Turn Your Grill Into a High-Heat Pizza Oven With This Simple Trick

If you love the flavor of a wood-fired pizza but don’t have the space or budget for a backyard oven, try this clever upgrade: cook your pizza on a wooden plank, right on your grill. In her new book Pizza on a Plank: Make Wood-Fired Pizza on Your Grill!, author and grilling pro Dana Guillen shows how this surprisingly simple technique transforms a gas or charcoal grill into a smoky, high-heat pizza oven—no special equipment required.

Guillen first discovered plank grilling through her brother’s wood plank business and began experimenting with everything from stuffed peppers to meatloaf. But once she tried pizza, she was hooked. "You get the flavor of the smoke and the wood infused into the dough and toppings,” she says. Guillen says grilling pizza on a plank is the closest thing to a wood-fired pizza oven without spending thousands.

How to Grill Pizza on a Plank

1. Start by soaking a wooden plank—preferably cherry, alder, or maple—in water for at least two hours. This keeps it from catching fire on the grill.
2. Preheat your gas or charcoal grill to around 475°F to 500°F. On a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side and place the plank over indirect heat.
   
3. Once the grill is hot, place the soaked plank directly on the grate. Close the lid and let it heat for a few minutes, flipping the plank once or twice so it stays flat and begins to release a little smoke. “Watch for light gray smoke,” Guillen says. “That’s the sweet spot. No smoke? Raise the heat. Dark, billowy smoke? Your plank might be on fire.” (But don't panic! Read below on what to do if this happens.)
   
4. When the plank is hot, sprinkle it with cornmeal and lay your rolled-out pizza dough directly on top. Close the lid and grill the dough for about 5 minutes until it starts to firm up and develop grill marks. Open the lid, quickly add toppings, then close it again and grill for another 5 minutes.

Why It Works

The wood and smoke replicate the environment of a brick oven, infusing the crust and toppings with a subtle, toasty flavor. “The texture you get is incredible—crisp and chewy with a little char,” Guillen says. And because the grill gets so hot, the pizza cooks fast: just 10 minutes start to finish.

Smart Tips from Dana

• Use thin-crust doughs only. They cook best on a plank and develop that signature wood-fired texture.
• Be prepared. Keep a spray bottle of water nearby in case the plank ignites.
• Reuse your plank. After grilling, rinse it and store it in the freezer. You can usually get 4–6 uses out of one plank.
• Finish on the plank. Serve pizzas right on the board for a rustic presentation—and less clean up.

What to Make

In her book, Guillen shares classics like pepperoni and adventurous picks like a dill pickle pizza with creamy garlic sauce and parmesan. Her favorite? A meatball pizza with tangy pomegranate tomato sauce. There’s even a s’mores dessert pizza. “You get this warm, melty, smoky flavor that’s completely unique,” she says.

Soak a plank, fire up the grill, and skip the pizza delivery. You’re about to make restaurant-quality pies in your own backyard.