Pizza on the grill? Try a smokin’ slice

Gas-grill method:
Preheat the grill by setting all the burners on high. After lighting, close the lid and leave on high for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat of all the burners to medium.

Meanwhile, sprinkle your work surface with the grits of polenta. Place the dough in the middle of the surface. You can roll out the dough with a rolling pin, stretch it out with your hands, or press it out from the center against the work surface. Ideally, you want a 12-inch, organically shaped piece of dough — round, square or rectangular — 1/8- to 1/4-inch think (err on the thinner side for thin-crust pizza and on the thicker side for thick-crust pizza). Drizzle or brush both sides generously with oil. Our recipes call for 2 tablespoons, but we tend to use more oil when making our own pizzas, which results in a thinner, crisper crust.

Pick up the dough by the two corners closest to you. In one motion, lay it down flat on the cooking grate from back to front (as you would set a tablecloth down on a table). Close the lid and grill for 3 minutes (no peeking!), then check the crust and, if necessary, continue grilling a few more minutes until the bottom is well marked and nicely browned.

Use tongs to transfer the crust from the grill to a peel or rimless baking sheet. Close the lid of the grill. Flip the crust to reveal the grilled side. Follow the specific recipe direction for adding any sauce, toppings, and/or cheese.

Switch the grill to indirect heat by turning off the center burner(s) if you have a three- or four- burner grill. For a two-burner grill, turn off one burner. Set the pizza back on the grate over indirect heat (the unlit section) and grill, with the lid down, until the bottom is well browned and the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes. For two-burner grills, rotate the pizza halfway through the cooking time.

Remove from the grill, garnish, and season as directed. Slice and serve immediately.

Charcoal-grill method:
Build a fire by lighting 50 to 60 charcoal briquettes in either a chimney starter or in a pyramid-shaped mound on the bottom grate on your grill. Once the briquettes have become gray-ashed (20 to 30 minutes), move them all to one side of the grill.

Meanwhile, sprinkle your work surface with the grits or polenta. Place the dough in the middle of the surface. You can roll out the dough with a rolling pin, stretch it out with your hands, or press it out from the center against the work surface. Ideally, you want a 12 inch by 6 inch, organically shaped piece of dough or, if you want it, a rectangle; go for 1/8- to 1/4 inch thick. Drizzle or brush both sides generously with oil. Our recipes call for 2 tablespoons, but we tend to use more oil when making our own pizzas, which result in a thinner and crispier crust.

Pick up the dough by two corners closest to you. In one motion, lay it down flat — over the grate side without briquettes — on the cooking grate from back to front (as you would set a tablecloth down on a table). Close the lid and grill for 3 minutes (no peeking), then rotate the crust 180 degrees and continue grilling until the bottom is well marked and evenly browned, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Use tongs to transfer the crust from the grill to a peel or rimless baking sheet. Close the lid of the grill. Flip the crust to reveal to grilled side. Follow the specific recipe direction for adding any sauce, toppings, and/or cheese.

Set the pizza back on the grate over the side without briquettes and grill, with the lid down, for 4 to 5 minutes. Rotate the pizza 180 degrees and continue to grill with the lid down until the bottom is well browned and cheese is melted, another 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the grill, garnish, and season as directed. Slice and serve immediately.

Place the water, oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add to the water mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until well incorporated. If the dough is stiff, add more water. If it is very sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Continue to mix until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. Continue to mix until it feels elastic. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead for just about 1 minute, until just smooth and easy to work with, adding extra flour to the surface as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Do not overwork the dough or it will be tough.

Place the dough in an oiled clean bowl, turn it several times to coat all over with the oil, then drizzle the top of the dough with a little oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in a warm spot, and let rise until it more than doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and knead on a lightly floured surface for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth. Divide into two equal-size balls and proceed with your pizza making. (The dough may be made ahead, frozen for up to a month, and thawed at room temperature before using.)