Deep Dish Pizza Cooked in a Charcoal Grill

Deep Dish Pizza Cooked in a Charcoal Grill

Yesterday I really overate for lunch. I had a gyros platter from this place near my office and it was big enough for four people. Instead of bringing some home, I ate the whole thing in one sitting and I needed a tripod to hold up my belly the rest of the afternoon.

Shortly after I finished, I saw a jogger running by in front of our building and I started to feel guilty as well as being bloated. Since the Great Lisle Flood of 2013, I haven't been running much. Before that I was pretty good about keeping it up, but the flood threw me off the program. 

I know I should start, but so far, I've been unsuccessful. I guess you could say I'm exercising my digestive system instead of my cardiovascular system. I promise I'll try to start exercising again ... tomorrow.

Do you ever try to be good and in spite of your best intentions, you end up back in your misguided ways? About a year ago, I've been running about five days a week for most of the year when, suddenly, my knee went bad. After weeks of icing it down and resting it, it did get better.

Once I wasn't limping, I tried running again. Just like now, I kept coming up with excuses why tomorrow would be better and I kept putting it off. Finally, one day, I was determined. Before I left the office, I change into running clothes. I was finally going to get started.

I pulled into the lot of the YMCA and parked my truck. I stroll up to the door, determined to get a good workout. The door was locked and there is a sign that the power went out and they closed for the day. Damn!

I made it home after my unsuccessful attempt  The weather report said it was still 100º and instead of working out, I ended up making something to eat. I had the makings for a pizza, but didn’t want to put the oven on with the air conditioner struggling to keep the house cool. I decided to make a deep dish pizza on the grill. I drank cold beer and roasted the pizza until it was perfectly done. I ate the whole thing, leaving not a crumb. 

So much for my workout. Hand me a beer!

1 batch of Norman’s Pizza Dough

(or you can use store bought dough)

Corn meal

1 batch of Norman’s Quick Pizza Sauce

(or you can use store bought)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

5 slices of provolone cheese

Thinly sliced genoa salami

1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

Oregano

Red pepper flakes

Fresh ground white pepper

Preparation

Light your charcoal grill for indirect heat. The best way is to light two separate piles of charcoal, at opposite ends of the grill. That way you can cook the pizza between the fires.

Work the dough with your fingers and shape in a circle which will fit on a 14” pizza pan allowing for enough dough to fold the edge over to form a thick crust. Sprinkle a good layer of corn meal evenly on the pizza pan. Place the dough in the pan and fold the edges over to make a thick crust.

Ladle on the sauce evenly. Save any extra sauce for tomorrow’s pizza. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the pizza. Now add the provolone slices. On the provolone, add the sliced genoa salami. Use enough to cover the whole pizza. It is ok if you eat the leftover slices while the pizza bakes. Top the pizza with the shredded mozzarella and then sprinkle it with the oregano, red pepper flakes and white pepper. Be generous.

Place the pizza pan on the grill between the two piles of coals so that (hopefully) none of the pizza is directly over the coals. Close the lid of the grill and cook until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese is starting to brown as well. Every few minutes, rotate the pizza a quarter turn so it cooks evenly. When it is done, remove it and allow it to cool ten minutes before slicing.

Serving

Serve the pizza with a crisp tossed salad. If you are going to eat the whole thing, you don’t need much else other than a cold beer served in a frosted mug. As I said, if you can’t work out your legs and cardiovascular system, at least you can work out your digestive system. If you see my doctor, please don’t show her this recipe. She preaches at me enough already.