Pizza on the Barbecue Grill
Chris Shenton
Serves 2
2005-08-08
Based on:
* Cook's Illustrated, July 2005
* Peter Reinhart, _American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza_
* John Thorne: _Pot on the Fire: Confessions of a Renegade Cook_

Pizza on the barbecue has the advantage of heat like a pizza oven, but
benefits from the taste and aroma of smoke. Because things happen
quickly with this heat, mis en place is essential.  While you could
make the dough and cook it the same day, developing the flavor of the
crust really requires a day or two of slow fermentation -- it
absolutely is noticeable.  I use King Arthur all purpose flour which
is higher in protein than most flours, though not as high as proper
bread flour.

8	oz	Flour, preferably high-protein bread flour
1	Tbs	Durum flour (or other flour for taste/texture)
1	tsp	Sugar (to promote browning the crust, not sweeten)
1 1/4	tsp	Kosher Salt, coarse (less if using fine or table salt)
1	tsp	Yeast
4	tsp	Olive Oil
6	oz	Water (more or less depending on humidity, etc)

Measure out Flours, Sugar, Salt, Yeast in bowl of stand mixer, keeping
Salt away from Yeast (it will dessicate it and kill it).  Combine at
slow speed.  Add Oil and Water, slowly adding water until the
ingredients become cohesive and form a dough ball.  Increase speed and
mix then knead.  I find that the best texture is achieved when the
dough is dry enough to clear the bowl but sufficiently wet that a
small "foot" sticks to the bottom of the bowl.  Knead on medium for 8
minutes.

Turn out onto floured counter, fold and form into a tight ball -- just
like making bread.  The tight surface should help retain fermentation
gases and provide a good rise.  Remove to a bowl lightly lubricated
with oil and cover; I use a 1 Liter food storage tub with a tight lid,
sprayed with some cooking oil.  Immediately put in the refrigerator for
a long slow ferment and rise overnight.

The next day, take the dough out about 6 hours before you plan to eat
and let it warm up slowly; it will start fermenting quickly after it
warms up.  About 4 hours later, carefully scrape out the dough onto a
floured counter, trying not to break the gluten that's developed or
flatten the air bubbles in the dough.  Dust lightly and cut into two
equal pieces, one for each pizza crust you'll make.

At this point you really should avoid destroying the air bubbles that
have been created in the dough: these are the areas that will enlarge
under the intense heat of the grill and give the dough lightness.
Gently shape each dough ball -- dimpling, stretching, or rolling with
a rolling pin (purists eschew rolling pins but I haven't noticed a
distinct difference).  If the dough, after stretching, pulls back,
give it a rest and work on the other one while the first relaxes its
gluten.

Place each disc, about 1/16th - 1/8th inch thick and 12-14 inch
diameter, onto a pizza peel liberally dusted with coarse cornmeal
which will let the dough slide off later.  (If you don't have a peel,
the back of a cookie sheet may be improvised; some folks recommend
assembling the dough on parchment paper and place that directly in
oven but I don't think that will work over the open flame of the BBQ).
Cover lightly with cling-film and let rise 30-60 minutes while you
prepare toppings and the fire.

I make a flavored oil with a couple cloves of minced garlic, some
chili pepper, salt and pepper; cook it low and slow to avoid burning
the garlic and turning it bitter.  Pour through a strainer into a
little bowl to remove the solids; reserve for painting the crust after
it's first exposure to the grill.

Great pizza is based on a great crust: too many toppings obscure the
crust so exercise restraint here.  I prefer a light amount of toppings
with intense flavors: arugula, pesto, Kalamata olives, sun dried
tomatoes, Spanish anchovies, paper-thin potatoes, proscuitto, fresh
mozzarella... I think wet toppings like tomato sauce ruin the crust by
making it soggy.  Hold delicate aromatics like arugala or basil to the
very end, just before serving: heat kills their flavor; I reserve
finely grated Parmesan at the very end as well.  Assemble your
toppings in bowls so you can dose each pizza quickly -- time will be
critical.

Build a decent fire in the BBQ; I use hardwood lump charcoal augmented
with some dry tree branches.  When the coals are hot, dump them into
the BBQ and arrange them in a doughnut shape with a hollow center to
avoid scorching the middle of the pizza -- this trick really does
help.  Keep one side of the BBQ free of coals; we reserve the side
close to the chimney of our BBQ/smoker.  Carefully slide the first
pizza from its peel onto the grill grate, close the lid to maintain
heat and imbue the dough with smoke.  In a minute (literally), check
it and poke out any large bubbles that have formed.  Monitor it by
checking the bottom for scorching: you want a dark flavorful crust but
don't want to turn it black. This should take 1-3 minutes, so be
vigilant.

When done, take it off the grill and invert onto a work surface like a
cutting board.  Put the next dough disc on the grill just like the
first.  While it cooks, top the first quickly: brush with the flavored
oil, top with your sparse-but-intense toppings. Return it to the grill
on the cool side away from the coals so the toppings cook gently.
Check the bottom of the second pizza and if done, remove it for
topping and slide the first into its hot position.  After topping the
second, place it on the cooler side of the BBQ to melt the toppings.

Remove each pizza when done in turn; slice and serve immediately.  If
done right, the crust should be thin, slightly scorched brown/black
like singed paper, with bubbles, a great crunch, a slight chew, and no
leathery texture.  The toppings should be bright and intense, but not
making the crust soggy.  It really is outstanding and not something
you can do in a home oven or even a commercial pizza oven.


$Id: pizza_on_the_bbq.txt,v 1.3 2005/08/09 03:08:07 chris Exp $