Anything you can bake in a kitchen oven – casseroles, pies, cookies, pizza, coffee cake, bread – can be baked on a gas or charcoal grill according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. While you don’t need to adjust the recipes, you do need to figure out how to turn direct heat into indirect heat.
Since every grill is different, you’ll need to figure out what will work best with what you’ve got. It’s also a good idea to start with something simple and work up to more complicated baked goods. It may take some time to get it just right, so be patient and write down what you learn along the way. Here are some tips to get you started.
Start with a clean grill. You don’t want your baked goods to taste like whatever was grilled last.
Preheat the grill. Heat is lost when placing the unbaked items inside and is not regained as quickly as in an oven. If your grill doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, invest in one since knowing the temperature inside the grill is important.
Use indirect heat. To create indirect heat, turning off some burners on a gas grill will be necessary to create indirect heat. For charcoal grills, move the charcoal to one side of the grill and bake on the side away from the heat.
Choose baking dishes that withstand intense heat. A pizza stone or a cast iron skillet are perfect options. Avoid using glassware even if it is Pyrex® as it is prone to breaking despite using indirect grill heat. Grill mats are another option for some baked goods.
Choose recipes that are forgiving. Since grill baking is less precise than oven baking, choose recipes that will withstand the fluctuating temperatures on a grill. Cakes are the most finicky. Pizza, fruit crisps, casserole dishes, flatter, artesian-type breads usually work well.
Keep an eye on the temperature while baking. Grill temperature fluctuates more than the oven so sometimes adjustment of temperature is necessary especially when there is wind. Check the temperature frequently while baking and adjust as necessary.
Avoid the temptation to lift the lid. Lifting the lids releases a lot of heat. Use your nose as much as possible; and if you must lift the lid, make it quick.
Grill baking time may be different that oven baking time. Baking can go faster in the grill than in an oven which means the same recipe can vary in time depending upon grill conditions.
Baking in a grill takes experimentation and patience. Grilled baked goods may not turn out the same as baked in an oven. There may be signs of hot spots or browned more than usual on the bottom. As long as they are not over-baked (burned), they will still be tasty. By using your grill, you’ve kept the kitchen cool. And as a bonus, in the event of a power outage, you will have learned a means of baking without an oven.
Article released August 2, 2021
