How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

[sssmasi]

Do you want to know how to get the most out of your pizza stone?

At our house we do not have an oven (of course it is on our "to do list") so we improvise. I found that I can get very good results by using the BBQ. I have included lots of pictures to show you what you can get.

I heat my BBQ to about 550 degrees with the stone placed directly on the grill. I turn on the infrared option on the back set it at low (when the pizza is almost done I turn up the infrared to sear the top of pizza and burn the crust a bit). I let the oven heat up to 550 for at least an hour. If you do not do this you will get bad results!

From there it is just like cooking in your oven... Your BBQ will get hotter than your oven and you will get WAY better results.

[sssmasi]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Just some more pictures!... the limit is 5!

[BarbaraC]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

This is great! - thanks for sharing this. When I try a Weber Kettle with coal I will share photos as well.

My suspicions are being confirmed here. I love the photos. Can't wait to try this.

[james]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Build up a good bed of coals that will burn for at least an hour, so you can get your stone fully heated.

We will look forward photos.
James

[BarbaraC]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Will do. I will give it a try this weekend. I think I will dump the coals out of the chimney before they get too hot and then add more on top. If I do this, I can place the grill on and the stone before it gets too hot and hopefully I won't get cracking in the stone. I read somewhere yesterday someone who has tried this elsewhere opened the top after making the 1st pizza to let the coals get really hot again and to get the stone hot again.

I'm guessing the vents should be totally open so the fire is max. This will be what I try.

[sssmasi]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

BarbaraC,

Although I do not know much about how hot a Weber grill actually gets I would be careful about dumping out coals. You want your oven really hot. If you have your stone in when the oven is just heating (from the beginning) up it probably won't crack... do not put your stone into a blazing hot BBQ(that is a sure way to break it). It seems to me that if you are constantly dumping out coals it will simply not get hot enough. Does your BBQ have a thermometer on it? If so just make sure it is around 550-600. Then your pies should be perfect.

Also... do not expect to much on your first try... I do not even want to tell you what my first pizzas looked like ! Pizza really just takes a lot of practice... eventually they become edible. haha!

[BarbaraC]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Thanks, and sorry, what I meant by dumping them is that in the chimney starter dumping them into the barbeque grill before they are at full heat, not removing them. I wasn't clear. So if I empty the coal starter chimney into the grill before the coals get too far along in heat, then put more unstarted charcoal on top, by the time the heat gets farther along and it all ignites the stone will have enough time to heat without cracking. That way I will get a really hot fire.

When I cook a turkey using the "indirect method" on the Weber kettle, there are side grates and the hot coals go divided on each side and you add more unstarted coals on top so the heat remains constant as it all ignites. It doesn't flame out. You feed more charcoal so you don't use it too fast. I think James is also referring to making sure enough is used so you have at least an hour before cooking to let the stone and grill get up to temp.

[sssmasi]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

BarbaraC,

Well it sounds to me like you know what you are talking about... and I don't haha! I've never used an old fashioned BBQ to cook steaks let alone pizza... so good luck! I look forward to seeing your results.

Good luck!

[stuart]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

I've been cooking pizza on my Big Green Egg smoker/grill for about 6 years and love it. I'm still moving forward on a real oven this spring. The BGE wil not comapre to a Casa, Premio, Artigiano or Pompeii in consistency, capacity or versatility. So my egg will be retired from some of the use it gets now and used for low and slow BBQ. Yummmm, slow-cooked pulled pork on pizza!

I recommend using hardwood lump charcoal for anyone grilling/baking with coals. Pressed briquettes typically have filler and some chemicals that will impart off flavors to your pie. Hardwood burns hotter and longer.

[matthew]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Hi there,
I've been experimenting with this for quite some time now & believe it or not, I'm finding that my stone gets to hot. Within a minute or so of being on the stone, the bottom of the pizza is burnt while top is still very light. After shaping my pizzas I remove any excess flour but am finding that once it hits the stone it burns immediately. Your pizzas look fantastic. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Regards,
Matt

[BarbaraC]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

Matt,
Do you have an IR thermometer? It really helps to know the temp of the stone. I don't know if it would help, but the double stone technique by Villa roma may help you. Check out the other thread.

[Aimless Ryan]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

I've been experimenting with this for quite some time now & believe it or not, I'm finding that my stone gets to hot. Within a minute or so of being on the stone, the bottom of the pizza is burnt while top is still very light. After shaping my pizzas I remove any excess flour but am finding that once it hits the stone it burns immediately. Your pizzas look fantastic. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

A lot of it depends on the grill you use.

I have two gas grills available to choose from, and I get very different results depending on which grill I use. With the grill I use most frequently, I don't even fire it up until I've already stretched my dough because the stone gets really hot really fast. (Sounds like your grill.) Additionally, this grill provides very little top heat, so it's always an adventure. You really have to know what you're doing to make pizza in this grill.

The other grill is less of an adventure. It doesn't get nearly as hot, and it requires less skill to produce an edible pizza. It does make a very good pizza (compared to the electric oven in the house), but not necessarily a memorable pizza. Honestly, I can't remember exactly how it behaves because I haven't used it in a couple years.

I almost always peel my pizzas onto the stone, but with the first grill I described (the hot one), I occasionally use a screen. I really don't like using screens, but this method gives the top of the pizza a chance to cook.

I think the most important factor in learning how to make great pizza in different ovens is experience. Just like with anything else--bowling, football, musical instruments, math, etc.--you need to practice to improve (or to gain knowledge). Obsession helps, too.

Ryan

[Thom]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

I know this is an old thread but I've been cooking pizza's on my grill for almost a year now. Over that time I have used 3 different grills. I had a similar experience as Ryan with my hot grill. I found that putting the pizza stone on a layer of 1" fire brick helps.

Thom

[Aimless Ryan]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

A gas grill trick I've learned within the last year: Cover the bottom of the stone with aluminum foil. Foil reflects heat and keeps the stone from getting too hot. With this trick, there's no need to use a screen; you can peel the skin directly onto the stone, just like you would in an oven. I've had amazing results since I started doing this.

[stoveup]

Re: How to cook pizza on your BBQ - Pictures!

I'm glad Thom revived this thread. My experience on the grill (aka BBQ outside the U.S.A.) has been like Matthew's - stone too hot, instantly burns bottom of pizza to a crisp while the top hasn't even gotten warm. Heating the stone to a lower temp saves the burning, but the top takes forever to cook because the grill loses all of its heat while it's open for loading the pizza. Even turning all of the burners to high as soon as the pizza is in doesn't work. And the pizza sucks .

I don't have an infrared unit on my grill. I wonder if I can retrofit one, but mount it in the top so it will be directly over the pizza...hmmmm