This post is sponsored by Head Country BBQ sauce, which makes all dinners delicious
With the new Traeger Timberline XL that is hitting the market, it’s been super fun to dig out old recipes that we love to try on the new technology. In the past, we have loved making pizzas on the Traeger because it’s easy and fun and the results are fantastic. But with the new super high heats that are possible with the Timberline XL, we figured there was a chance we could make pizza even better. Turns out we were right. This pizza, topped with smoked tri-tip, lots of Head Country BBQ sauce, red onions and loads of cheese, came out with an ultra-crispy crust and amazingly melted top. Make this Traeger grilled tri-tip pizza tonight- yum!
PIZZA IN THE TRAEGER: YES PLEASE
A Traeger grill is a lot like an oven. Indeed, we use our Traeger grill 99% of the time when an oven is called for, because our Traegers function as an outdoors convection oven. The design of the grill means that the hot air inside circulates well, there are no hot-spots from the heat source, and the added bonus of a little bit of wood-fired flavor really makes dinner delicious. We use the Traeger to bake everything– from breakfast foods to casseroles to desserts. And pizza is a family favorite.
For pizza night this week, we decided that a BBQ-focused pizza was in store, and assembled all our ingredients. This included pizza crust (we cut the corner this time and bought pizza crust from Trader Joes), lots of cheese (we did a blend of white cheddar and mozzarella, red onions, chopped up smoked tri-tip and a healthy dose of Head Country’s new Honey Sauce, which will be available to buy soon.
This sauce is like all of Head Country’s amazing sauces– tangy, delicious and smooth. But with the added boost of honey, it was particularly delicious and complimented the ingredients of our pizza so well! The high heat of the new Traeger Timberline XL plus all these amazing ingredients made for a delicious dinner of Traeger Grilled Tri-Tip Pizza.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Prepared pizza dough (we grabbed a bag of it from the refrigerator section at Trader Joes)
- Smoked leftover tri-tip
- Thinly sliced red onions marinated in balsamic vinegar and quickly grilled
- Cheese- lots of it (we did a blend of white cheddar and mozzarella and sprinkled with gorgonzola)
- Head Country BBQ Sauce- the honey variety
WHY GRILLING PIZZA ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
When using your Traeger like an oven, the mechanics of all of it is a no-brainer. We add a pizza stone to the grill and crank up the heat to high. Give it plenty of time to get hot (honestly, it takes that long to effectively roll out pizza dough) and when the pizza is ready, so too is the grill.
The high heat of the grill internally, coupled with the extremely hot pizza stone makes for the perfect pizza environment. You need that heat on the bottom to crisp up the crust. And the hot ambient temperature around the pizza melts the cheese, heats everything through and produces the perfect pizza.
With the new technology that Traeger is debuting with the Traeger Timberline XL, there will likely be more innovation that makes pizza on the Traeger even easier and more effective. But we’ve found that if you start the grill up before you start prepping the pizzas, you’ll have a perfect pizza oven environment when your ingredients are ready. The addition of a little wood-fired flavor doesn’t hurt the result of a Traeger Grilled Tri-Tip Pizza either!
STEP-BY-STEP
- Pull the pizza dough out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your Traeger grill to high heat and place a pizza stone inside.
- Slice the red onions into ÂĽ inch rounds and put in a bowl. Toss with balsamic vinegar to coat and sprinkle with salt.
- When the grill is hot, quickly sear the red onions on the hot grates until slightly softened. Remove from the grill and set aside.
- Prep the rest of your ingredients– grate the cheese, chop the steak into small (¼ inch) cubes, etc.
- Roll out the pizza dough until very thin.
- Transfer the prepared dough to a floured pizza peel.
- Top the dough with a generous coating of bbq sauce and top that with the first layer of cheese.
- Distribute the grilled red onions and steak pieces across the pizza.
- Top with another layer of cheese and then sprinkle with the gorgonzola.
- Slide the pizza off the wooden peel and into the hot grill
- Close the grill lid and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Check it after 5 minutes and rotate the pizza 180*.
- Close the lid again and cook for 5 more minutes or until the top is bubbly and the crust is crisp.
- Using a metal pizza peel, remove the pizza from the grill and slice and serve.
PRODUCTS USED TO MAKE TRI-TIP PIZZA ON THE TRAEGER GRILL
With the new temperatures of the Traeger Timberline XL, achieving an amazing pizza crust is even easier than before. We use a pizza stone that Traeger used to sell (but doesn’t anymore), so any pizza stone would work.
Here are some products that we used that made this cook so great:
- Pizza stone
- Wooden pizza peel (for making the pizza)
- Metal pizza peel (for pulling the pizza out of the grill)
- Wooden rolling pin
- Traeger Timberline XL
- Head Country Honey BBQ Sauce (coming soon!!!)
NO TIME FOR PIZZA? TRY PIZZA DIP!
If you can believe it, this is our first pizza recipe on the blog! But we have a delicious pizza dip recipe that you could try if you’re in the mood for melty goodness for dipping!
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue
Traeger Grilled Tri-Tip Pizza
Equipment
- Traeger Timberline XL
- Pizza stone
- Wooden pizza peel
- Wooden rolling pin
- Metal pizza peel
Ingredients
- 1 pound of prepared pizza dough
- 1/2 cup Head Country BBQ Sauce- the honey variety
- 1 cup smoked leftover tri-tip chopped into 1/4 inch dice
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles
Instructions
- Allow the pizza dough to reach room temperature before starting
- Preheat the Traeger grill to high heat (450*) and put your pizza stone inside
- Cut the red onion into ÂĽ inch rounds and toss with the balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper
- When the grill is hot, quickly cook the red onions on the grates then set aside
- Prepare the pizza toppings- grate the cheese, chop the steak into small (ÂĽ inch) cubes, etc.
- Roll out the pizza dough until evenly thin on a floured pizza peel
- Top the dough with a generous coating of bbq sauce and cover with the first layer of cheese
- Spread the grilled red onions and steak pieces across the pizza.
- Top with more cheese and then sprinkle with the gorgonzola
- Slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone
- Cook for 5 minutes with the grill lid closed
- Then rotate the pizza 180* and continue cooking until bubbly and browned
- Using a metal pizza peel, remove the pizza from the grill and slice and serve
Leave a Reply