I was compensated for this review of Papa Murphy’s and their Father’s Day giveaway. All opinions and statements are my own. #DadMoments #EGGhead4Life #Ad
When the weather is nice, there is nothing I enjoy more than hanging out in the backyard and cooking something on the grill. That usually means steaks or burgers, but have you ever tried cooking a pizza on your outdoor grill? It is easier than you might expect.
You can cook a pizza on a propane or charcoal grill. It doesn’t matter as long as you keep the temperature constant. I prefer to use a ceramic cooker like the Big Green Egg, which is about as close as you can get to having a traditional pizza oven in your backyard.
To keep things simple, you can use a take and bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s. For the uninitiated, a take and bake pizza is freshly prepared and wrapped up with instructions so that you can bake it at home. It is a really nice option for an easy dinner with your family. I usually call ahead so I can just pick up the pizzas on my way home from work. It is super convenient and something we do on a regular basis.
To get things started, I filled up the Egg with lump charcoal and used a couple starters to ignite a fire evenly. I opened the bottom and top vents to their maximum so that the fire could have plenty of air as it got up to temperature. When it reached about 300 degrees, added the metal grill and then placed the pizza stone directly on top. This allows the pizza stone to heat along with the rest of the grill to avoid breakage.
When you tell someone that you are cooking a pizza on a grill, they immediately wonder if you are going to burn it. The secret is that you need to use an indirect cooking method. A pizza stone is an easy way to cook with indirect heat but you can also use a convEGGtor if you are cooking on a Big Green Egg.
Papa Murphy’s tagline is “Love at 425 degrees” which is why I felt compelled to include the following photo.
You can regulate the temperature of your Big Green Egg by adjusting the top and bottom vents (more air = higher temperatures). I used the built in thermometer on the grill to get the temperature of the dome. I placed a second thermometer directly on the pizza stone. This way, I could make sure the crust and the top of the pizza baked evenly at the same temperature.
I used a pizza peel (dusted with cornmeal) to transfer the pizza onto the pizza stone (also dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking and burning). But I have to admit, that step isn’t necessary. Papa Murphy’s pizzas come on an oven safe paper tray which you can just set directly on the pizza stone. Either approach works just fine.
Now comes the most important step of the process. Grab a beer, find a chair, and relax for a few minutes while your pizza cooks. Let a smile come across your face knowing that every neighbor on the block can smell your pizza and are insanely jealous of your grilling skills.
When your pizza is ready, you can use a spatula to lift a corner and then transfer it back onto your pizza peel. You will want to leave your pizza stone on the grill to slowly cool. It will crack from the sudden temperature change if you remove it and set it on the cold counter.
The Big Green Egg holds temperature for a long time, especially if you put a fresh helping of lump charcoal in at the onset. I cooked two medium pizzas on the grill without having to worry about the temperature dropping. When I was done, I just closed the air vents and the fire went out on its own.
A really neat option for families is to order a “Mini Murph” which is a small children’s pizza that comes with all of the toppings on the side. Your child gets to add the sauce, cheese, and toppings to build their own pizza at home. This is a lot of fun to do when you are cooking pizzas on the grill at home.
If you’d like to try grilling a pizza of your own, Papa Murphy’s has some grilling instructions to get you started. You can order your pizzas online and then pick them up on the way home from work for a simple and convenient meal. There is just something wonderful about cooking outdoors and gathering with the family on a summer day.
Papa Murphy’s Big Green Egg Giveaway
Papa Murphy’s is celebrating Dad this Father’s Day! Up for grabs is a beautiful grill from the Big Green Egg (valued at $1,200) and a $100 Papa Murphy’s Gift Card. You can enter once a day on the Papa Murphy’s Facebook page. The contest ends June 19th, 2016.
I’ve always wanted to cook a pizza on my grill. I’ll have to give it a try this weekend. I’m super jealous of your BGE. I’ve had my eye on one of those for a while.
Sounds like you should enter Papa Murphy’s contest. I have to admit, I had much better results cooking a pizza on an Egg vs. my regular grill. You can keep a more consistent temp with the Egg and it cooks more evenly. You won’t regret it if you buy one.
How did you cook the pizza without burning it? I know that I would mess that up somehow.
It was easier to cook than you might expect. Using indirect heat is the key – whether that is a pizza stone or something else. Papa Murphy’s recommends turning the pizza every 5 min while you cook it, which also seems to help. (turn it, don’t burn it).