June 6, 2007 - 6:10pm
Can baking stone go on the grill?
I've read a few references to using a pizza stone on the grill. I've also read advice not to do so. Has anyone here used a pizza stone on a gas grill? I'm hoping that using some woodchips would give it a bit of a smoky flavor. I'm just getting a baking stone and will try it inside first anyway.
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I grill pizza on my gas grill regularly. I don't use a stone, but grill right on the grate without any problems. I will admit the dough is a little stiffer than most, but I get lots of requests by friends and family to make them a pizza on the grill.
For some reason, I assumed a full sized pizza on the grill would have to be done on a stone or a pan. How is your grilled pizza different than pizza baked in an oven? I get the big advantage of not heating the oven on a hot day, but since DH is the grillmeister in our house I can use plenty of reasons if I'm to talk him into trying it.
You said the dough is stiffer - is that a result of the grilling or do you prepare it that way so you can grill it?
How do you transfer the pizza to and from the grill?
Enough questions? :~)
I've done pizza on the grill both ways and my opinion is it's better directly on the grill. Problem with the stone is, it cooks on the bottom too quickly. Most recipes for grilled pizza have you cook one side, flip it over and top it on the browned side, then cook the other side. What I've done that my family loves is grill up the dough on both sides as kind of a home made boboli, then top it and finish it in a regular oven. I even make them in advance and freeze them. True the crust is "tougher" but people love it.
I have tried using a wetter dough as well as the dryer one, but the wet one had a tendency to sag through the grate. :( It only takes a few minutes to cook a side. Once you have it cooked, about 3 minutes, you take it off the grill, flip it uncooked side down and add toppings. Then put it back on the grill for around 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. That's it.
Like I said, I'm going to try and post the whole thing later today.
As promised, I've posted the way I do grilled pizza.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3358/americas-test-kitchen-grilled-pizza
Hi, there is a small thread on the post re: Pizza. I use a two step grilling process, directly on the grill, no stone.
place dough on floured pizza peel, suppose you could also use semonlina flour or corn meal. use a firm shake and dough will come off and keep pulling the peel as the dough pays out onto the grill
cook one side until browned, remove, spread olive oil on cooked side, add toppings
place the now stiff (and easier to handle) half baked crust on the peel, uncooked side down, transfer to grill and finish until side #2 is done, voila.
enjoy!
SD Baker
Thanks SD. Sounds good! Do you add pizza sauce besides the olive oil? Is the oil for flavor or does it condition the crust as well?
I'll go look at the other thread. I have my dough in the fridge now for Friday night. :)
PKDT, the recipe I used actually called for a garlic olive oil, but I didnt have time to make the infusion. I think it's for flavor and crust prep. I suppose you could add sauce with no prob, I just used some fontina cheese, basil, prociutto, etc. Keep it simple, use thin toppings given the short cooking time. sauce sounds great. Think Floyd had a recipe he posted.
SD Baker
Ina Garten has a cooking show on FoodTV that will air again June 13 so you can get a look at how she does this with small individual pizzas. Darn, it just aired again. Anyway, check out this thread and make note of the upcoming reairing of this episode if you're interested. She grills them right on the grill.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ig/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9971_32727,00.html
I bought some firebrick splits (same dimension as regular firebrick but half the thickness) and I lay them down on top of the grate edge to edge creating a solid masonry surface with a gap around the perimeter. When the bricks are up to temp I lower the heat to about half and cook on the stones. I tried using my pizza stone but it isn't thick enough to prevent over heating and I scorched the dough. The split bricks are only $1.50 each in my area so it's not a big deal. I store them below the grill for easy use.
Also I have used the bricks to create extra oven space during the holidays. Last Thanksgiving we put two dishes in the grill "oven" to warm up without burning the potatoes which would happen without the bricks.
Eric
Thanks eric, I didn't know they made them I was going to borrow a wet saw in the summer and slice full sized one in half! My big brother used the technique to make a "brick wall" , he sliced 1 brick into 3 slices and mortored them down to the floors and walls in part of his house, which was frame luber, you could not tell the real from the fake!
I am passing by the cement yard next few days if I can . Be advised when you buy the bricks to put them all on a flat surface and see theedges all line up nicely. Like dye lots sometimes they do not match up, this is annoying when you use a thin peel.
I have used full sized bricks to line my webber gas grill and made apple and pear pies last fall, with a 20-minute preheat, (lotsa gas), but in summer it is less, especially if the sun is hitting it. One could make a relfective annd insulating cap for it for winter use, but by then the kitchen is safe to use again. (I have no a/c)
I need to go make some lentil barley soup, so ttfn
chris
I cook pizza on stones on my grill and it works great. Better than most of the places in town that make gourmet pizza to my taste. I use the dough and guidelines from BBA and get it as thin as I can and then top the pizza with sauce and a couple of ingredients and cook it for about 7 min. No two step cooking (that's a good idea thought for thicker crust). I keep the grill on high and the temp gauge reads around 700 (F). Fantastic pizza. The real key is to keep the toppings simple and the crust thin. If you want deep dish style pizza the grill is not the best method but if you want Neopolitan style there's no substitute. A couple of weeks ago I cooked 12 for a party in our yard and it was tons of fun. I set up two big cutting boards and made the pizzas on one and serverd hot from the grill on the other. I couldn't make em fast enough. We made calzones the same way. I've been trying to make good pizza for years and was not satisfied until I used this method and dough recipe. It's true that the key is getting the heat high enough.
Word of caution.... Keep the grill closed as much as possible to keep the heat up and use a stone you don't care about because it will probably crack. I have two stones I use for the grill that are in a couple of pieces each but they work fine pushed back together. It's realy no different than having tiles layed out.
I used KA bread flour adding 10% stone ground whole wheat with the recommended oil added to tenderize and active dry yeast (although instant would have been better and easier as the BBA recipe uses but I didn't have any on hand). I can't throw the dough so I rolled it out, (folded it in 1/4s to transfer it to the peel) put it on the peel and then topped it. The pizzas were rolled out the size of a regular round baking stone (don't know what size that is but I can measure if you want)
Give it a go!
Oh, and I don't crimp an edge or anything I just spread the sauce and leave a half to an inch of dough that will bubble up nicely. I kept the dough balls in the fridge for three days in bags. It would have been better to have them on a tray and then covered as I had to use a bunch of oil in each bag to keep em from sticking.
SD, the fontina, prosciutto & basil sounds so good we're trying it tonight. I may even make some garlic oil.
zola, thanks for the headsup on the Ina Garten show. I like her shows, but don't often catch them.
eric, the firebricks sound like a neat idea. I could use some extra oven space on Thanksgiving. When I used to host holiday meals, my microwave always shut down at some point because it couldn't take so much prolonged use (as my extra oven). It recovered in a few hours, btw.
rideold, I've copies your notes for DH. Thanks!
Or you can try one of these
http://www.2stonepg.com/2stone-pizza-gril.html
I believe these are for gas grills. No experience with them, but read some good reports.
grilling directly on teh grate is easy. Check this book out from your library or grab at your bookstore - Pizza on the Grill. WONDERFUL book as is her grilling cookbook "Taming the Flame". It's more technique than recipes (though there are great recipes) which is what I love the most about it.
Wish I would have seen the "grillstonz" before I bought the pizzaque stone (($82 from 4thegrill site). But I plan to use that for bread baking. I found it WAY suppar for actual pizza.
I use uncoated terra cotta tile from Homeys. About .50 each.
I use them in the oven or on the grill.
On the grill, I set up a full chimney of coal. After it's lit and I dump it, I add another dozen coals or so. Spread coals to the outer edge of the grill, about a 3-4" band.
Grill on top, terra cotta tiles on top. Let it heat about an hour.
The tiles are hot, but the internal temp of the grill has dropped enough so as not to char the pizza. I give it 10-12 mins with the raw ingredients on top.
The crust is nice, no carbon. I've used several dough recipes with similar results.
ooops!!