This grilled cheeseburger pizza almost turned me into a crazy person. That probably doesn’t surprise you, since I’m the person putting a burger on a pizza. But still. I don’t know why, but I could NOT stop thinking about this combination. Couldn’t stop. Remember a few years ago when I made a copycat smoke shack […]
The post Grilled Smoke Shack Cheeseburger Pizza. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
This grilled cheeseburger pizza almost turned me into a crazy person.
That probably doesn’t surprise you, since I’m the person putting a burger on a pizza. But still.
I don’t know why, but I could NOT stop thinking about this combination. Couldn’t stop. Remember a few years ago when I made a copycat smoke shack burger?! For some reason, a few months ago the idea of putting it all on pizza, like, yes, the idea of immensely trashing up TWO recipes, was stuck in my head.
Every time we are near a Shake Shack, we have to stop. I’m team Shake Shack over everything else, even In and Out (which we don’t have) and Five Guys (which we do have). Shake Shack all the way. Eddie agrees and I won’t even begin to tell you his order. It’s basically a sin.
The crazy thing is that I usually just want a classic cheeseburger when it comes to a place like that. However, every single time I’m there, the smoke shack burger screams my name from the menu. It’s the first burger I ever tasted there and I just can’t pass it up. It’s smoky and slightly spicy and just so.dang.good. Bacon, cherry peppers, cheddar and special sauce… now tell me that doesn’t sound good?
So I had to pizza it. Yes, a verb. To pizza something. Welcome to my English lesson.
It’s not the most photogenic pizza, but it is heaven off the grill.
Let’s get to it!
It comes as no surprise since this is a cheeseburger pizza that there is beef and cheese. Shocking! The specials twist on here is the delish sauce that you’ll want to eat with a spoon, the crispy crunch bacon and the cherry peppers.
Oh, and that it’s grilled! The smoky flavor is fantastic.
When I first made a cheeseburger pizza (in a cast iron skillet!) I was really making it for Eddie. Figured he’d LOVE it. I never expected to love it as much as I did. And sometimes I get these crazy cheeseburger pizza cravings and want to make one – but they do take a little extra time. You have to brown the beef, make the sauce, grate the cheese, all that jazz.
It is so so so worth it though. This is a hearty, heavy pizza and you may only need one slice. Serve it with a big greens salad (spring greens, salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil) and it may just become your new favorite dinner.
Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza
Smoke Shack Cheeseburger Pizza
This grilled cheeseburger pizza is my take on the smoke shack burger! Cheddar, bacon, cherry peppers and special sauce make this impossible to resist.
crust
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Flour and coarse cornmeal for dusting
topping
- 4 slices bacon, (diced)
- 1 shallot, (diced)
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons diced dill pickles
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 cups freshly grated white cheddar
- 1/2 cup hot and sweet cherry peppers, (or pimentos, diced)
- Fresh chopped chives for topping
- In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it loosely into your desired shape. Place the towel back over the dough to rest.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the ingredients.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the fat has rendered, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess grease.
- Pour all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat from the skillet (save it or discard!) and keep the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and stir. Cook for 2 minutes so it softens. Add in the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook until the beef is browned and crumbled. Turn off the heat and transfer the beef to another bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, pickles, paprika and mustard until combined.
- Preheat your grill to the highest setting.
- Once the grill is hot, now is the time to be prepared! You have to move fast. Have all of your ingredients near your pizza peel and dough.
- Generously cover the pizza peel with flour and coarse grind cornmeal. This will help prevent the dough from sticking.
- Moving quickly, transfer your pizza dough to the pizza peel, quickly rolling it a bit more if needed but making sure the entire bottom is floured/cornmeal very well. Brush or spray the dough with olive oil. Spoon the sauce onto the dough and spread it around. Sprinkle on half of the cheese then add on the ground beef mixture and the cherry peppers. Top with with the remaining cheese and the cooked bacon.
- Quickly and gently use a spatula or additional pizza peel to slice your pizza directly on to the grill grates. Close the lid and cook until the pizza dough is bubbly and golden, anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes – but this will depend on the thickness of your crust. Just be sure to continue to check it. It will be finished when the edges are golden and puffed up!
- Once the pizza is finished, slide the peel under it and transfer it to a cutting board. Cover it with chives and slice it to serve. Enjoy!
Definitely all the heart eyes.
The post Grilled Smoke Shack Cheeseburger Pizza. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
