It’s a Grill, an Oven, a Smoker – The Big Green Egg

I was looking for something different to make on my Big Green Egg this past weekend since we had a break in the rain. I randomly found this recipe by Judy Cowan for Simple Stromboli.

Stromboli triggered a nice memory from many years ago, when I lived in West Hartford and Newington, Conn, USA. A bunch of us from the office would go to an Italian restaurant for beer and pizza and often, Stromboli. Basically, Stromboli is a rolled-up pizza.

I followed Judy’s recipe but worked with the ingredients I had on-hand. The only item I needed was the frozen bread dough. Instead of sausage and Italian cold cuts, I used smoked peppered turkey breast. Instead of using an egg wash for browning, I used extra virgin olive oil.

I never made bread before, so I wasn’t familiar with frozen bread dough. I didn’t expect much, so I did what I could.

Here are some pictures of the Stromboli in-process. First, the BGE is set up for indirect grilling and the accessory ("Eggcessory") Platesetter (now called the convEGGtor) is placed in the "legs down" position. This ceramic plate makes the BGE work like a convection oven. I have a pizza stone, but did not use it.

Meanwhile, the thawed bread dough is rising. . . . 

I pulled and pushed on the dough to a 3/4-in. thickness into an oblong shape on a cookie sheet, and placed the smoked and peppered turkey and cheeses on top. . . 

And rolled it into a cylinder, pinching the dough closed. . . .

By this time, the temperature in the BGE stabilized to about 425F to 450F (218C to 232C). After about 10 minutes, I had to take a look. The dough continued to rise. I wasn't expecting that. . . 

I continued to bake this thing for another few minutes, about 20 minutes total. This is how it came out. A bit strange, and nowhere near what the stromboli from my memory looked like.

Like just about all things made on the BBQ, even mistakes are tasty. This Stromboli was no exception. But here are some things I will do differently the next time:

• Decrease the temperature from 425F (218C) to 350F to 250F (176C to 121C)
• Use different bread, maybe a pizza crust
• Use a pizza stone instead of the cookie sheet
• Use different filling items. Something like hot Italian sausage, olives, garlic
• Change American cheese to provolone
• Add marinara sauce inside

Looking at this list, maybe I should make pizza instead.

How about you? What have you baked in your BBQ or smoker lately?

About Wayne Yoshida

Wayne Yoshida is a technical writer and education advocate with sales management experience. Wayne currently works in the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry and has worked for a wide variety of high technology companies, including aerospace and defense, photonics, lasers and opto-mechanics, two-way radio, telecommunications and a non-profit, educational organization. His personal passion for electronics and Amateur Radio opened many doors to some very interesting personal and professional experiences. Working as a ham radio consultant for the NASA Johnson Space Center during Space Shuttle mission STS-9 is his most memorable experience. Connect with him on LinkedIn and beBee, follow him on Twitter (@WayneYoshida and @BBQMakerWayne) and for a look into his personal passions, follow his blog.