How To Smoke a Pizza

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You’ve tried the meats, the side dishes, even the desserts, but have you considered this: smoked pizza? This smoked pizza recipe is one of my favorites for a Friday night movie night — it’s so delicious that pizza night may never look the same again. Think wood-fired pizzas at home. 

Smoking A Pizza: Your How-To Guide

This recipe is pretty straightforward and simple. You can use any of your favorite pizza toppings and pizza dough recipes, but if you’re anything like me, sometimes store-bought pizza dough works out just fine, and no one notices the difference. 

For this specific smoked pizza recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

• A pizza stone — trust me on this one, it makes the difference in the crust
• Pizza dough
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella 
• Pepperoni
• Italian sausage
• Red onion 
• Garlic; and
• Bacon

Getting Started With Your Smoked Pizza Recipe

As with any smoker recipe, you want to start by preheating your smoker. For this pizza recipe, you’ll be preheating it to 400°F. 

Grill the bacon and sausage until it’s done — don’t overcook the bacon! Cut up and chop both ingredients and place them to the side. 

RELATED: Learn How To Smoke Sausage On Your Smoker

Once your smoker has preheated, place your pizza stone and let it preheat. 

Chop up any toppings that need to be chopped, such as your onion and garlic. 

Prepping the Pizza Dough

While the stone preheats, you’ll want to start prepping your dough. To do this, flatten your dough ball on a surface that has been dusted with flour. Grab your rolling pin and roll your down into a circular shape. Always begin in the center of the dough and work your way outward. 

Don’t be afraid to get some flour on your hands and use your fingers to press and spread the dough until it is about ½ inch think all around. 

The end goal is to have the dough be large enough to fit on your pizza stone. Whether you choose to make individual-sized pizzas or one large pizza is entirely up to you. 

If your dough rips, don’t fret; carefully pull the dow back together to seal the hole, or use the palm o your hand to flatten the edges of the dough and pinch them together. 

Now You’re Ready to Get Cooking Pizza in a Smoker

Place the stretched pizza dough onto the stone and cook it for 2-3 minutes. You only want to char the dough at this point. 

Sprinkle cornmeal onto your working surface, remove the dough from the smoker, and flip it onto the surface, charred side up. 

Now you’ll add your pizza sauce, cheese, sausage, pepperoni, garlic, and onions — and any other additional toppings you’ve chosen for your pizza. 

Place the pizza back onto the pizza stone, cover, and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the edges are crisp!  That’s it. 

Remove the pizza from the smoker and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. 

Top Tips for Making Smoked Pizza

• I learned a long time ago that although convenience is nice, it isn’t everything. To get the perfect melty, gooey cheese on your pizza, you’ll want to avoid pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains preservatives meant to keep the cheese from clumping together in the bag — but this also stops them from melting properly.
• I recommend using apple or cherrywood for smoking pizza — they both provide a mildly sweet flavor. 

What to serve with your pizza?

This smoked pizza goes with many sides. Keep it light and serve it with some smoked wings or grilled chicken wings, a delicious side of homemade coleslaw, or Caesar salad.