If you’re a pizza fanatic, like I know and hope you are, you too are obsessed with the little cup pepperoni. You know what I’m talking about- those little cups that curl up, hold a little pool of pepp grease, little cups of flavor! I mean truly, if I had to be a pepperoni, I’d want to get crispy in my own fat, too.
Today’s blog is sponsored by my friends at Hormel in partnership with their new Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Some of my favorite Pizzerias have these little pepperoni cups all over their pies, and I’ve always wanted to know the secret. I’ve asked and asked, and they all say, “I’ve got a guy”, “you’ve got to cut it right”, “use this special stick”- but I’ve tried all the methods and figured I should just leave it to the pro’s…. UNTIL NOW. You can be a pro at home thanks to Hormel and the launch of their new Cup N’ Crisp sliced pepperoni coming to grocery stores near you. Honestly, this is the best news I’ve heard in weeks!
I wanted to make a pizza I love, inspired by my friends Nino & Shealyn over at @brooklynpizzacrew– They’re taking their pie outside to cook in a pizza oven, which sadly I do not have, BUT, I do have a grill! So let’s grill up this pie!
You don’t need anything special, just a ball of pre-made dough, some sauce, a blend of mozzarella, these pepperoni cups, a smidge of ricotta, and a drizzle of your favorite hot honey. Add a sprinkle of basil if you have it- if not, fogeddaboutit’.
If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can grill the pizza directly on the grates. If you don’t have a grill- you can absolutely cook this pie in the oven! Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, and let bake for 10-12 minutes, until crisp. Let’s get started!
Grilled Cup N’ Crisp Pizza
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 personal pizzas 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough (cut into four equal pieces)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup low moisture mozzarella (diced)
- 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella (diced)
- 1 cup Hormel Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni
- 2–3 tbsp hot honey
- 2–3 tbsp fresh parm (grated)
- 2–3 tbsp fresh basil
- 1/4 cup ricotta
- s & p (to taste)
Instructions
- Light grill to high heat by heating charcoal, or turning propane on. Add your pizza stone to the grates, and let it heat up for about 20-30 minutes with the lid closed. The hotter the grates or the stone mean getting that crispy bottom of the crust that mimics your favorite pizza joint! Pro tip: if you're grilling directly on the grates, give your dough a quick brush of olive oil before placing on the grill to prevent sticking!
- Take one of the pieces of dough and roll it thinly. Transfer dough to pizza stone. Working quickly, spoon 1/4th of the sauce onto the dough, smoothing out evenly, then sprinkling 1/4th of the mozzarella cheeses and adding pepperoni. Close lid and cook for about 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, and pepperoni are cupped and crisped.
- Remove Pie from stone, and immediately garnish with dollops of ricotta, a drizzle of the spicy honey, fresh parmesan, and a sprinkle of basil. Repeat cooking until all the pizzas have been made, or until you're so full, you cannot move. Enjoy!
I hope you’ll give this grilled pie a shot! Be sure to tag me on instagram, @thatswhatsheeats with your remakes of this delicious pie, and be sure to check out the Hormel Website to locate these little crispy pepperoni at a store near you!
-Aubrey
#thatswhatsheeats