BBQ Grilled Cajun Style Pizza Recipe

You read that right, you are actually going to get the secret to making this flavor packed, smokey and spicy "Grilled Cajun Style Pizza Recipe!" You will begin by following a truly EASY homemade pizza dough recipe, then while the dough is resting you will start pulling together toppings that include Andouille sausage, red peppers, creamy mozzarella cheese, and a cleaver Cajun combination of grilling spices! If you're on the vegetarian side of things, substitute the Andouille sausage for some yummy spicy soy based sausage (Trader Joe's has an awesome variety). Once the dough is ready you'll shape it and start grilling! Add your toppings on the flip-side, grill your Cajun-style pizza until the smokey toppings and mozzarella cheese are piping hot and ready to serve. The whole thing only takes about 25 minutes of prep-time (not including the resting period for the dough). Now it's time to gather 4 of your closest friends and family and dig in! I highly recommend having a few cold beers or sweet tea to accompany this crazy "Grilled Cajun-Style Pizza!"

"Capsaicin" is the chemical that makes a chili so dang hot. Law enforcement and the military use capsaicin as a very effective non-lethal weapon in spray and powder form, ( i.e., Pepper Spray). Often a pure form of capsaicin is used in these weapons and is measured between 15,000,000 and 16,000,000 Scoville Units, causing excruciating pain and an involuntary visceral response in the body and particularly to any open membrane; mouth, eyes, nose, and even some sensitive areas of skin.

So what is a Scoville Unit, and how does it relate to this recipe? The sausage called for in the Grilled Cajun Style Pizza recipe is an Andouille sausage , which can pack some pretty intense heat—a heat intensity that is measured in Scoville Units, in honor of the doctor who created it. The peppers used in the making of Andouille Sausage are measured in multiples of 100 units, starting with the mild and almost sweet bell pepper which comes up at a whopping zero on the Scoville scale; very mild when compared to say, the Bhut Jolokia, that measures around one million on the chili pepper heat scale. The Habañero is used in Andouille and lands somewhere near the hot end of the heat scale—200,00 to 350,00 Scoville units. To give you an indication as to how the chili heat gets configured when measuring Scoville units (better known as the amount of capsaicin pain a human can withstand), I will discuss the formula quickly;

The way the heat is measurement on the Scoville Unit Scale is by adding one part chili "heat" per 1,000,000 (1M) drops of water, which is rated at 1.5 Scoville Units. In today's scientific world a far more accurate method has been developed, called Liquid Chromatography. Again, the name of the scale remains as such to honor the original creator.

At right you will find a fun and colorful Scoville Unit scale that shows you how each Chile pepper measures-up on the heat scale. Keep in mind that these numbers can vary due to environmental variations in the growing process. The heat level can waver from the lowest to the highest listed measurements, and in some cases go well beyond that which is listed here.

NOTE: You can purchase Andouille sausage in mild, medium, and hot seasoning temperatures. You will want to choose the one that suits your capsaicin tolerance best!

_{Scoville chart design is modified from scoville scale for peppers image}

Grilled red peppers can be purchased in a can at most grocery stores; but for that traditional Cajun roasted flair, toss them on the hot grill until they char nicely. Place the warm peppers in a sealed plastic bag. Once cooled, rub the plastic bag between your hands to knock off the charred skin. Chop up the grilled red pepper flesh and add with your other Grilled Cajun Style Pizza toppings!

Makes enough Grilled Cajun style Pizza for 4 hungry guests

• 1 pizza dough (easy recipe provided below)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, grilled and chopped
• 2½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ¾ cup scallions, grilled and chopped
• 1 cup roasted peppers, chopped
• ½ tsp ground thyme
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 TBL dried parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Tabasco sauce to taste

• When the dough is placed on the grill, it will firm up immediately and thicken slightly. So make sure you get the dough rolled out thin enough, but not so thin that holes appear. Generally, around ¼" thick works as a good compromise for thick and thin crust lovers.
• Not all pizza crust are going to conform to the perfect round shape we are familiar with. Free-form shapes are completely acceptable when making homemade pizza!
• Be sure to work on a well-floured surface and to flour your rolling pin—prevents dough from sticking.

• ½ cup cold milk
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• tsp sugar
• 2¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 TBL extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• 2¾ cups flour

Combine milk and water in a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar; set aside until yeast blooms (gets really foamy).

Stir in salt, oil, and cornmeal along with the minced garlic.

Gradually stir in flour until a soft dough forms. Turn the pizza dough out onto a clean floured surface; knead until dough gets shiny, about 10 minutes. Return the dough to oiled bowl; cover tightly with oiled plastic wrap; and let it rise for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.

Press dough down gently, and proceed with your Grilled Cajun style pizza recipe.

Preheat your gas Grill to high or Light your charcoal grill for some hot temperature grilling!

Divide the dough you made (or bought) into two even size pizza's. Transfer the first Cajun Pizza crust to the grill. Grill uncovered over HIGH HEAT for 1 to 1½ minutes. Flip the crust onto a baking sheet, cooked side up. Top with half of the sausage, mozzarella, scallions, and roasted peppers.

Mix all of the dry Cajun grilling spices together in a small tub or container; put a lid on it and shake until the Cajun pizza spices are well blended. Now sprinkle half of the spice blend all over the top of the first pizza. Don't forget to shake a few drops of Tabasco sauce on to suit your taste.

Transfer the pizza back to the hot grill, and cook for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbly. You can place the lid on your grill for the first minute of cooking to help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, but leave it open for the final 2 minutes.

Repeat the same process for your second pizza and serve sliced or whole to your "BBQ Grilled Cajun style Pizza" loving family and friends!