Pizza Night

First time in a several weeks that we cooked out twice in one weekend.  Last night it was pizza.  Just the basics.  Pepperoni, Multiple Cheeses, Tomato Sauce and Paul Prudhommes Pizza Spice.  Used the Betty Crocker Pizza Dough Mix which works VERY consistently (mixes and sets up in 5 minutes) and cooks in 10 minutes at 550-600 Degrees.  The second pizza we added some green peppers and onions as the only change.  Pizza is one of the fastest and easiest cooks on the egg next to stir fry, with stir fry taking more prep time.  Platesetter legs down at 550 degrees.  10 minutes to perfection.

Keep On Eggin'!

13 Minutes to the perfect pizza!

Yes Virginia you CAN cook a pizza on the grill!

Ingredients

• 1 can - Pillsbury Regular Pizza Dough

• 12 oz. Pre-cooked Chicken Breast (shredded)

• EVOO

• Garlic Ranch Peppercorn Salad Dressing

• ½ Small Red Onion (diced)

• 3 Roma Tomatoes (paper thin slices)

• 2 cups – Finely Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup – Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese

• 10-12 Baby Artichoke Hearts (quartered)

• 1 Tbsp. – Basil (fresh if you have it)

Preparation
1. Preheat BGE to 450 degrees (dome) with plate setter legs down on fire ring and pizza stone.
2. Roll out dough into 13 inch round on a piece of parchment paper
3. Sprinkle small amount of EVOO on dough and spread
4. Squirt 3-4 Tbsp. dressing as Sauce and spread
5. Layer chicken, parmesan, garlic, onion, and tomatoes and finish by covering with mozzarella.
6. Place on Egg for 13 minutes, dome closed, remove, let rest for 3-4 minute and serve

Grammy Pizza...a quick cook and back to the SHOW!

Lookin' for something fast tonight to cook on the Big Green Egg...chicken breast, baby spinach, roma tomatoes, red bell pepper (roasted), multiple fresh garlic cloves (minced), Pillsbury dough, EVOO and Garlic Parmesan Ranch dressing, 2 cups of Mozzarella Cheese and a half cup of Parmesan.

Canned Pizza...(got me out of decorating the house!)

Looks like my arthichoke chicken pizza, and it basically is, it struck my however during making of this pizza that most all of the ingredients are from a can, bag or jar. No grinding of steaks or custom pizza dough for me...toss it together, toss it on the grill and eat it...all in about 20-25 minutes including heating the egg to 600 degrees.

• Pillsbury Pizza Dough (Can)
• Chicken Breast (Can)
• Artichoke hearts (Jar)
• Steamed Red Peppers (Jar)
• Olive Oil (jar)
• Peppercorn, Garlic Salad Dressing (Jar)
• 1.75 cups Mozzarella Cheese (shredded in bag)
• Sliced Green Pepper (fresh)
• .75 cups Parmesan Cheese (shredded in bag)
• Chopped Green Onions (fresh)

The house is all ready for the kids to return for Christmas after their finals.  Can't wait to see them again...maybe A BGE Pizza is in their future too!

Ranch Chicken Artichoke Pizza

Pillsbury Dough, Olive Oil, Garlic Ranch Dressing, Artichoke Hearts, Roma Tomatoes, Shredded Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella (Shredded) Cheese, Chopped Chicken Breast. Optional: Garlic.

Place on parchment paper, fire up the BGE with platesetter and pizza stone to 500 degrees, let stone get hot, plop on the pizza for 13 minutes and you are done.

Artichoke Chicken Pizza on the Big Green Egg II

My wife was working tonight so I thought I would surprise her with a artichoke chicken pizza...used a Pillsbury Classic dough that cooked up very nice (for the first time). The basic recipe remains the same as previous posts but is listed here so you don't have to dive any deeper. Happy Eggin'

Pizza with a twist, no traditional sauce, artichoke hearts and chicken breast; all combined with two cheeses, some garlic & herb ranch dressing, garlic, garlic and garlic.

Ingredients
ü 12-18 Amarosa tomatoes sliced thin (or substitute 4 Roma tomatoes) to taste for quantity, you want to cover 80% of the top of the pizza surface.
ü 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
ü 1 ½ cups Artichoke hearts sliced
ü 1 ½ cup fresh Baby Spinach leaves (chopped) (OPTIONAL)
ü 2 cups fresh Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
ü ½ cup fresh Parmesan (shredded)
ü 1/3 cup Garlic and Herb Ranch Dressing (at least)
ü 12-14” Pizza Dough
ü 6-8 cloves, Garlic (minced)
ü Your favorite Pizza Dough (Fresh Publix, etc)

Preparation
1. Preheat the BGE to 550 Degrees and stabilize (this will require the plate setter with Legs UP to assure even cooking)
2. Pre-cook 98% done the chicken breasts with the garlic
3. Mix the ranch dressing and parmesan cheese (or save cheese and spread on top, you choose)
4. Roll out the dough and add ingredients in order; Ranch sauce mix, chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly; remove and serve.

Big Green Egg Pizza Stone - Science or Gimmick?

Fact: Dough, like pizza dough, when baked on a stone surface will finish crisper, browner and more satisfying than if it is baked in a conventional oven or on a metal pizza pan.

Why: Pizza stones and brick ovens (in this case the Big Green Egg) have a very extreme heat capacity (the ability to take a lot of heat without its temperature going up a whole lot). The stone has a higher heat capacity than most metals.

A good pizza stone also has a "vastly superior emissives"[1] Infrared radiation i.e. heat, in a hot oven is "absorbed by the molecules of the materials that it strikes, which then re-emit much of the radiation almost instantly."[2] Even when brought to the same temperature, the pizza stone emits more infrared radiation "striking the dough which results in better browning and crisping of its surface."[3]

Conclusion: ALWAYS pre-heat your Big Green Egg Pizza Stone! The porous surface provides the additional advantage (on top of the emissivity) of absorbing the steam emitted from the bottom surface of the dough thus keeping is dry for more effective crisping.
[1] Paraphrased from 'What Einstein Told His Cook 2', Robert L. Wolke, W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.[2] Ibid[3] Ibid

CHICKEN AMOROSA PIZZA

Pizza on the Big Green Egg is as close to brick oven pizza as you can get without the brick oven. This recipe features chicken breast and the wonderful sweet taste of Amorosa tomatoes and thin sliced Vidalia Onions to compliment the salty flavor of the green olives and cheese. Utilizing fresh but store bought ingredients you won’t have to slave over the stove preparing gravy but with NO LOSS OF FLAVOR OR ENJOYMENT.

Ingredients / Recommended
2 Chicken Breasts – Boneless, Skinless
1 12 “ Boboli Pizza Crust - Regular not Thin
1 Pkg. Boboli Pizza Sauce (1/2 cup)
2 Cups - Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded
1 Cup - Monterey Jack-Colby Cheese – Shredded
½ - Medium Vidalia Onion
¾ - Green Pepper, paper thin slices
½ cup - Sliced Olives with Pimentos
Olive Oil
4 cloves - Garlic, sliced thin

Preparation and Cooking Directions
1) Remove Grill and let your Big Green Egg go ‘Tex Rex’ for 10-15 minutes.
2) Insert grate.
3) Dice Chicken breasts into ½” pieces and brown in Olive Oil and garlic until done (juices will be running) on a shallow sauce pan on the grate, remove and set aside.
4) Insert Diverter rack and close dome and start to stabilize temperature to around 500 degrees.
5) Slice VERY thin all vegetables and set aside (use a ceramic slicer to get them paper thin)
6) Place Boboli Crust on a BGE Pizza Stone
7) Rub Olive Oil on crust then spread Sauce evenly
8) Add Mozzarella Cheese
9) Layer on the remaining vegetables and cover with the Monterey-Jack/Colby Cheese
10) Top with the sliced Olives and Pimentos
11) Place in Big Green Egg, Close Cover and cook for 2O minutes and DO NOT PEEK!
12) Open BGE, slice with pizza cutter right on the Pizza Stone and serve.

Big Green Garbage Pizza

Got home before dark and starving! Looked for some beef and mother-hubbards Cupboard was bare (the refrig was empty)...except for a partial can of olives, a half onion, three partial bags of cheese, a 1/3 of a jar of nacho sauce, a can of refried beans and a pizza crust that expired TODAY. So, Garbage Pizza it was...and frankly, it was pretty good...would have been better with some sausage or ground beef...but hey, I was cookin' on the BGE and no one was around (Wifey) to bug me about how much cheese I ate for supper (LOL).

I gotta go...I hear the recycling truck coming down the road!

NACHO MAMA's PIZZA

This recipe is CERTAINLY NOT YOUR Mama’s PIZZA recipe…Using pantry goods this pizza is quick and tasty; Nacho' Mama's, get it? Sorry :)

Ingredients and Recommended Brands (if available)
16 oz Can - Refried Beans - Taco Bell
12 “ Pre-cooked Thin Crust Pizza dough - Boboli
2.25 oz Sliced Black Olives (1 can) - Lindsay
2 cups Shredded Mexican Colby Jack - Kraft
1 cup - Diced Roma Tomatoes
1 cup - Diced Onion - Vidalia if available, or Green Onions as an option.
1 cup - Shredded lettuce
1 cup - Sour Cream Light
½ cup - Sliced Jalapenos (pickled) - Trappy’s
Bad Byron’s Butt-Rub (Optional Taco Seasoning)
1 Lb. - Lean Ground Beef (85-20)
Salt and Pepper
8 oz Chunky Salsa – Medium - Newman’s Own Salsa (comes in 16oz jar)

PreparationSlice and dice all vegetables and set aside
Place Pizza dough on BGE pizza stone
Spread Refried Beans evenly on Dough
Sprinkle cooked Ground Beef evenly on Pizza
Distribute shredded cheese evenly
Take to the Grill for Cooking!

Cooking Directions
1. Light up the BGE and let it roar
2. Insert Grill (not the plate holder)
3. Put dab of cooking oil into Frying Pan and add Ground Beef, salt and pepper to taste
4. Sprinkle a GENEROUS amount of Bad Byron’s Butt Rub on the ground beef and Brown until it is 98% done
5. Remove from heat and return the beef to the preparation table now)
6. Regulate Temperature in BGE to 450 degrees
7. Place Pizza (on BGE Pizza Stone) directly on Grill
8. Close lid, regulate temperature to 450 degrees and go away for 15 minutes.
9. Return, open lid, slice and serve with topping/condiments prepared from above (tomatoes, onions, lettuce, jalapenos, sour cream, black olives).

Chicken ROMA Pizza

Pizza on the Big Green Egg is as close to brick oven pizza as you can get without the brick oven. This recipe is a slight variation on the Chicken Bobo, uses less cheese, substitutes green onions for chopped white onions and adds Roma Tomatoes. It still utilizes store bought ingredients and doesn’t require you to prepare pizza sauce and with NO LOSS OF FLAVOR OR ENJOYMENT.

Ingredients Recommended2 Chicken Breasts – Boneless, Skinless
1 12 “ Boboli Pizza Crust Regular not Thin
1 Pkg. Boboli Pizza Sauce (1/2 cup)
¾ Cup Mozzarella Cheese – Shredded
2 Cups Colby-Jack Cheese – Shredded
Shaker Shredded Parmesan Cheese Kraft
Bunch Green Onions (5 medium)
¾ Large Green Pepper
½ cup Sliced Olives with Pimentos
Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic

Preparation and Cooking Directions
1) Remove Grill and Preheat and stabilize Big Green Egg to 400 degrees.
2) Insert Diverter rack and stabilize temperature.
3) Slice VERY thin all vegetables and set aside (use a ceramic slicer to get them paper thin), you’ll have to slice the Roma tomatoes with a knife to get them really thin without smashing them
4) Slice Chicken breasts into quarters and brown in Olive Oil and garlic until 98% done (juices will be running)
5) Remove from heat and dice, set aside.
6) Place Boboli Crust on a BGE Pizza Stone
7) Rub Olive Oil on crust then spread Boboli Pizza Sauce evenly
8) Add 3/4 cup of Mozzarella Cheese, Chicken and 1 cup of the Colby Jack Cheese
9) Layer on the remaining vegetables and cover with remaining Colby Jack Cheese
10) Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese (to taste but fairly heavy).
11) Top with the sliced Olives and Pimentos
12) Place in Big Green Egg, Close Cover and cook for 25 minutes and DO NOT PEEK!
13) Open BGE, slice with pizza cutter right on the Pizza Stone and serve directly to plates.