Grilled Pizza

There is little food that Brad and I enjoy more than pizza. Any pizza, really: delivery, cardboard-frozen, frozen that doesn't taste like frozen, eat-in, buffet, Totino's party pizza, deep-dish, thin-crust, hand-tossed, plain, the works, etc, etc.

A long time ago, my older brother, TJ, told us about how he and his family like to grill pizza. Well, it's no secret that Brad loves to dominate his Weber, so it wasn't long until he mastered the grilled pizza recipe.

Recently, there was no better way to celebrate Labor Day than joining friends and gathering around a grill and a pizza pie! Brad and I crashed Charles and Emily's house along with Chris, our friend from church, and their next door neighbor.

So, let me tell you how it's done. (You know it has to be so easy, or we wouldn't do it so often.) Buy some of that pre-made pizza crust. (Like I said, easy.) Use a basting brush and cover the topping-side with olive oil. Cook it top-down on the grill for a few minutes until it's toasty. If you're using a gas grill, it doesn't really matter how you do that. If you're using a charcoal grill, you don't want the crust directly over the flames. Oh, and be careful how many hickory chips you add to the fire. They're a great idea, but one time, we used so much that our pizzas tasted like straight-up wood smoke.

Next, turn it over, spread olive oil over the bottom and then set it on something that can get greasy so that you can put the toppings on the already-toasted side. Of course, you'll need some pizza sauce, but let me tell you, a little goes a long way. One can easily spreads over two crusts with plenty left over.

Then, add your first layer of mozzarella cheese, followed by any toppings you desire. Get creative! We always have pepperoni, like to add diced tomatoes, do pineapples when I get my way, and have even done a "supreme" with peppers and onions before. You can also add a few Italian seasonings to the top for some good taste and pretty pizza. When you're done with the toppings, cover it a second time with cheese to keep it all in. Brad is very strict about not "center loading" the pizza, so be sure to get the toppings and cheese all the way out to the crust!

When you're pleased with the creation, just stick it on the grill, close the lid, and wait. The cheese will melt perfectly. Be careful not to make the toppings so thick that the crust burns before your toppings are warm, though. Periodically, open the lid, check the meltiness and the bottom of the crust to see how golden it's getting. When it all feels warm enough to be good to eat, take it off, slice it up, and enjoy!

See? I told you it was so easy. And it's fun, too. We don't have any kids, but I'm sure they would love piling those pepperonis high! For an appetizer, you can do like we did and have some great garlic cheese bread. We did not make this on the grill, as well, but it can be done. However, we did add the cheese ourselves, so we still felt pretty culinary about it.

What's your favorite pizza? What's your favorite recipe for the grill? Is it easy enough for even me to handle??