Grilled Pizza the Right Way: The Best Technique for Cooking Incredible Tasting Pizza & Flatbread on Your Barbecue Perfectly Chewy & Crispy Every Time by John Delpha | eBook

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Grilled Pizza The Right Way

By John Delpha, Ken Goodman

Page Street Publishing Co.

CHAPTER 1

LEARNING LESSONS, BASIC TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT

Grilling pizza can at first seem daunting. When you read the instructions on The Anything But Basic Tomato and Cheese Grilled Pizza that follows, you will undoubtedly think that it is a lot of work. It really isn't, but it is extremely technique driven. Once you learn the basic technique and continue to advance your skills, you will see that it really isn't that hard to achieve the crispy, smoky crust that is the key to great grilled pizza.
Read this entire chapter, including the tips, before starting. Practice making the shells at least a couple of times before inviting friends over to ensure that you have the technique down. It will get easier, and you will learn how to manage a fire if you are using a charcoal grill. Gas grills are a bit easier.
Equipment: Grill, fuel, grill grate cleaning brush, chimney starter, paper to start the chimney, matches or lighter, tongs (10" [25.5 cm] suggested), metal pizza peel, half sheet pan or cookie sheet, squeeze bottle, pastry brush, damp towel, dry towel or oven mitt, pizza cutting wheel or knife, workstation adjacent to grill.
Charcoal grill fire management: Light the charcoal in a chimney and keep the coals in the chimney until the coals are all glowing. Dump them on the half of the grill that is opposite your workstation and spread them out evenly. If you can keep the coals contained to one half of the grill you will have a better indirect zone in which to add the ingredients to the pizza. In between making pizzas or stretching out the dough keep the lid on the grill to retain heat and prevent the fire from getting too hot. If needed, you can add coals when your fuel supply has been depleted to less than 50 percent. Keep in mind it will take some time for those coals to ignite and turn a bit ashy before you can use them. You do not want to be cooking a pizza over coals that are on fire.
Gas Grill Management: For 4 burner grills, light the 2 burners on the side of the grill farthest from your workstation on high. Close the grill and let the grates heat about 10 minutes. With 3 burner grills, light the burner farthest from your workstation on high and the middle burner on a medium-low flame. Close the grill and let the grates heat about 10 minutes. Depending on how large your grill is, you may have to turn the middle burner to low.

THE ANYTHING BUT BASIC TOMATO AND CHEESE GRILLED PIZZA
This is the first grilled pizza you should master, as it is the foundation for many other variations. Once you are comfortable making this pizza, it will be much easier to transition to other pizzas with additional ingredients. This pizza relies heavily on superior ingredients and proper technique. When making something as simple as a tomato and cheese pizza, you should work with the best ingredients you can find because lesser quality ingredients will often reveal flaws in imperfect technique or improper preparation. But here is where I contradict myself. I have included store-bought, prepared ingredients in some recipes for the sake of timesaving and convenience.
Take the time to read the recipe instructions and be sure to have all of your ingredients prepared and nearby, placed in containers that are easy to reach into or scoop out of. Remember the Six P's: Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. The level of preparedness is directly proportional to the level of success you will have. Once you get competent with this pizza, be prepared to dazzle your friends with your grill mastery. (For guys, the instant chick magnet thing doesn't hurt either. And any gal who can competently handle a grill is always more attractive.)
* YIELDS 3 TO 4 PIZZAS

INGREDIENTS

20 oz (566 g) Pizza Dough (recipe follows) or 1 pound (454 g) store-bought pizza dough
Light cooking oil
Extra virgin olive oil
3 c (420 g) Pizza Cheese Blend
3 c (720 ml) Basic Tomato Sauce
Sea salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley picked from stems and sliced thinly

DIRECTIONS

Refer to the equipment list above and set your grilling station up according to the photos here.

Light your grill. Prepare a direct and an indirect zone. The direct cooking side of the grill is the side with the fuel under it. The indirect side of the grill is the side with little or no fuel under it.

Pour about a ¼ cup (60 ml) of cooking oil onto a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet with sides. Make sure your hands are clean and dry. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and without working it too much, form it into a log about 3 inches (7.62 cm) in diameter on a cutting surface. Cut the dough in half and then each half in half again (approximately 5-ounce [142 g] balls). If you are working with one pound (454 g) of dough, cut it into equal thirds. Pick up each piece of dough and fold the edges underneath and press together to form a ball. Dip the top of the ball in the oil, coat it thoroughly with oil and place on the cookie sheet. Wipe your hands. Repeat with the remaining slices.

The temperature of your work/grilling environment will determine whether you need to refrigerate the balls or leave them out to begin the proofing process. Generally speaking, the dough should be at the proper temperature for stretching in about 10 to 15 minutes in temperate climates.

Place your tomato sauce on a warm spot on the grill just to give it a little heat to take the chill off.

Clean your grill grates with a wire brush after the grill has heated.

Lightly grease an upside-down baking pan or cookie sheet and the palms of your hands. Place one of the balls in the center of the sheet and press down evenly with the palm of your hand. Working with both hands, start in the middle and spread the dough out with your palms while stretching the outer edges with your fingers. You should have an approximately 12 by 8 inch (30 × 20 cm) rectangle if the dough is stretched to a proper thinness.

Lift up the edge farthest from yourself and slide your fingers under the dough. Lift the dough from the cookie sheet. Keep your hands the same distance apart. Move to the direct zone of your grill and place the bottom edge of the dough at the farthest point from you allowing the dough to "catch" on the grill and pull the dough toward you in an even manner until it is completely on the grill. Wipe your hands and grab your tongs. You should be able to see the dough beginning to cook. Gently lift up 1 edge of the dough with the tongs to check for color. When you see some color setting in, lift the dough and give it a quarter turn with the peel. When the dough is sufficiently browned, but not charred, on the bottom, remove it from the direct zone and flip it over onto the indirect zone. The bottom is now the top.

With the dough over the indirect zone, use a squirt bottle to sprinkle some olive oil onto the dough and brush it evenly over the top with the pastry brush. Sprinkle 3/4 cup (105 g) of the cheese blend evenly over the dough and then start drizzling the tomato sauce on the dough in a pattern that will ensure you get some sauce in every bite. Do not spread the sauce.

If your grill is too small to create a distinct indirect zone, once you have crisped what will eventually be the top of the pizza, flip the pizza over back onto the direct side of the grill and toast for about 10-15 seconds. Remove the pizza to a metal pizza peel, build the pizza on the peel and then continue with the instructions for crisping the bottom. Toasting the bottom of the pizza before putting it on the peel will make it much easier to slide off the peel. Depending on how hot your fire is, you may need to remove the peel from the grill entirely.

Use the pizza peel to lift the edge of the pizza closest to you and slide the peel under the dough. Move the pizza to the hot zone. Remove the peel. Sprinkle the pizza with the salt, pepper and parsley. Rotate every 15 to 30 seconds to crisp the bottom. Depending on the heat of the grill, after about a minute or so you should see the cheese melting nicely and starting to bubble. Continue rotating the pizza on the peel and back onto the grill to promote an evenly charred and crispy bottom. When the cheese is all melted, the tomato sauce is hot and the bottom is crispy, remove the pizza from the grill with the peel. Drizzle some more olive oil onto the pizza, garnish with the parsley, slice twice lengthwise and three times across and serve. Enjoy. Repeat.

PIZZA DOUGH

* YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 10 (5-OUNCE [142 G]) PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

2 ¼ c (600 ml) warm water (100ºF [38ºC])
4 tsp (16 g) yeast
1 tbsp (12 g) sugar

2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
5 c (640 g) all purpose flour
½ c (64 g) semolina
1 tbsp (12 g) salt

DIRECTIONS

Place water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is activated (bubbly). Add oil, then add dry ingredients. Place a dough hook on the mixer and turn to medium low. Mix for approximately 5 minutes until a smooth ball appears. Turn the mixer to medium high and knead for approximately 2 minutes until the ball obtains a light shine. The dough can be put in a bag and refrigerated for use within the next 3 days or frozen for up to a month.

PIZZA CHEESE BLEND

This is a simple base of cheese for the majority of pizzas in the book. Feel free to experiment with your own favorites.

* YIELDS 2 POUNDS (454 G)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb (454 g) Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ lb (227 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
½ lb (227 g) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

Add all of the cheeses to a large bowl and stir to combine. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

I prefer to use whole peeled tomatoes in heavy purée for the sauce. My favorite brands of late are Nina, Redpack and Teresa. The sauce is uncooked to try to retain a certain lightness and just a small addition of garlic and salt is all you need.

* YIELDS 23/4 CUPS (700 ML)

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 (28-oz [794 g]) can whole, peeled tomatoes in heavy purée
1 tsp (6 g) kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the garlic is translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Empty the tomatoes into a small mixing bowl and crush the tomatoes into small chunks by hand. Add the garlic, oil and the salt and stir to combine. Reserve until needed.

THE CLASSICS

Classics remain because they are mainstays of society. I can't think of any Neapolitan pizzeria that doesn't serve a Pizza Margherita. Some of the pizzas in this chapter may not be typical classics, but they are classics to me because I have been eating them for a long time. The first bite of a pizza with peppers agro dolce and prosciutto instantly entered my hall of fame—try it, I hope you will agree. The Tribute to Providence Pizza is a classic for me because it triggers wonderful childhood pizza memories. It is a pizza I still yearn for today, so I have done my best to transfer those flavors to a grilled pizza. Summer corn, tomato and mozzarella is certainly a late August classic flavor combination where I grew up, and the ingredients work so perfectly on a pizza. Try them all. I am sure they won't disappoint. Cheers to the classics, here and now, those gone by and yours and mine!

PIZZA MARGHERITA
This is the pizza by which I evaluate almost every Neapolitan-style pizzeria. If they can make a really good Pizza Margherita, then I am willing to try some of their other creations. Simplicity shines through here. I know traditionally it is just tomato sauce, Mozzarella and basil, but I like to add the Pizza Cheese Blend for a little additional flavor. Feel free to leave it out if you yearn for traditionalism.
* YIELDS 1 PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

5 oz (142 g) oiled Pizza Dough ball
¾ c (105 g) Pizza Cheese Blend
¾ c (180 ml) Basic Tomato Sauce
2 oz (56 g) fresh Mozzarella, thinly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

DIRECTIONS

Lightly grease a metal work surface and the palms of your hands. Place the dough ball in the center of the surface and press down evenly with the palm of your hand. Working with both hands, start in the middle and spread the dough out with your palms while stretching the outer edges with your fingers. You should have an approximately 12 by 8 inch (30 × 20 cm) rectangle.

Lift up the edge farthest from yourself and slide your fingers under the dough. Move to the direct zone of your grill and place the bottom edge of the dough at the farthest point from you and pull the dough toward you to place on grill. Gently lift up 1 edge of the dough with the tongs to check for color. When you see some color setting in, lift the dough and give it a quarter turn with the peel. When the dough is sufficiently browned on the bottom, but not charred, remove it from the direct zone and flip it over onto the indirect zone. The bottom is now the top.

When you turn over the pizza onto the indirect side of the grill, brush with olive oil, sprinkle on the cheese blend, place slices of Mozzarella all around the pizza and spoon the sauce in dollops all over, remembering not to spread the sauce out. Move the pizza to the direct side of the grill and rotate every 15 to 30 seconds to crisp the bottom. When the bottom is crispy and the cheese is melted, remove from the grill, drizzle with olive oil and scatter the basil all over, slice and serve.

ROASTED PEPPERS AGRO DOLCE, PROSCIUTTO AND PARMIGIANO PIZZA

This pizza is an absolute fan favorite. Based upon the Anything But Basic Pizza, we continue with the simplicity and add a couple of knockout punches. We start by charring sweet red peppers and marinating them Agro Dolce style, which is Italian for sweet and sour. Then we add the silky texture and salty flavor of thinly sliced Italian prosciutto, finished with an umami kick from the king of all cheeses, shaved Parmigiano. You are taking your friends on a trip down taste sensory lane. I would have said to flavortown, but I think someone has coined that phrase already, and I certainly don't need any copyright infringements in my first book. Enjoy this with a nice cold glass of crisp Falanghina.

* YIELDS 1 PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

5 oz (142 g) oiled Pizza Dough ball
Extra virgin olive oil
¾ c (105 g) Pizza Cheese Blend
¾ c (180 ml) Basic Tomato Sauce
1/3 c (30 g) Peppers Agro Dolce
Freshly ground black pepper
Large pinch of thinly sliced flat-leaf parsley
5-6 thinly sliced pieces of prosciutto
2 tbsp (15 g) shaved Parmigiano

DIRECTIONS

Drizzle with olive oil and brush the crust evenly. Sprinkle the cheese all around the crust and add dollops of tomato sauce. After adding the tomato sauce add about 9 strips of roasted peppers agro dolce and some of the raisins in the marinade around the pizza (be sure to leave the raw garlic behind in the marinade and not on the pizza). Sprinkle pepper and parsley around the pizza and cook to desired doneness. Working quickly, remove the pizza from the heat and top with the prosciutto and shaved Parmigiano. Drizzle again with olive oil, slice and serve.

PEPPERS AGRO DOLCE

Agro dolce is Italian for "sweet and sour." These peppers are excellent additions to antipasto platters, grilled pizza, sandwiches, salads and grilled meats. Make more than what you need so you can keep some on hand. Charring the peppers gives them a nice smokiness that works well with the sweetness of the raisins and the tartness of the balsamic. They will keep for a month in the refrigerator.

* YIELDS 1 CUP (90 G)

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp (20 g) each dark raisins and golden raisins
2 red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, smashed
¼ c (60 ml) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

If you have an open-flame gas burner stove you can char the peppers on that. If not you can use the grill or broiler.

Soak the raisins in hot water to plump and rehydrate. Char the peppers evenly over a very hot fire all the way around. All the skin should be blistered. Remove the peppers and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 10 minutes. When peppers are cool enough to handle but not completely cold, rub the skins off the peppers with your hands or a kitchen towel. Tear open the peppers over a bowl to reserve the juices inside. Remove the stem and seeds and discard. Slice the peppers lengthwise into 1/8 to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) pieces. Return to the bowl with whatever juices may have leaked out when you tore them open. Drain the raisins from the water and add to the peppers. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Stir and then marinate for at least an hour at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate.

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