The Best Pizza You'll Ever Taste

RANDOM NOTES to start off the blog:

1. A clove of garlic is not the entire thing. It is one of the small pieces inside the garlic. I have made this mistake. No bueno.
2. Be careful when dealing with fire. Nobody likes burning their eyebrows off.
3. This pizza is delicious. The elements are so simple, yet it comes together from the smokiness in the tomatoes and crust, to the richness that the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic adds to the sauce. It's just ridiculously good pizza.

I've never thought about barbecuing pizza. Didn't even think you could. But, lets step back. When I moved, my dad gave me a barbecuer because I've never done it, and I love trying new things. So, I'm obsessed with the barbecuer right now. Being able to put pizza on it? Phenomenal.

I was watching The Food Network (which is one of three channels I actually watch) and Alton Brown became an instant intrigue. Don't know him? He's the dude who hosts Iron Chef America. Balding, glasses...you know who I'm talking about. This man was actually barbecuing pizza. My response: "Wait, you can actually do that?" And yes, yes you can. And damn, it's delicious.

I've had some good pizza in my time, but good lord. This pizza has simple elements, but so much flavor. I've officially screwed myself over. I will no longer be able to order pizza without sighing and saying, "I could make a much better pizza." I guess I'll live.

So this recipe comes from Alton Brown from his show, "Good Eats" on the Food Network.

**Side Note: Sometimes I'll eyeball something or taste test it and decide it needs more of x, y, or z. So, just like my pops, my measurements aren't exact, but this is the best I can give ya.

INGREDIENTS

ingredients for dough

3 cups of flour

2 1/4 tsp. (or one packet) rapid rise yeast

1 tbsp. salt

10 oz. warm water

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 tbsp. molasses

ingredients for sauce

4 large, ripe tomatoes

1/2 c. olive oil

1 head of garlic, chopped (8 cloves)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

ingredients for toppings

Mozzarella - I bought mozzarella that was in it's very fresh phase; packaged in water, shaped in balls. If you use this, slice the mozzarella into slices and press between two heavy plates, paper towels lining them to soak up the excess water. If you don't do this, your pizza will be waterlogged.

Grated parmesan cheese - The legit stuff is better.

12-18 basil leaves, ripped into smaller pieces

Directions:

Dough:

Combine the 3 c. flour and 2 1/4 tsp. yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer with a hook attachment. Add the 1 tbsp. salt, 10 oz. warm water, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and 3/4 tbsp. molasses. Start the mixer on low for about 1.5 minutes, a.k.a., just enough time for dough to come together. SCRAPE SIDES. Increase speed to medium for 15 minutes

IF the dough looks like liquid, add more flour until it reaches ball form. Take a small piece of dough and test. It should be somewhat sticky, but not adhered to your fingers.

Cover bowl with towel for approximately an hour. (At this point, I like to mix the garlic, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes together. SCROLL DOWN to see).

When time is up, split into three balls. Cover with towel for 45 minutes.

Making the pizza!

Power the grill! For me, this means trying not to light myself on fire. I have a method and it's worked so far. Make sure the grates are clean, or else your pizza will taste like the barbecue you had a month ago.

Put your tomatoes on the grill and let them heat up.

Add 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 head of chopped garlic, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes in a bowl.

Turn tomatoes. Make sure they've heated all the way through. Once this has happened, mix together with your olive oil mixture and mash with a fork. (If you don't like chunks of tomatoes, pulsate in a blender).

Flour counter and flatten one of the dough balls. Rotate and stretch. I sprayed them with olive oil Pam so I didn't increase the risk of lighting myself on fire. Put the flattened dough on the BBQ. Wait a few minutes. Once it has browned, flip. Take a spoonful of your tomato sauce, and spread. Put cover on. Once the bottom is light brown, add your cheeses, basil, and toppings. Once the bottom has reached a darker brown, take off the barbecuer. Wait for it to cool.

Repeat for other two dough balls.

ENJOY this amazing deliciousness.

I shared this experiment with some of my coworkers and my roommate.

Post comments for questions, comments, or how your experiment with barbecued pizza went!