Labor Day weekend is coming up, and that means it’s time to get friends and family together for some outdoor fun before the warm summer days turn cold. The long holiday weekend signals the end of summer and one last chance to play in the sun.
Outdoor fun means outdoor foods, and if you are getting tired of the typical cookout fare, you can always shake things up and make pizza. Making pizza for Labor Day weekend is a fun way to end the summer on a delicious high note. And it’s very different than Valentine’s Day Pizza or St. Patrick’s Day.
We have covered how to grill pizzas before and have noticed more and more people grilling pizzas at cookouts; it’s a great alternative to burgers and hot dogs because, well, everybody loves pizza.
So if you are gearing up for the long weekend of fun in the sun at the lake, the park, the mountains, or even just your own backyard, we present you with three ways to make pizza for Labor Day weekend.
Three Ways to Make Homemade Pizza for Labor Day Weekend
Our favorite ways to make pizza in the great outdoors are the traditional charcoal grill, a portable pizza oven, and a solo stove.
All three are portable cooking devices, so you can take them wherever you plan on spending your Labor Day weekend.
Charcoal Grills
Over the years, the classic charcoal grill has lost favor to the gas grill, but we still use ours and love it. The charcoal grill takes a bit more time to get going, but once it’s fired up, it makes an excellent grilled pizza.
You can use charcoal and wood chunks to get a grilled pizza with the smoky flavor of a wood-fired pizza oven. The trick is to use quality wood chunks and place the wood in a circle around the charcoal. The charcoal provides the heat that cooks the pizza, and the wood chunks will smolder alongside for flavor.
Of course, you will need a good non-contact infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature before you start cooking. If you are throwing your pizza right on the grill, the best temp is between 375° F and 400° F.
But if you have a pizza stone, and you really should have a pizza stone, the temperature should be a bit higher, like 450° F to 475° F.
Charcoal grills are easy to use with a charcoal chimney starter. These make it hassle-free to get the grill going, which seems to be the number one issue people have with using a charcoal grill.
If you don’t have a charcoal grill but still want to try this method of making pizzas, most parks and campsites have free-standing charcoal grills or fire pits that you can use.
Just make sure to clean them well before firing them up to make sure they are free of any dirt and debris. Always clean grill grates with a cleaning stone rather than a wire brush because the wires can come off and end up in your food.
Portable Pizza Oven
Did you know you can get a portable pizza oven for outdoor adventures? Yes, really. We love these affordable pizza ovens. They make excellent wood-fired pizza or gas-powered two at a time which is great because our friends and family can eat a lot of pizza.
This oven weighs 150 pounds, so you will need a strong friend or two to help you transport it to wherever you plan to make pizza for Labor Day weekend.
If you are looking for a smaller portable pizza oven, they have a smaller one that weighs in at 42 pounds and folds down, making transporting it a bit easier.
While we definitely love an outdoor brick pizza oven that you can build for yourself at home, these portable ones are perfect for camping and enjoying the outdoors with a piping hot pizza slice in hand.
Solo Stove
Solo stoves are known for being smokeless portable fire pits, and now they have a SoloStove Pi pizza oven. They have two versions; one uses only wood as fuel, and the other uses wood or gas.
They are both portable and weigh 30.5 pounds, making them a great option to take with you anywhere you love to eat pizza. They are big enough to make a 12-inch pizza or several personal pizzas at a time.
Solo stoves are impressive. They are made from stainless steel and are designed to be smokeless and easy to use. Solo stoves make camp stoves, grills, and fire pits, and now they are changing up the pizza game with this portable pizza stove.
Accessories for Pizza for Labor Day Weekend Pizza Picnic
- Pizza peel
- Pizza stone
- Infrared thermometer
- Heat resistant gloves
- Pizza toppings organizer
- Pizza cutter
Pro Tips
- If you are new to making pizza, always do a practice run before trying a new way to make pizza. Your hungry friends and family will thank you.
- Have some pizza puzzles on hand for indoor fun in case of rainy weather.
- Save yourself time and make pizza dough ahead of time and freeze it, then thaw it the day you plan to use it.
- Prepare toppings ahead of time. Chop veggies, slice salami, and grate cheese. You can freeze grated cheese, too.
- Bring a large cutting board to have a place for the pizza to rest when it gets out of the oven before cutting it.
- Sharpen your pizza cutter to a get that perfect cut the first time.
- For the charcoal grill and the wood-fired pizza oven, try flavored woods like hickory, mesquite, or apple.
- Bring a lot of your favorite beverages because pizza making is hard work, and you deserve a refreshing drink. If adult beverages aren’t your style, try some unique sodas with your pizza.
What’s your favorite way to make pizza for Labor Day weekend?
