How To Cook Pizza On The Weber Charcoal MasterTouch Barbecue Using The Pizza Stone
Enjoy delicious home-made pizza cooked on the barbecue
This video, featuring Richard Holden the Gourmet BBQ chef, shows you how to cook a Ham and Cheese Pizza on the Weber Pizza Stone. The barbecue we have used is the Weber charcoal 57cm Mastertouch. We have also cooked the same pizza on the Alfa Pizza Oven to make a comparison between the two different cooking methods. (Watch the video showing how to cook the same pizza on the Alfa).
Roll your pizza dough until fairly thin then spread on your tomato sauce; Richard has made his own from passata, dried Mediterranean herbs, salt, ground black pepper, a little olive oil and some brown sugar. Make sure you don’t get the sauce too close to the edge otherwise it will flow off and stick the pizza to the bottom of the oven. You can top the pizza with anything you like, just make sure any meat you use is cooked as the pizza is only on the stone for 5 – 7 minutes and this is not sufficient time to cook raw meat. We have done a simple ham and cheese pizza but used really good quality ingredients to elevate it to another level. We have used Serrano ham and buffalo mozzarella and added some olives and fresh basil leaves, and finally a little drizzle of olive oil.
The Pizza Stone should already be on the pre-heated Weber BBQ. To bring this charcoal BBQ up to temperature Richard and Ian used a full Chimney Starter of Weber Briquettes, (watch the video showing how to light a charcoal BBQ using the Chimney Starter), as a high temperature is required to cook the pizza. The BBQ temperature should be around 250C; as the Pizza Stone heats to a further 100C this should be at 350C and ideal for pizza. You would cook the pizza in the Alfa wood fired oven at around 450C.
Cook the pizza with the lid down for 4 – 5 minutes then check it is cooked; just lift the edge and if the base has browned then it is cooked. Before eating drizzle with a little bit more olive oil so when you bite into it you don’t burn the roof of your mouth.
If you have any questions about this dish or anything else BBQ related just call in to The Barbecue Shop located within our store here at Ambleside. Otherwise get in touch via the comments box at the end of any blog article or through facebook or twitter.
Pizza sauce:
- passata
- dried oregano or mixed dried Mediterranean herbs
- dash of olive oil
- teasp. brown sugar
- salt
- ground black pepper
Pizza dough:
- 2teasp fast acting dried yeast
- 1teasp sugar
- 350g (12 ½oz) plain flour
- 1teasp salt
- 200ml (6 ¾fl oz) warm water
- 1 – 2tbsp olive oil
- Mix yeast, flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the centre, add warm water and olive oil until the dough binds together but is not too sticky.
- Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface until smooth.
- Put into a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough in two.
- Roll out to a circle on a floured surface; or you can use semolina for a really crisp bottom.
- Keep turning 90 degrees, leave the edges thicker than the centre otherwise the topping runs off.
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How to: How To Cook Pizza On The Weber Charcoal MasterTouch Barbecue Using The Pizza Stone
This guide will take you through the steps necessary for cooking a pizza on a charcoal barbecue.
Preparing the grill
Preheat the BBQ to 250C.
Prepare the dough
Either make your own dough earlier in the day and leave to prove or use the ready made dough balls available in most supermarkets. Roll out the dough thinly or hand stretch by flattening; hold the dough circle by one edge and keep turning letting the weight of the dough pull it into a thin circle. Place on a floured or a surface dusted with semolina.
Topping the pizza
Cover the base with a thin covering of passata, leaving about an inch around the edge. If you put the passata to the edge there is a chance that it will overflow the pizza and stick it to the pizza stone. What you put on the pizza depends upon your taste; remember to use cooked meat as it is not on the BBQ long enough to cook raw meat. Use a cheese of your choice to bind all the ingredients together; try cheddar, mozzarella, emmental, gruyere or any good melting cheese. Don't forget you can also do a sweet pizza; use Nutella instead of the passata and add fruit or nuts and drizzle with chocolate in place of the cheese.
Cooking the pizza
Place on the pre-heated pizza stone and then onto the BBQ, close the lid and leave for 4 - 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the pizza base is crisp; check by lifting one edge of the pizza.