These days if you mention that you’re having BBQ pizza some people may think of the old standard; chicken and BBQ sauce. An equal number of people may think of pizza cooked on the grill. Grilled pizza may be mainstream now, but 15 years ago when I started doing it in high school nobody had heard of grilling pizza.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t take credit for coming up with the idea. I saw a recipe for it in a magazine where Bridgeford frozen bread dough was used as the pizza crust. Everything after that were the traditional American ingredients: tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Of course when I got a hold of the recipe I had to gourmet it up a little bit, although I still use Bridgeford frozen bread dough. I’ve tried other dough’s and even making my own. I still prefer Bridgeford. It’s a little sweet and puffs up nicely.

Once I roll out the dough, I spread olive oil on both sides. This helps the dough keep from sticking to the grill. Now for the grilling. I grill the first side until done and then lightly grill the second side so that it’s no longer limp, but not quite cooked all the way. The fully cooked side will hold all my toppings. Then it’s back to the grill to finish the undercooked side and melt the cheese.

I Don’t like a ton of sauce on my pizza. So instead of tomato sauce, I use tomato paste that I cut with olive oil. I then mix in fresh chopped garlic and some dried spices. Usually basil, parsley and oregano. I then scrape the paste onto the dough so that there is barely any sauce. This gives a nice flavor to the pizza without overwhelming it with sauce.

My toppings are simple. Large fresh basil leaves, followed by sliced roma tomatoes. I then top it with three different cheeses. Sliced provolone, Shredded mozzarella and shaved parmesan. A little olive oil drizzle and you’re done. One of the best pizza’s you have ever tasted.

Some great additions I’ve tried over the years are ground or sliced italian sausage and sauteed mushrooms. Other than that I’ve kept it simple. Simple always seems to taste best when it comes to pizza. This is a great recipe for summer barbecues and outdoor parties. I know I’m writing this in the middle of winter, but I can’t wait until summer comes so I can introduce some new friends to my old recipe.

This Christmas I have decided to bring back an old tradition from my childhood. Every year my grandfather would smoke the turkey. To this day it is the moistest and most delicious turkey I have ever had.

My grandfather was the most inventive person I know. He would make things from scraps and his smoker was no exception. The base was a Weber grill. In fact, it may have been the “first” Weber grill. He would put two small piles of charcoal on each side. Next to the charcoal he placed his wood chips. Then he made two shallow boxes out of aluminum foil he placed in the center to catch the drippings. He also used aluminum foil to cover the grill grates and poked several holes in the center so the drippings could fall through. This made cleanup a breeze.

The piece de resistance was his cover. He made a dome out of thin metal rods. And you guessed it, it too was covered in aluminum foil. I wish I had a picture to upload. It was so simple and looked sort of cheesy but like everything else he made it was extremely effective.

The preparation of the turkey was also simple. He would carefully loosen the skin and rub Hawaiian salt in between the skin and flesh. Then he would melt butter and stir in garlic powder which would become the basting liquid.

Once the turkey was placed in the smoker we would check it every hour and add more charcoal and wood chips as needed. Basting would begin after hour 2 or 3. Depending on the size of the turkey, it would be done after 5 or 6 hours. He always did the leg test. I don’t think he even owned a thermometer.

Once the turkey was done it would have a perfectly even, dark, crispy skin, and the most moist breast meat you could ever taste. The drippings would be used to make the best gravy ever.

His make-shift smoker is now long gone, but this year I am attempting to revive his tradition. The methods I use will be the same. Only the equipment will be different. I bought a Brinkmann smoker and can only hope my turkey turns out as good as his did. Time will only tell. Once the presents are unwrapped and the turkey coma’s have passed, I will take a consensus of our guests and post the results.

Until then,
Merry Christmas