Recipe · Pizza
Grilled Cast Iron Pizza (Pro Technique)
The cast-iron pizza method is what pizzerias use when they do not have a 900F wood oven but still want a crispy, slightly fried bottom. The iron skillet acts as a thermal battery, it is preheated to full grill temperature and holds that heat in direct contact with the dough for the entire cook. The result is a bottom crust that is deeply browned and shatters like a cracker, paired with an airy interior crumb. The Ninja Woodfire Pro XL at 700F pushes this technique into restaurant quality. You are not going to make a true Neapolitan here, but you will make a pizza better than anything delivery can bring you, and possibly better than most pizzerias within a 30-minute drive.
Technique how-to
How the grilled pizza method works
A method demonstration from Meathead's AmazingRibs — watch it for the technique, then follow the ingredients and steps in our recipe above. We do not produce our own videos.
Meathead Goldwyn's technique translates directly to an electric grill with a preheated cast-iron skillet — the method our cast-iron pizza recipe uses.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 8 oz mozzarella
- 2 oz Parmesan
- 4 oz pepperoni
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Semolina flour for dusting
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- 01
Preheat a 12-inch cast iron skillet directly on the grill at 700F for 15 minutes. The skillet must be ripping hot.
- 02
Stretch the dough into a 12-inch round. Dust with semolina.
- 03
Drizzle olive oil into the preheated skillet. Quickly place the dough into the skillet (it will sizzle hard).
- 04
Top immediately: sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni.
- 05
Close the grill lid. Cook 8-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown.
- 06
Slide the pizza out of the skillet with a spatula (it should release easily from the oiled, hot surface).
- 07
Finish with basil and let rest 2 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips
Tips for this cook
- ★Cast iron holds far more thermal energy than a pizza stone. The bottom of a cast-iron pizza is crisper than anything you can achieve on stone.
- ★Semolina flour on the bottom is the secret to easy release. Regular flour burns at 700F; semolina handles the heat.
- ★700F on the Ninja Woodfire Pro XL is enough to fully replicate Detroit-style and Neapolitan-adjacent pizzas with a cast-iron skillet.
We recommend for this recipe
Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850
The Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850's 406 sq in surface and 700°f searing temperature and 30% more cooking space than standard make it our pick for this recipe.
More Recipes Like This
