How to Cook Frozen Pizza on the Grill

Pop quiz, hot shot: You just got home, it’s family pizza night, but it’s almost a million degrees outside and you would do anything (and I mean anything) to not have to turn on the oven. Dogtown Pizza to the rescue! No, really, come back! All you have to do to keep eating your favorite Dogtown frozen pizza this summer is cook it on the grill!

Grilling pizza is a phenomenon that started gaining popularity in the mid-’90s. Many people claim to have a relative who “invented” this method, often involving a long justification for how it happened with more detail than you’d expect. Since the internet was in its infancy at the time, the original recipe was never committed to a food blog, but there have been many imitators.

Here at Dogtown Pizza, we’re not just the undisputed world champion frozen pizza experts, we’re also the undisputed world champion grilled frozen pizza experts. If you question our credentials, simply read on.

Easy Method: With a Pizza Stone

Since a pizza stone is heated in your grill to a set temperature and the stone itself holds the heat to do the cooking, this method can be used with gas or charcoal grills. Whether you’re cooking with gas or… charring with coal? … you want to turn it all the way up or get those coals glowing orange fast.

Place the pizza stone close to the center of the grill grates to heat up while you’re preheating the grill. The stone will take longer to heat up than the grill will—you’re looking for a temp of 475 on the stone (laser thermometers are great for checking this).

Once the stone is approximately 475 degrees, place your favorite Dogtown pizza directly on top of the stone, turn off the grill if you’re using gas, close the lid, and let the pizza cooking begin! The pizza stone and heat trapped under the grill lid will do the cooking so there’s no need to leave the grill on.

Check the pizza after eight minutes. You’re looking for the crust to be crispy, the cheese melty, and any meat heated to a temp of 165 or higher. You know what a delicious Dogtown pizza looks like, just see if it looks like that!

If it’s not done, that’s okay! Cooking times will vary. Just keep cooking, checking every four minutes until you see that bubbly, cheesy goodness piled on a crispy cracker crust.

Remove pizza from the grill.

Let it cool. 

No, seriously, let it cool off first or you’ll burn your mouth.

Serve.

Devour.

Alternately, you can eat the pizza fresh off the grill, burn your mouth on scalding lava cheese and regret your choices.

Even-Heat: Gas Grill

Similar to the pizza stone, gas grills have more even and predictable heating than charcoal due to their controlled release of propane. Every grill has its own hot spots though, so grilling pizza to perfection takes a bit of technique!

Unlike the pizza stone method, you won’t be grilling on a uniformly heated surface, so you’ll want to preheat your grill to low and cook it for longer.

Once the grill is preheated, place your favorite Dogtown pizza directly on the grill rack and close the lid. You’ll want to leave the lid closed as much as possible so heat can build up and cook the pizza evenly.

Check the pizza every five minutes, spinning it a half-turn each time. This compensates for any hot spots in the grill (Don’t worry about it. We all have them).

Keep doing this until the pizza is done. You’re looking for the crust to be crispy, the cheese melted, and any meat heated to a temp of 165 or higher.

Remove pizza from the grill.

Let it cool.

Devour.

Repeat.

Share the second pizza with whoever you’re having dinner with. Deny the existence of a first pizza.

Smoky Flavor: Charcoal Grill Method

If you want added flavor that will add new dimension to your favorite variety of Dogtown Pizza, charcoal is the way to go (try it with the Bacon Bacon: you’re welcome).

Even for seasoned grillers, charcoal can be a challenge if you’re using a recipe that asks for precise temps. We’ll be using the same basic ideas as the gas grill method, but this time with a charcoal grill.

Get your charcoal started. Once it’s ready, move the coals to one side of the grill.

Once the grill is preheated, place your favorite Dogtown pizza directly on the grill rack so it’s positioned halfway over the charcoal, then close the lid. You’ll want to leave the lid closed as much as possible so heat can build up and cook the pizza evenly.

Check the pizza every five minutes, spinning it a half turn each time. If you notice one spot cooking more than the rest, turn the pizza so that spot isn’t directly over the coals.

Keep doing this until the pizza is done. You’re looking for the crust to be crispy with a bit of char around the edges and on the bottom. As always, the cheese should be bubbly and any meat heated to a temp of 165 or higher.

Remove pizza from the grill.

Let it cool.

Tell the hosts of the cookout that they can grill the hamburgers and hotdogs now. However, you’ll want it back after that to grill your second course.

Devour.

Either get asked to not come to future cookouts or get invited to all future cookouts (this one depends mostly on whether you’re sharing the pizza).

Perfectly Grilled Frozen Pizza Tips

• Always preheat your grill. (If you’ve cooked a pizza in an oven that wasn’t preheated first, you’ll understand why this is important.)
• Pizzas with fewer toppings and thinner crust cook best. Ideal options include Dogtown’s Sausage & Pepperoni or the Tomato Basil Garlic. (Don’t even try grilling a thick crust pizza. It will end in tears every time.)
• Always cook the meat on your pizzas to 165 degrees. (We know we’ve said this a lot. We do it because we care about you.)

Which delicious Dogtown pizza will you be grilling at your next cookout? Will you be serving anything else at the cookout or just Dogtown pizza? Let us know in the comments!