Can You Smoke Pizza in a Pellet Grill

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Serving a crispy, chewy pizza with a hint of smoke that tastes like it just came out of an authentic pizza oven is the best way to feed your family and guests this iconic food. Since pizza ovens can cost thousands of dollars and take more of your time to use, you might have asked, can I smoke a pizza in my pellet grill? 

Yes, you absolutely can and should smoke your next pizza in a pellet grill. If you don’t have a pellet grill, any smoker will work. Not only are you going to save money and space by not buying a separate pizza oven, but you can add smoke flavor to your pizza using the same device you use for brisket, ribs, and other food. 

Now that you know you can and will smoke your pizza, you may be wondering how to do this. There are several hints and tricks to getting your pizza to turn out great. I’m going to cover these below. 

Is Smoked Pizza Good?

When a great pizza joint comes to mind, it’s always one that cooks using a wood-fired pizza oven. This is how all the top pizza restaurants cook their pizzas, and with good reason. Smoking a pizza adds an ingredient you won’t get anywhere else. The variety of smoke produced by different wood choices will elevate your pizza to new levels of flavor. 

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Pizza on a Pellet Grill? 

If you Google this question, you’ll see 4-6 minutes, but this answer is false. The information is taken from a Traeger recipe that has you grilling one side of the dough for about 2 minutes before flipping it over, adding ingredients, then smoking another 4-6 minutes. 

It takes about 10 minutes to smoke a pizza effectively. The final time depends on the dough’s thickness, the smoker’s temperature, outside weather, etc. Check your pizza often so you don’t burn the crust. 

What Temperature Do You Cook Pizza on a Pellet Grill?

Your typical commercial pizza oven will cook at 700 to 800°F. This is hotter than your standard home oven or smoker. The best temperature to smoke your pizza should be between 450 and 500°F. If your smoker can’t get that hot, make it as hot as possible. 

What Kind of Wood is Commonly Used in Traditional Pizza Ovens? 

The best woods to burn in a pizza oven are dried and seasoned hardwoods such as maple and oak. You need wood that will burn hot and not give you excessive ash. If your oven isn’t hot enough, you could be left with a soggy pizza.  The wood needs to be completely dry to get the higher temperatures, and your wood choice must come from the hardwood variety. Not only does this give you a higher temperature burn, but also consistent burn to maintain an even amount of smoke. 

Along with your traditional hardwood options, fruitwoods are also great to use. These will add a level of depth to your final flavor. Apple, pecan, and plum are all great choices. Keep in mind that not all fruitwoods burn as hot. I suggest mixing fruitwood with hardwood so you get a hot burn along with a pleasant aroma. 

Apple is probably one of the most commonly used fruitwoods because of its high burn temp, mild flavor, and pleasant aroma. 

What Wood Pellets are Best for Smoking a Pizza? 

With wood pellets guaranteed to be dry and hard-packed to burn similarly, it comes down to flavor. Here’s a closer look at my recommendations. 

Oak

Oak is an excellent wood for pizza ovens since it’s heavy and dense. It’s still a great choice as a pellet and a safe choice. You can’t go wrong with the aroma oak will bring to your pizza. 

Hickory

Hickory is a clean-burning wood bringing a strong flavor. Hickory burns hot like an oak with a more intense flavor dynamic. 

Apple

Apple is an excellent fruitwood option for pizza. When used in a traditional pizza oven, applewood can produce large pops that can drop a little ash on your food. However, as a pellet, you eliminate that downside. Applewood brings a delicious aroma and flavor that pair well with any pizza topping. 

Maple

Maple is another solid choice when smoking pizza. It combines well with oak and apple pellets with its mild and subtly sweet flavor. 

Mesquite

Mesquite has a distinctive, sharp, earthy flavor that burns hot and fast. It could be the smokiest wood on this list. I suggest mixing it with another wood pellet to create a milder flavor. 

Pecan

Pecan is a nutty version of hickory that goes well with smoking pizza. You can use these pellets on their own or combine them with oak or apple for added depth. 

Can You Smoke a Pizza in an Electric Smoker? 

Yes, you can! You want to follow a few basic rules like other cooking options, pizza oven, pellet grill, etc. Keep your smoker hot, cook the pizza fast, and not overcook the food. 

Can you Smoke a Frozen Pizza on a Pellet Grill?

Yes, smoking a frozen store-bought pizza on a pellet grill is an excellent way to infuse more flavor. However, you will want to keep a close eye on the food not to burn. Follow the instructions on the box and use your smoker like your indoor oven. Read “Can You Smoke Frozen Meat” to learn more about smoking frozen food. 

Can You Smoke Store-Bought Pizza? 

You can smoke a fresh, store-bought pizza. I’ll break down the two most commonly asked about pizzas below. 

Can you Smoke a DiGiorno Pizza? 

Yes, you can smoke a DiGiorno pizza like you would any store-bought pizza. If it’s frozen or fresh, place it in your smoker, following the instruction found on the box. Use your smoker like you would your indoor oven. 

Can you Cook Papa Murphy’s Pizza on a Pellet Grill? 

Yes, smoking a freshly made Papa Murphy’s pizza is a great way to add extra flavor. However, don’t smoke it at a high 450°F or 500°F like you would for a homemade pizza. Papa Murphy pizzas will do better if you follow their baking instructions that come with your food. 

Yes, smoking a freshly made Papa Murphy’s pizza is a great way to add extra flavor. However, don’t smoke it at a high 450°F or 500°F like you would for a homemade pizza. Papa Murphy pizzas will do better if you follow their baking instructions that come with your food. 

Do You Smoke Papa Murphy’s Pizza on Their Provided Cardboard? 

You will want to leave the pizza on the provided cardboard. However, I suggest placing the pizza onto a pizza pan still on the cardboard. This can be metal, stone, other pizza cooking surfaces. This will help heat the crust to a crispy golden brown. 

Can You Use a Pizza Stone in a Smoker? 

You sure can and should use a pizza stone or some other kind of heat-conducting surface to place your pizza. I prefer using a seasoned cast iron pizza pan, as you can purchase at Lodge Cast Iron.   

Can you Smoke a Pizza Without a Pizza stone?

You can smoke a pizza without a stone. There are several options for having something to place your pizza upon inside your smoker. 

As mentioned above, I prefer cast iron over a stone. I get a great crust every time I use my cast iron skillet or pizza pan. However, there are a few options for pizza pans. Here’s a list of several I’ve used or reviewed that are worth trying.  

How Do You Use a Pizza Stone on a Traeger or Pellet Grill?

Using a pizza stone in your pellet grill is easy before or after setting the smoker temperature between 450 and 500°F; place the stone on the grill grates. The stone will need about 30 minutes to get hot enough. 

Once the stone and smoker are hot, slide your pizza onto the stone surface and close the lid to your smoker. Keep checking it often. Depending on your crust thickness, toppings, etc., your pizza could be done in 6 to 10 minutes. 

I suggest using a pizza peel to add and remove pizzas from your stone or any other pan you decide to use. Click here for my recommendation of a top-selling wooden pizza peel.

Conclusion

You can and should cook a pizza in your smoker. Adding the element of smoke to your food is akin to you adding another ingredient. If done correctly, the pizza will come out crispy, with a hint of added flavor brought on by the smoke. 

If you’re curious about what else you can smoke, you may want to take a look at our Full Guide to Smoke a Turkey in a Pellet Grill.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Smoking Food Board!!

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