Quick and delicious smoked pizza that comes in handy for those nights when you’re looking for a simple meal and a really good pizza.
Prepared with a homemade pizza sauce, this pizza will make mid-week or pizza Thursday a breeze.
As one of the snack dishes or snacks to come out of Italy, pizza for many years, have been enjoyed by people around the world; both at home and at restaurants.
Because of its popularity, many restaurants now have different variants of the dish. Despite all of these variants, what if there is another way to enjoy pizza.
Follow our steps as we unravel the crusty beauty of smoked pizza and the immaculate flavor that comes with it.
Our easy concept of smoked pizza takes a few steps down memory lane and also discuss some of the ingredients needed to make smoked pizza.
You will also get some tips for smoking pizza as well as storage and reheating tips.
What is Smoked Pizza?
Smoked Pizza, as the name suggests, is a pizza that is smoked over a grill or with the use of a smoker.
Smoking pizza helps add some flavor that was not originally present in it. These flavors upscale the taste of the snack and make you not want to eat ordinary pizza again.
This dish is perfect for a family gathering, BBQ party, or even a cookout session. As long as there is a gathering of pizza lovers, smoked pizza can never go wrong.
There isn’t any extensive history with regards to smoked pizza. Instead, the original dish, pizza, has an extensive history that is worth discussing.
Pizza started in the Italian city of Naples, or better still, the Italian northwestern region of Campania. While several civilizations have foods that looked similar to pizzas, none of them had the appeal and pull that pizza had.
The ancient Romans, Egyptians, and Greeks have flatbreads with toppings that looked a lot like what pizza is today.
Pizza started as an answer to the demand for quick and cheap food by the masses in Naples at the time.
The city was founded in 600 BC as a Greek settlement, but by the 1700s and 1800s, it was already an independent waterfront city that was popular for the large population of the working poor, also known as the lazzaroni.
Thus, pizza met the needs of this population as they required food that is fast, cheap, and easy to eat on the go.
The form in which pizza existed at the time was a flatbread with toppings. The only difference from that of other civilizations is that it featured garnishes such as tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, oil, and cheese.
King Umberto, I, and Queen Margherita visited the city of Naples in 1889 after Italy unified in 1861.
It was on this trip that the legitimacy of pizza became solidified. The royal entourage had grown weary of the French dishes they were fed during the visit and requested something indigenous.
What they got was pizza from the popular Pizzeria Brandi which succeeded Da Pietro Pizzeria which was founded in 1760.
The queen particularly enjoyed a particular type of pizza, the pizza mozzarella. This pizza had toppings of green basil, red tomatoes, and white cheese, a color combination that looked like the Italian flag.
This pizza variant was then renamed Pizza Margherita in honor of the queen. However, despite its popularity, Pizza didn’t make its way outside the waters of Naples until 1940.
Pizza made its way into America through the Neapolitans coming in for factory jobs. Soon, the dish hit other parts of America and the world at large.
The real pizza boom came after the second world war and the dish became so popular, that American pizza outposts, Domino’s Pizza, and Pizza Hut started opening branches in many cities of the world.
Ingredients
Pizza Crust: The first and most basic ingredient you’ll need for your pizza is pizza crust, which is made from dough or pizza bread. If you have the time, you can make the dough for the smoked pizza.
Otherwise, you can just get one from the store, it makes no difference. If you want to use homemade dough, make it the day before so it can rise properly.
Also, you can use bread flour or all-purpose flour for the pizza dough. While both flour types work perfectly, the bread flour is the best as it contains enough gluten to ensure that the pizza crust turns out crispy.
It is also advisable to measure the flour using kitchen measurements for weight. This ensures you have an accurate or consistent measurement for the flour.
Sliced Tomatoes (Optional): Tomatoes are one of the most significant ingredients in almost every pizza. It is best to use large, vine-ripe cherry tomatoes because they give your Caprese pizza some kind of tasty pop flavor.
However, you can substitute this for any type of tomatoes, such as grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes. Just make sure it is ripe and not too juicy.
Olive Oil (Optional): You will also need olive oil to ensure that the smoked pizza comes out great. Extra virgin olive oil is the best type of olive oil used for this dish.
However, if you cannot find this, you can substitute it with bacon fat.
Mozzarella Cheese: This is another important ingredient for making the toppings for this dish; as a result, it should be of high quality.
The best type of mozzarella for this dish is the cow milk mozzarella, also known as Fior di latte. You can also use buffalo mozzarella. The most important thing is ensuring that the mozzarella you use is fresh.
Cut up some fresh mozzarella cheese and add it to the smoked pizza. However, don’t add too much because fresh mozzarella contains water, which can soak up your crust and make it soggy.
Fresh Herbs: Herbs will bring out the flavor of the cheese.
Homemade Pizza Sauce: The sauce will add depth of flavor and is needed to for the toppings.
Meat & Veggie Topping: Meat topping is completely optional. Some options include deli meat (we included shredded deli turkey meat). You can also add bell peppers, banana peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, etc.
Tips for Making Smoked Pizza
- Use fresh cheese as much as possible. We recommend that you avoid pre-shredded cheese for the pizza. This type of cheese usually contains preservatives that stop them from melting properly on the pizza.
- You can also add apple or cherrywood to the smoked pizza. It gives a sweet flavor to the pizza.
What Goes with Smoked Pizza?
- Grilled or Smoked chicken wings
- Caesar Salad
- Coleslaw
Depending on the dough and topping you use on the pizza, smoked pizza can take between 15-30 minutes to cook.
The ideal temperature for smoked pizza is between 400-500 degrees. This temperature will allow the pizza to cook within 10-15 minutes; but no more than 30 minutes depending on your topping and the thickness of your dough/crust.
You do not need a pizza stone to cook your pizza. You can place the pizza directly on the smoke grill.
If you prefer to cook a store bought pizza, you can cook the store bought pizza in the smoker. This will enhance the flavor as it will add a wood smokey flavor.
Storage and Reheating Option
Pizza tastes best when it’s hot and fresh. It is not recommended to keep pizza for an extended period because the tomatoes become soggy, and the cheese no longer melts properly.
If necessary, store the smoked pizza in slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat slices of smoked Pizza in the oven at 275°F until heated through.
More Smoked Recipes To Enjoy
After making this recipe, we recommend you try this Portobello Mushroom Pizza recipe, this tomato tart, and one of these smoked recipes next.
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How To Cook Pizza In A Smoker
Equipment
- 1 Smoker / Grill
Ingredients
- 1 Package of artisan flat bread Package comes with 2 oven baked flat breads.
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Sauce
- 2 cups Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Olice Oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley Dried parsley can be substituted
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Basil Dried basil can be substituted
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add olive oil and garlic. Sauteed the garlic than add the tomato sauce. Combine mixture than add parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove flat bread from package and spread tomato sauce abundantly over the bread. Add the cheeses and placed in smoker at 400°F for 15 minutes or until cheeses melt and slightly golden. Remove and serve.
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman
My husband has been making everything in our little smoker lately, but I think pizza is one of my favorites. It is so tasty, and the smoke imparts a whole new level of flavor, too.
Mirlene
Thank you, Renee
Carrie
Such a yummy way to make pizza. My husband loved it too!!!
Mirlene
Thank you, Carrie
Liza
What a great recipe! I’m always looking for new ways to use my pellet smoker, and this pizza is so easy and good – a perfect quick dinner!
Jacqueline
You had me at pizza but really it does look and sound gorgeous
Beth
The perfect pizza for pizza night! Delicious pizza sauce.