One of the many benefits of a Primo Grill’s versatility is the ability to bake – think wood-fired pizza oven with premium ceramic construction. The same heat absorption and distribution properties that make a ceramic pizza stone beneficial translate to the grill itself. This is especially helpful in the lid, which radiates heat back to the pizza from above. Here is a basic method for making pizza on the Primo – we did a simple pepperoni pizza as requested by the kids it was made for.
Pizza dough is a very broad topic by itself- you can either make it or buy it. If you like to make it you probably have a recipe you’ve followed in the past- if not, here is a good one from Emeril Lagasse. If you prefer to buy it you can go to the grocery store but we would recommend asking your favorite local pizzeria if they would sell you some dough. Here in Easton Maryland we recommend Rusticana Pizza. If you go ask for the medium dough- it fits well on the Primo 16″ glazed pizza stone.
Prepare the Primo to around 450 -500 degrees. Remember the dome temp reading will be a bit lower than the actual temp at the stone. Place and pre-heat a pizza stone- we used the 16″ Primo glazed stone for our Oval XL. We have found a direct correlation between dough thickness and target temperature- feel free to use higher temps with thinner crusts.
Medium pizza dough from local pizzeria Rusticana.
Roll out dough on floured surface and place on cornmeal or rice flour coated pizza peel. Give it a quick back and forth motion to make sure the dough slides easily before adding the weight of sauce and toppings.
Add your favorite sauce and toppings. Kept it simple here for kids.
Give your pre-heated pizza stone a healthy sprinkle of cornmeal or rice flour right before you put on the pizza.
Slide your pizza off the peel using a quick back and forth motion. Cooking time will depend on temperature and crust thickness- we recommend leaving the bottom vent open and the top vent moon only cracked about 1 inch. This will trap in more heat to cook the pizza top evenly with the crust.
Check on the pizza after 8 to 12 minutes. The less you open the lid the better here.
Pizza on the Primo- no complaints from the kids (or adults!)
White Pizza on the Primo with ricotta, pesto, rosemary, and mozzarella.
Pizza Update- Some things we’ve learned over the years:
- We would highly recommend using rice flour
- Give the grill ample time to warm up – 1/2 hour at the minimum to let all the ceramic warm up sufficiently. Most importantly the dome lid which will radiate heat back down and helps cook the top of the pizza.
- Use both d plates AND a pizza stone
Ok, some more pics:
Right on!
Primo pizzas are great but be careful of the temperature. I always thought for pizza the hotter the better. Not so. My first attempt was over 500 and quickly turned the pizza to charcoal. I also tried directly on the grate; the pizza stone works best.
I cook pizza often on my Primo. I cook at 425 deg for 7-9 minutes. I use parchment paper under the pizza this make for easy removal from the peel and back to the peel when it’s cooked. I place it all right on the heated pizza stone. Works great every time. Enjoy!!