you can discuss the nuances of what to top the next pizza with. Or maybe just go and pitch another game of horseshoes! Happy Summer!