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BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating

BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating -6

I grill pizza more often than I grill anything else. Unless you have a pizza oven in your backyard, it’s likely your best option when it comes to at home pizza cooking. Or, in this case, parking-lot-back-of-a-truck-with-a-portable-grill cooking. You get those lovely grilled char marks that you want when open flames are cooking your food, and it’s easy to modify to your guest eating persuasions.

Tailgate Pizza Tips:

Prep as much as you can ahead of time. If you’re making more than one pizza, write down the toppings you want for each, prep them all and store them in small containers to take with you. The dough can, and should, be made in advance. Just make sure to punch down the dough  every 12 hours (literally just punch the middle of it to deflate, you can also grab the sides and pull to deflate). Pizza dough is best if it’s able to cold ferment in the fridge for a few days.

BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating

Don’t forget to bring a surface to roll out the dough. Some people like to use a rolling pin, while others think hand shaping the dough is the only way to go, it’s your call.

Brush the grates with olive oil to keep the dough from sticking. I sometimes oil the dough and flip it onto the grill like a giant pancake, but that’s just me.

You only want to grill the underside until it holds shape. It’s going back on the grill to heat the toppings and melt the cheese, undercooking it the first time will prevent overcooking it the second time.

Pizzas take about 8 minutes to cook, so they are easy to make as-needed. Plus they don’t take up too much room in the cooler, leaving you way more space for beer. Which, really, is the most important part.

grilled pizza

 

I used Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Pizza Dough:

  • 3 cups 360g bread flour
  • 1 packet 2 ¼ tsp, or 21g rapid rise yeast
  • 2 tsp 8g sugar
  • 1 cup 226g wheat beer
  • 3 tbs 42g whole milk
  • 1 tbs 14g olive oil, plus 2 tbs (28g), divided
  • 1/2 2g tsp salt

Toppings:

  • 2 to 3 large beer brats raw
  • 24 ounces beer wheat, pale ale, or brown ale
  • Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce link above
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 roasted red bell pepper chopped (from a jar is OK)
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  • Oil for the grill

Instructions
 

Directions:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the bread flour, yeast, and sugar, stir until well combined. In a microwave safe bowl, add the beer. Heat until 120F. Add the beer to the flour and stir until incorporated. Add the milk, salt and 1 tablespoon oil, stir with the dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Allow to rise in a warm room until doubles in size, about one hour. You can bake the dough at this point, but it’s best to punch down the dough, cover and allow it to rise again in the fridge from 12-18 hours.
  • Make the beer brats. In a pan with a lid add the brats and the beer, cover and simmer until the brats are cooked through, remove from pan.
  • Preheat the grill to medium high. Grill the brats until grill marks appear on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove and slice.
  • Brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking . Place the dough on the grill (a pizza peel coated in flour or cornmeal will help) until grill marks start to appear. Flip the dough and very lightly grill on the underside, just until the dough holds shape. Remove from the grill, place on a work surface with the lightly grilled side down. Spread an even layer of BBQ sauce over the crust, top evenly with cheese, add sliced brats and red pepper.
  • Return to the grill, close the lid and cook until the cheese has melted, 3-5 minutes. Remove from grill, sprinkle with parsley (or cilantro), slice and serve.

Notes

Pre-prep (tailgating tips):
• Make the dough the night before, let it do a second rise in the fridge. You’ll have to have a space to roll it out when you get to the venue, so bring a large cutting board if needed. It’ll be best if you let it come to room temp before trying to roll out. 10 minutes in a car with the heater on should be fine.
• Boil the brats ahead of time, pack them in the cooler, grill and slice them on site.
• Have all your ingredients prepped and stored in small containers, ready to go when you need them, it’ll help make the process much easier.

BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating -6

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Comments


Dirk September 20, 2015 um 6:21 am

No need to oil the grates or dough. Get your grates scorching hot with the lid closed. I use a 6-burner Weber that will hit 800°. The dough will stick as soon as it hits the grates but will release as the dough firms up, 35-45 seconds, lid closed. Love the beer dough idea.

Reply

Isa @ Never Eat Shredded Wheat September 29, 2015 um 6:17 pm

We’ve been making pizza every Friday night since we started dating and have continued the tradition since we got married. This looks delicious and very different from our usual – just curious if you’d recommend doing anything differently if cooking this indoors on pizza stones.

Reply

Jackie September 29, 2015 um 6:20 pm

When I cook pizza in the oven I let the oven heat up, with the stone inside, for at least an hour, sometimes two. I usually do 475F. It helps to get the best crust.
Have fun!

Reply

Charlotte March 24, 2016 um 12:10 am

This pizza looks positively heavenly. Pinning so I can make this ASAP! And that pic of you and Nick is just the cutest. Thanks.

Reply

Toni Stump October 29, 2017 um 4:18 pm

Asking questions are in fact pleasant thing
if you are not understanding anything entirely, pleasant understanding yet.

Reply

Thomas Henry November 2, 2017 um 10:48 am

I love pizza and grilled pizza i never tried but i will for sure after watching your this post

Reply

Cynthia August 5, 2020 um 7:34 am

How would you grill the pizza using a charcoal grill?

Reply

Jackie August 5, 2020 um 9:28 am

I have never done it but I’m certain it’s possible. The hardest part will be temperature regulation.

Reply

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