BBQ Pizza!

Hooray it is a sunny and warmish day, so pull that cover off the BBQ  ’cause the outdoor cooking season isn’t over just yet!  Even though most people will have been firing up the BBQ for hot dogs, burgers and chicken for months now, I would encourage you to give this dish a try.  Not only is it dramatic to make, it is a quick, easy way to make all the little bits of leftovers in your fridge into something special.   I have included the recipe I used for the crust below but the rest is all made up – and I encourage you to do the same.

A tasty twist on the usual BBQ fare

Now whilst this recipe works for the BBQ I see no reason not to have ready-to-use homemade pizza dough lingering in your fridge at all times.  This dough is easy to make, ready in just a few hours and can be stored for up to 3-5 days for any unforeseen pizza emergencies.

 

Prepare a floured surface

 When the mood strikes to give this a go and your dough is in some stage of ready – go turn on the BBQ.  It needs to be super hot for this and it all happens very fast once you get going.  Next cook and/or cut up all your topping ingredients to be ready for action.  Once you are hot, diced and shredded – prepare a surface with a bit of flour to roll out the dough.

It doesn’t need to be too big or neat but I tend to favour the 1/4 inch or 5 mm thickness.

Now these next steps are important so please pay attention.  You DO NOT grease the BBQ (ever really in my opinion) but you MUST generously bathe your rolled dough with olive oil.  No skimping to save on fat grams all you skinny minis out there –  this is neither the time nor the place.

Now you need to press a flexible chopping board onto the oiled dough so you can flip it over and coat the other side.  Then pick up the flexible chopping board and place on a tray ready to shift things outside and begin the fun.

Use caution & confidence!

Lift the cover on your super heated BBQ, give the wires a good scrape and sort of thwack the dough down onto the grill.  (You need to do this with conviction or it will all go horribly wrong.)  Then quickly peel the flexible chopping off the top, stand back and allow yourself to breathe.

Despite your expectations of watching the dough ooze onto the coals below, in just a minute or so you will start to see big bubbles forming.  This is your cue to get ready to flip it over.

I chose to employ both tongs and my biggest pancake spatula for this but I am hoping to work up to tongs alone proficiency.  Now, here is where I chose to experiment a bit.  In the picture above notice how BOTH side of my massive BBQ are turned to high.

In an effort to prevent charring on the underside of the dough I cheated and popped the dough on a pizza stone (with much tut tutting from the Pampered Chef folks out there) but I made absolutely sure that I turned the burner off on that side of the BBQ.  You don’t need the stone to do this, but be sure to move the dough to cook with indirect heat for the rest of  process.  (You can also shift back indoors to finish in a hot oven and still have a really yummy crust)

Now that you have switched from direct to indirect grilling, place the sauce of your choice onto the dough,

and complete with your toppings.  Be sure to close the lid of your BBQ (or cover the whole lot with tin foil) and let your creation perfom the necessary alchemy to become proper pizza.

When the cheese has melted to your desired degree of completion, remove from the BBQ, cut, serve and enjoy!

Here is another effort that sought to recreate my half remembered craving from the California Pizza Kitchen.  Instead of the traditional tomato sauce – slather your dough with a smoky BBQ Sauce (bottled is just fine),

and top with cooked chicken, red onion, corn and a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Slap the lid down and let the smoky, sticky, sweet yumminess do its thing.

Voila! BBQ Chicken Pizza

 Use the recipe below as a template to create your own unique combinations.  Who knows, it could become your next signature dish!