Cooking pizza at home is one of life’s little joys, and pizza stones can help home cooks achieve perfectly crisp-yet-chewy pizza dough. What starts as a hobby or weekend endeavour can quickly turn into a passion or even obsession!
Using a pizza stone on a charcoal grill imbues the dough with a very particular and often delectable flavour, leaving many connoisseurs searching for the best grill-friendly stone. It also offers the most stabilized heat for cooking a pizza throughout, providing an extra crispy crust.
The best pizza stone for a charcoal grill is one that can withstand extreme heat, evenly cook the dough, and help pizza keep its shape. After all, even the best-made pizzas can go to waste when a stone cracks during use, has cold spots or fails to protect and support the dough.
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Let’s take a closer look at these pizza stones and see which one will work best for you and your needs. The pizza stones for charcoal grills in this post are made of three different types of materials:
- Cast Iron
- Stone Ceramic
- Cordierite
The pros and cons for each material will be discussed.
After looking at each pizza stone we’ll dive a bit deeper at the best features to look for and some of the essential things to consider when searching for the best pizza stone for a charcoal grill.
The Best Pizza Stones for Charcoal Grills
1. Cuisinart CPS-013 Alfrescamore Pizza Grilling Stone
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The Cuisinart Pizza Grilling Stone is one of the most affordable options, though it is also one of the thinnest.
This means that it’s more prone to cracking and shattering than comparable stones. Still, careful handling and proper cleaning can eliminate this risk.
This circular stone has a diameter of 13 inches, making it a medium-sized option that can easily fit into charcoal grills that are at least 17 inches wide.
Overall, it’s a traditional, reasonably durable, and affordable option that won’t melt or crack under high heats.
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2. Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Baking Pan
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While this option might not technically be a pizza stone, it is a charcoal-safe pizza pan that can last for decades.
This circular cast iron baking pan is just deep enough to keep cooking dough secure and safe from open flame, and at just over an inch thick, the bottom is ideal for transferring heat and creating a perfectly crisp crust.
Of course, cast iron is far heavier than ceramic, and it can also be far more expensive. Still, cast iron never shatters when dropped, and stone and ceramic options often do.
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3. Aura Outdoor Products Rectangle Pizza Stone
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Those who enjoy rectangular party pizzas may find themselves feeling unsatisfied with the standard assortment of circular pizza stones.
The Aura Rectangle Pizza Stone is here to fill that gap by providing a solid ceramic surface designed to support and evenly cook pizzas up to about 16 inches long and 12 inches wide.
This stone is nearly 2 inches (5cm) deep, making it one of the thickest charcoal-safe pizza stones on the market.
While this thickness might cause the stone to take a little longer to reach the desired temperature, it can also significantly shorten overall cooking time and provide a balanced, even cooking across the bottom and top of the pizza.
Features to Look For in a Pizza Stone for Charcoal Grills
Understanding how to use a pizza stone with charcoal is essential to choosing the best one for charcoal grills. After all, cooking with charcoal is very different from cooking with a conventional oven or gas/propane grill.
Cooking a pizza evenly with charcoal requires an intermediate understanding of how heat is transferred and how pizza dough cooks.
A great way to cook both the dough and toppings concurrently is to create a dome-like environment. This way, the dough doesn’t burn, and the surface of the pie is allowed to cook.
If you’re determined to create the perfect pizza with only a pizza stone and a charcoal grill, you’ll need to bolster your knowledge with the right materials. This means investing in a pizza stone that is:
- Durable enough to withstand high-heat conditions
- Capable of transferring heat evenly across its surface
- The proper shape and size to hold and cook your dough
The best pizza stone for a charcoal grill is one that satisfies the above conditions. It should be able to cook pizza evenly without burning it, and it should be large enough to accommodate uncooked pies and help them retain their shape.
Still, the most important feature to look for when browsing pizza stones is durability. The finest charcoal-friendly pizza stone on the market is essentially worthless if it crumbles or cracks after its first use.
Durability
Charcoal can burn extremely hot, and the average charcoal grill reaches temperatures between 200℉ and about 700℉ (93°C and 371°C). The good news is that ceramic, the most common material used to make pizza stones, can withstand temperatures of 1,800℉ (982°C) or higher.
However, this doesn’t mean that pizza stones are completely safe from cracks or flaws.
Ceramic objects are notoriously fragile. Glass, porcelain, and natural clay pots are great examples of ceramics prone to breaking, cracking, and shattering. Pizza stones made of composite material, like synthetic cordierite, tend to resist shattering better than standard clay or stone models.
Thicker stones also tend to handle accidental drops or high temperatures better than thinner ones. However, a pizza stone’s depth can affect its ability to effectively and uniformly transfer heat, resulting in burned or undercooked pizza dough.
Heat Transfer
Standard metal pizza pans tend to produce “hotspots” that result in the unevenly cooked dough. Pizza stones are preferable because they allow for a more balanced transfer of heat, ensuring that the dough touching the stone cooks at the same consistent rate.
To achieve a moist-yet-crisp crust and a well-cooked top, it’s important to position the live coals around the stone, rather than completely beneath it. This can be difficult to do if your pizza stone is too large or small.
That’s why it’s imperative to choose a stone that fits easily into your charcoal grill. Take notice of your preferred model’s size and shape before committing to a final purchase.
Size & Shape
Pizza stones come in many sizes and shapes, and the best one for you depends on your preferences and the size and shape of your charcoal grill.
The best pizza stone for a charcoal grill fits snugly inside the grill while allowing several inches of space between itself and the corners of the grill.
You can use a tape measure to discover which pizza stone might be well-suited to your grill’s interior.
Be sure to write down any measurements you take, and to use those measurements as a guide while browsing charcoal-safe pizza stones.
Conclusion
The best pizza stones for charcoal grills are exceptionally durable and able to evenly transfer and distribute heat. They should also be able to fit inside a charcoal grill without touching the sides of that grill.
A pizza stone that also helps dough retain its desired shape during cooking may also be desirable. Your specific needs and preferences and the information in this guide will help you find the perfect pizza stone for your charcoal grill.
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