Making pizza on a grill is a fun way to take one of everyone's favorite foods to a whole new level. Here Chef David Olson guides us through how to make the crust, prepare the toppings, and turn it all into magic in just a few minutes on a flaming-hot grill. Creamy brie is piled with caramelized onion, olive oil, fresh herbs, and our BBQ sauce for a flavor that is complex and nuanced enough for the grown-ups, and perfect for cheese-loving kids.
David Olson is a nationally-recognized American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chef, television personality and social network influencer, award-winning recipe developer, livefire grill master, international adventurer-extraordinaire, and the creator behind, "LiveFire Republic." David has an attentive audience of more than two million households weekly via traditional media and event appearances, brand ambassadorship, his blog and various social media channels. He is featured annually in numerous live television segments and radio interviews, while his recipes and creative content continue to be shared across the web and in print publications from sea to shining sea.
VISIT LIVEFIRE REPLIC ON INSTAGRAM1 16oz pizza dough ball, store bought or homemade
Olive oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal, finely ground
2 large red onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, Chipotle
2-3 Tomatoes, finely sliced
Brie cheese, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese, shaved, to garnish
Fresh leaves of basil and sprigs thyme, to garnish
Dough and topping prep: Over a lightly floured surface, knead and roll out the dough to an even 1/3” thickness. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil and dust one side of the dough with finely ground cornmeal. Lay the rolled dough cornmeal-side down, cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rest. Prepare toppings as instructed above and organize into separate containers for quick, easy access during grilling.
Caramelizing onion: Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat. Caramelize the onion. After the first 10 minutes of cooking, fold in the garlic. In the final 5 minutes of cooking, spoon in the sugar and balsamic vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper, and sauté until all liquid absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside to rest.
Grilling the pizza: Preheat grill to 500°F using the 2-zone cooking method by turning half of the burners to high heat, while setting the other side of burners to low heat (or by putting charcoal on just one side of your charcoal grill). Gently lay prepared dough, cornmeal-side-down, over the direct heat grates. With the grill lid open, brown the pizza bottom until edges of the pie are just golden in color.
Carefully flip browned dough over onto the cooler, indirect-heat grilling zone and turn all grill burners to low (flip the dough to the side of your charcoal grill without the coals). Immediately begin dressing crust with Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, followed by brie, tomato, caramelized onion, and a splash of olive oil. Close the grill lid and allow the pizza to bake until cheese bubbles and dough is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Remove pizza from grill and place on cooling rack to rest for 3-5 minutes. Season additionally to taste and finish with shaved Parmesan, fresh leaves of basil and thyme. Slice and serve.
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