Grill heats up a pizza

My 13-year-old son Cian said my smoker looks like R2-D2. It's a Brinkmann Smoke 'n Grill, which resembles the "Star Wars" character of R2-D2.

But this day, just one day after my 14-hour smoking experience with the 5-pound pork roast, I decided it would be pretty cool to grill (or smoke) the extra Papa Murphy's pizza she picked up. Since it was taking so long on a Sunday to smoke the 5-pound pork roast, we opted for some take-and-bake pizza.

The pizza and bread sticks went in the regular oven, and the kids were pleased. We ate dinner outside while I watched the end of the smoking process (that took another few hours). They had fun, had dinner, and I was able to continue smoking the roast (until 9:30 p.m.).

So, my wife says she bought two pizzas that night, because they were on sale. The older kids (Cian, 13,  and Parker, 11), went back to their mom's on Sunday afternoon. That night, when we discussed dinner options, I threw out the idea of grilling the extra pizza that was laden with artichoke hearts, bacon and whatever other vegetables it had on it.

But, how to do it? A quick search revealed many grillers were faced with a dilemma. Grill the pizza over direct heat and burn the crust, or pull the pizza off early, without melting the cheese.

This sounded like a grilling problem for ... well, me. I immediately went to the indirect grilling method, which meant nothing would burn. I placed a 9x13 baking dish in the center of the grill and dumped burning coals on either side of the pan (I used Trader Joe's briquettes, but you can use regular lump charcoal - keeping away from the compressed name-brand briquettes that use fillers and nasty binders).

I set up the grill the same as I would if I were using my trusty Weber as a smoker. I figured it would work well for a pizza, since most grillers posted they set the pizza directly over the coals -- using direct heat. They all complained about burned crusts and non-melted cheese. Using the indirect method, and a little extra time, the pizza should come out spectacular. I added some water to the baking pan. Some grillers use disposable pans, but I figure I can use a real pan and pocket the difference.

Veggies first
I threw some broccolini on one side of the grill and red bell pepper on the other. I turned both a few minutes in. This was a way to let the coals cool down a bit while not wasting the heat.

The pizza would take a lot of space, so this was a good way to use the coals prior to placing the pizza on the grill.

Turn, baby, turn
Using the baking sheet that comes with the Papa Murphy's pizza, I rotated it every couple of minutes to keep the edges nearest the coals from burning. I cooked it for a few minutes over the recommended time for an oven. I believe it was 18 minutes, but be sure to check it yourself. I could have let it go a few minutes longer to make sure the center of the dough was cooked a little more. Overall, this was a success.

Go ahead and use the Papa Murphy's Take-n-Bake baking sheet that comes with the pizza. It makes it much easier. Rotate the pizza every few minutes to keep the edges from burning. Cook it for a little longer than oven instructions to ensure the dough is cooked through.

A few soaked wood chunks tossed directly on the coals adds a nice smokey flavor to the pizza.