Ah, pizza. You've become so versatile over the years. So many variations of yourself, yet somehow you've always remained uniquely delicious. Pizza can really be enjoyed by just about anybody with all of the variations that exist out there.
If you're gluten free you can make a cauliflower crust, if you're vegetarian just hold the meat. The modifications go on, and on, and on.
Tips For Grilling the Perfect Pizza
1. Use a pizza stone.
Yes, it may sound like we're trying to sell you something right off the bat, but a pizza stone really is a game changer. You'll find it gives your crust the perfect crispiness without burning or being soggy.
2. Preheat your pizza stone at the same time as the barbecue.
Putting a cold stone onto a hot barbecue usually ends in a cracked stone and a pool of man-tears. Allowing the stone to rise in temperature along with the barbecue will also make sure that the dough starts cooking as soon as you get it onto the stone.
3. Turn up the heat.
For the ideal pizza, you want your barbecue, oven or pizza oven to be at least 550°F before you even get the notion to put your pizza in there. Yes, the box on your McCain pizza may say 375° or 425° but this is not the same thing.
4. Prepare your pizza directly on the peel.
For those of you who don't know what a peel is, it's a wooden or steel paddle that helps send your pizza into the fiery fortress that is your barbecue or pizza oven. It also helps to retrieve it.
Preparing the pizza directly on the peel a) cuts down on prep space and clean up and b) expedites the process so you don't have to fiddle around trying to get the pizza off the cutting board and onto the peel. Less prep time means food is ready faster.
5. No more sticky icky, thanks to cornmeal!
Sprinkling some cornmeal on your work space, be it on your peel like we suggested or on your stone or countertop, will prevent the dough from sticking and absorbs some of the moisture from the crust. You've probably been told to do this with flour. They're not wrong, per se, but cornmeal is better because it won't burn like flour does.