How to: Master the Grilled Pizza

We know what you’re thinking: If popping a frozen pizza in the oven comes out perfect every time, why mess with it? We get that point of view, practical one, but what about on those summer nights when you’re longing to spend as much time as possible outside? Maybe your kids are playing ball in the backyard, or you’ve got a few friends gathered around on your deck. The last place you want to be is next to a hot oven waiting for the pizza timer to go off.

Those summer evenings basically beg you to fire up the grill and cook al fresco so you can soak up every last ounce of the day. Burgers or hot dogs are an obvious menu choice, but by the seventeenth burger of summer in just as many days, things can get a little stale. So we present to you a novel idea to help you get unstuck from your grilling routine: Home Run Inn pizza on the grill. (Yes, we went there.)

Simply slide the frozen pizza directly onto the grates of a preheated gas grill that’s set to medium-low heat. Or, for indirect heat to prevent burning on the bottom of the pizza crust, light the outside burners to medium and leave the middle ones off.

After six to 16 minutes of cooking with the grill closed (check out this post for details on exactly how long based on your pizza of choice), turn the ‘za about 90 degrees. Close the grill cover, and continue cooking for another six to 16 minutes (again, consult that post for specific timing instructions).

If you keep your grill in pristine condition and are worried about shreds of cheese falling into the middle, you can use a ceramic pizza stone as a buffer between the grates and the dough. Just make sure you set the stone in the grill during the preheating process so it’s super hot by the time you slide the pizza onto it.

Use a food thermometer to test the pizza’s temp to know when it’s done. Once you see 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you’re golden. Slide the pizza off the grill using a spatula (or two) and serve it up to your friends, who will now likely be entering you into grilling competitions behind your back.

Full disclosure: Your first run might not be so pretty. Grilling pizza involves a little trial and error since every grill heats up a bit differently. But we promise you it’ll be the tastiest of experiments, and you’ll come to see grill marks on a pizza as a badge of honor.