When I attended the Great Canadian Cheese Festival (see post here), I had the privilege of attending celebrity Chef Bob Blumer’s demonstration on how to grill pizza.  His recipe for grilled pizza can be found in his cookbook, Glutton for Pleasure.  His grilled pizza really was delicious.  I am sharing his instructions for how to grill a pizza on a BBQ here.  Note that he used an 8 burner BBQ that had a built in thermometer.

Bob Blumer

Bob Blumer

How to Grill Pizza on the BBQ

adapted from a demonstration by Bob Blumer using an 8 burner BBQ that had a built in thermometer

prepared pizza dough, at room temperature  (Note:  If the dough is coming from the refrigerator, allow it to sit at room temperature 1 hour prior to use.  If the dough is frozen, allow it to sit at room temperature 3 hours prior to use.)

sauce and toppings of your choice

olive oil

coarsely ground cornmeal

Preheat the BBQ to 500 degrees F with all of the burners turned on to medium heat.

Meanwhile, flatten the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.  Then rub olive oil generously over both sides of the dough.  Sprinkle cornmeal over both sides of the oiled dough.  This will prevent the pizza from sticking to the grill and will result in a crispy crust.  Then stretch out the dough until it is thin and shaped like a circle or oval.

Place the dough over direct heat in the BBQ and cook for 3 to 4 minutes with the lid closed.  The heat should be maintained at around 400 degrees F while the dough is cooking.  Adjust the burners accordingly.  Once the dough rises, bubbles, and turns brown on the bottom, remove it from the grill.  Flip the dough upside down so that the crispy, cooked bottom is now the top side of the pizza.  Turn the outside burners to high and turn the centre burners off.

Meanwhile, add sauce and toppings of your choice to the cooked side of the pizza dough.  The uncooked side of the dough should now be the bottom of the pizza.  Then place the pizza back into the BBQ, but this time, place it over indirect heat, i.e. in the centre of the grill.  Maintain a temperature of about 425 degrees F while the pizza is cooking.  Cook with the lid closed for approximately 8 minutes, until the bottom of the pizza has nicely browned, the toppings have warmed through, and the cheese is nicely melted.  Carefully remove from the grill, cut into wedges or slices using a large, sharp knife, and serve immediately.  Pizza is best enjoyed fresh out of the BBQ.