Attempting to smoke a pizza for the very first time without the best cooking tips might end up in a messy disaster. Preparing this mouth-watering and tasty dish doesn’t take a long time and is the ultimate comfort food, but you should know the correct recipe.
The appropriate technique required to smoke a pizza is simple to master. Most people get the hang of it quite quickly and start preparing smoked pizzas on a regular basis. I am going to show you how to properly smoke a pizza and surprise all of your friends and family members with a delicious meal in 6 steps:
- Light up your smoker and turn up the heat,
- Preheat the pizza stone in the smoker,
- Prepare the dough and stretch it out,
- Add topping to the dough,
- Put cornmeal on the baking stone and slide pizzas into the smoker,
- Smoke your pizza.
Preparing the dish in this way gives you an opportunity to cook all kinds of pizzas. One can easily smoke frozen pizzas which are already prepared and just need to be cooked. Leftover pizzas will gain back their fresh taste when smoked once again. However, if you are going to cook the dish all by yourself for the first time, follow our steps carefully.
What You’re Going to Need
Prepare kitchen equipment such as:
- Smoker,
- A bowl,
- A rolling pin,
- And a pizza stone.
Ingredients for the smoked pizzas you will require are:
- One and a half cups of tomato sauce,
- Sugar,
- Salt,
- Yeast,
- All-purpose flour,
- Cornmeal,
- Sliced mushrooms,
- A mixture of pepper, garlic, and herb seasoning,
- Shredded mozzarella,
- Olive oil,
- Chopped pieces of chicken and ham.
Step 1 – Light Up Your Smoker and Turn Up the Heat
The first thing you have to do is light up the smoker and add charcoal. Be careful with the amount you add since more charcoal than is needed would hamper the air circulation. Then, put your smoke wood. Make sure that the wood and charcoal burn at a temperature of approximately 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the smoker is lit, the heat has to be turned up before you can begin to prepare the pizzas. You should add more charcoal and try to keep a temperature of about 400 Fahrenheit.
Step 2 – Preheat the Pizza Stone in the Smoker
The next step is to take one of your best pizza stones and place it inside the smoker. Then, preheat it to over 480 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. In case you don’t own a pizza stone, you could use a pan that will do the trick as well. One can also put a stainless steel baking sheet which can also be used for cooking pizzas on a grill or in smokers.
In case you skip this vital step, you might end up with an uncooked and soggy dish. The pizza stone has to retain heat in order to bake the bottom of the dough properly. The crust will come out crispy and lightly smoked while being juicy at the same time if you allocate enough time for the stone, pan, or baking sheet to preheat.
Step 3 – Prepare the Dough and Stretch It Out
In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour with lukewarm water, a bit of salt, olive oil, and sugar. Add a small amount of yeast so as to prepare the dough. Combine all ingredients with your hands and knead the dough. Leave it for an hour and a half to rise.
Once it is ready, separate it into smaller balls, and use a rolling pin to deflate them and stretch them out. Work on each ball at a time. Make use of the flour so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands and the rolling pin. Roll the balls from the center and work outwards. You can also press it, so it becomes thin.
A great tip is to lightly sprinkle a bit of cornmeal beneath the dough so that it will be easier to transfer it to the smoker. Try not to lose the flat, round shape of the pizzas while you are lifting and transferring them.
Step 4 – Add Toppings to the Dough
The toppings you want to place on the dough are about a third cup of tomato sauce, one or two chopped mushrooms, and a mixture of pepper, garlic, and herb seasoning. Don’t use too much tomato sauce since the dough can become soggy, and bear in mind that you shouldn’t layer a lot of toppings since the pizzas wouldn’t be crispy.
Don’t forget to sprinkle shredded mozzarella below all other toppings. Don’t forget to put pieces of chopped chicken and small bits of ham on your pizzas. Spread all of the toppings evenly so that it looks appealing. The toppings that need to be cooked the most, such as raw meat and vegetables, should be placed last on top of the pizzas.
Step 5 – Put Cornmeal on the Baking Stone and Slide the Pizzas Into the Smoker
Use cooking mittens when handling the smoker. Open it carefully and sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone. It will ensure the pizzas come out crispy and delicious. Also, it will be easier to take out the pizzas since they won’t stick to the pan, stone, or baking sheet and serve them.
Once you have sprinkled cornmeal, shake the pizzas and see whether they will slide inside the grill with ease. If you are having difficulty placing pizzas inside, gently lift the edges of your dough and add more cornmeal for extra help.
When you see that the cornmeal is working and the pizzas can be slid into the smoker, gently shake the dough, and the pizzas will be inside the smoker in no time.
Step 6 – Smoke Your Pizza
After you have slid the dressed pizza inside the smoker, let it cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Don’t forget that the time required for the pizzas to get smoked depends on the size of the dish, how thick the dough is as well as the outside temperature. Don’t leave the pizzas inside for a longer period of time if they are small in size.
You should keep an eye on the dish, so it doesn’t burn. One can notice if it is ready to be taken out if the mozzarella cheese has melted and the crust is beginning to get a light golden brown color. It can also begin to turn into light brown color. Only ensure that it doesn’t become black and dry.
Once you can tell that the dish is completed, remove it and place it on a table, so it sits for a while before you take it to cut it into pieces. It should be best to serve it 15 minutes after it gets smoked.
Final Thoughts
Even though it might seem that handling smokers is challenging and difficult, it will get easier as you continue practicing different pizza recipes. The main step in the entire process is to know how to use charcoal and preheat smokers at the optimal temperature. Once you place the pizza stone inside, you can begin to layer all the toppings you decide on your dish.
Don’t forget that pizzas should be smoked for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the golden brown color can be seen on the crust, you can take out the pizzas and enjoy the tasty and appetizing meal everyone will fall in love with.