Pizza on the Grill has Never Been Easier!

Pizza on the grill is no longer the domain of dough-meisters and foodies. You don't have to labor over making dough nor do you have to turn your grill into a blast furnace.
Try these simple tips for grilling great pizza.

Leftovers make great grilled pizza.

Gravy, sausage, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs and bacon are all pre-cooked ahead of time for an easy to make breakfast pizza at home or at the tailgate. Photo courtesy of Nibble Me This

Country-Time lemonade crystals are the secret
to this grilled fruit pizza.

1. Buy partially baked crusts or pre-made pizzas fresh or frozen. You'll be surprised how easy is it to grill a pre-made pizza from your local supermarket, even a frozen pizza. The real fun though comes from building your own pizza using premade crusts such as Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crusts. "The hard work is done so all that's left is the fun of building and grilling your own pizza" explains Tom Baliker of Spartan Foods, makers of Mama Mary's Gourmet Pizza Crusts. "Find the crusts in the deli-section. They're not frozen and are ready to grill. Several varieties are available from thin and crispy to deep welled crusts. The personal size pizzas are great for children to build their own pizzas and let dad play short order
cook" adds Baliker.

2. Easy on the heat. Pizza ovens may cook at 800F but you can't and shouldn't. Pizza over an open flame will burn and blacken well before the toppings are melted. Keep your grill surface below 400F. At that temperature you can grill for 15-20 minutes. So pile on the toppings and grill your perfect pizza. New grill surfaces such as GrillGrates make it even easier to grill pizza crispy brown while protecting the crust
from burning.

3. Use indirect grill heat. Further protect the crust from burning and allow time to thoroughly cook the toppings. Gas grillers, turn off a burner or two. Charcoal grillers just build the coals to one side or around the edge.
Pizza for breakfast?

"Grilled breakfast pizza has become a holiday tradition around our house" explains Brad Barrett, President of GrillGrate LLC, makers of GrillGrate an innovative new grill surface. "We precook all of the ingredients the day before so in the morning it's family time making pizzas together over coffee and firing up the grill."

Don't forget dessert! After the dinner grilling is done, turn the grill down low and wow your guests with a fruit pizza or maybe a chocolate / raspberry pizza. Isn't it time you made grilling pizza part of your grilling repertoire?