1. Home
  2. Pizza
  3. Home-style
  4. Crusts and doughs
  5. All recipes

Grilled pizza over a two-zone charcoal fire

J. Kenji López-Alt · ♥ 4.5K likes · 228.1K views · 17 min video

Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
  • 3 balls pizza dough
  • 3 % salt
  • 2 % yeast
Bulk ferment the same-day dough at room temperature about 4 hours, divide into three balls, and rest another 2 hours at room temperature.
Roll each ball out oblong with a rolling pin, with no raised outer lip.
Rolling out oblong and precooking toppings
Precook any topping that needs cooking, since a grill gives no heat from above.
Light a chimney starter full of charcoal and spread it over one half of the grill grate, leaving the other half empty, for a two-zone fire.
Setting up a two-zone fire
  • garlic
  • salt
Crush garlic in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt and add olive oil to make garlic oil.
  • olive oil
  • salt
Brush one side of the dough with garlic oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Lay the dough oiled side down over the coals; it cooks fast, so avoid flames, which make it sooty, and spin it with tongs as needed.
Brush the top side with garlic oil while the first side grills; grill until charred and browned fairly evenly all over, rotating for a crosshatch if wanted.
Grill both sides, then top the crust and move it to the cooler side under the lid to melt the toppings.
Restaurant method versus the home method
  • cheese
  • San Marzano tomatoes
Spread cheese along the bottom and swirl the San Marzano sauce on top, New Jersey tomato pie style; keep every topping light.
Topping with cheese and San Marzano sauce
  • shredded mozzarella
  • corn
  • sliced serrano chilies
  • fresh cherry tomatoes
  • pesto
Restaurant method: top directly over the fire with shredded mozzarella, grilled corn, sliced serrano chilies, cherry tomatoes and dollops of pesto.
Too-hot charring, and topping over the fire
  • scallions
  • basil
Top another with scallions and basil.
Scallions, basil and reusing the garlic
  • morels
  • caramelized onions
  • thyme
  • olive oil
  • butter
Top the last directly on the grill with morels and caramelized onions sauteed in olive oil, thyme and butter.
Party-cut: once down the middle each way and into strips, leaving the edges uncut.
The party cut and tasting