How To Grill A Meat Lover's Pizza

I love pizza. I could easily have it every week and, when I do, it’s not dropped off by a delivery driver, I prepare it on the grill. One reason pizza appeals so much to me is its all-in-one portability. It’s a complete meal in my hand. Thankfully, I have two hands. I can grab two huge slices and go...and maybe, if I’m really hungry, slide back over and grab two more.

Of course, to be a proper “meal,” my slice needs more than cheese and a scattering of arugula, it needs meat, lots of meat.

I approach my meat pizza from two different perspectives. On the one hand, I ramp up traditional pizza toppings. Mounds of grilled sausage and hard meats, like pepperoni or salami, make an instantly satisfying meal. On the other, I like to convert other “meals” to pizza, like a cheesesteak.

With a grill hot and ready, grill a steak and saute onions and peppers. Thinly slice the steak, add it to a cast iron skillet with the onion and pepper mixture. Meat pizzas can be heavy pizzas, so to make sure they are easy to grill, I prepare these with the dough directly on the grates.

Brush olive oil on rolled out pizza dough and grill over direct medium-high heat for approximately one minute. Remove the dough from the grill and place it cooked side up on a piece of parchment paper.

For cheesesteak, I add a layer of mayonnaise to the cooked crust. For traditional, I go with a homemade red sauce. Continue to top the pizzas with the meats and cheeses. For an extra kick, the cheesesteak gets some hot pepper relish and the traditional diced banana peppers.

Return the pizzas to the grill and cook for another minute over direct heat. Then, slide the pie to indirect heat and continue to grill with the lid down another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

It’s rich, it’s filling, and thanks to mounds of meat, a complete meal.

1. Pizza Paddle or a Wide Spatula
Depending on the size of your pizza and grill, you will need a tool wide enough to remove the pizza from the grill. You can either use the pizza paddle which is ideal for a full size pizza or the wide spatula is great if you split your dough up into more personalize sized pizzas. 

2. Tongs
Meat lovers will find these tongs are a must have! 

3. Griddle
The perfect accessory for grilling philly chessesteak toppings for your pizza.

4. Pizza Cutter
The Pizza Cutter has an extra tall wheel to easily cut through thick and thin crust pizzas without creating a mess of your masterpiece.