How to Use a Pizza Stone on the Grill (Gas, Charcoal, Traeger & Big Green Egg)
The short answer. To use a pizza stone on the grill, set the stone on the grates before you light it, close the lid and preheat for 20 to 30 minutes. Launch the pizza from a floured peel, close the lid and cook until the cheese bubbles and the bottom is golden. Keep the grill within your stone's temperature rating. For the Outset cast iron stone, that's about 425 to 445 F, and a pizza takes about 8 to 12 minutes.
A pizza stone turns the grill you already own into a backyard pizza oven. The stone soaks up heat and pushes it into the dough, so you get a crisp, even bottom while the closed lid melts the cheese on top. Here's how to do it on a gas grill, a charcoal kettle, a Traeger or other pellet grill, and a Big Green Egg or kamado.
At a glance
Jump to gas, charcoal, Traeger and pellet, Big Green Egg, or do you need a pizza oven?
What you need
- A grill-safe pizza stone. Cast iron won't crack from thermal shock, which matters on a grill.
- A pizza peel. Wood or bamboo for launching, dusted with flour or cornmeal.
- A thermometer. An oven thermometer on the grates or an infrared gun for the stone. Lid gauges often read off.
- Dough, sauce and toppings. Prep everything before the stone is hot. Things move fast.
Cast iron pizza stone vs ceramic
Cast iron is nearly impossible to crack, holds heat well from one pizza to the next and doubles as a griddle for flatbread or veggies. It's heavy and needs to stay seasoned. Ceramic and cordierite stones are lighter and often rated for higher heat, but they can crack if they get wet or change temperature too fast. On a grill, where heat swings are common, cast iron is the low-stress choice.
Know your rating: the Outset 18" cast iron stone is rated by the manufacturer up to 446 F. Every method below is written to stay under that. If your stone is rated hotter, you can push the grill higher and cook faster.
How to use a pizza stone on the grill, step by step
- Put the stone on cold grates. Center it, then light the grill.
- Preheat 20 to 30 minutes with the lid closed, holding the grill at your target temperature.
- Build on the peel. Dust the peel with flour or cornmeal, lay down the stretched dough, and add sauce, cheese and toppings quickly. Give it a shake: if it slides, you're good.
- Launch. Set the tip of the peel at the back of the stone and pull the peel out in one quick motion.
- Close the lid and cook 8 to 12 minutes. Peek at about 6 minutes and rotate the pizza a half turn with the peel.
- Pull it when the cheese bubbles and the bottom is golden with a few dark spots.
- Recover. Close the lid for 5 minutes before the next pizza so the stone heats back up.
Pizza stone on a gas grill
Gas is the easiest grill for pizza because you can dial in the heat. Put the stone over the burners, light all of them, and preheat with the lid closed. Once you're close to temp, turn the burners down to hold it. If the bottom browns before the cheese melts, turn off the burner directly under the stone and leave the outer ones on.
Pizza stone on a charcoal grill
Spread a full chimney of lit coals in an even layer, or ring them around the edge of a kettle so the center isn't a hot spot. Set the stone in the middle, close the lid with the vents about halfway open and adjust the vents to hold temp. Charcoal runs hot, so watch your thermometer and close the vents down if the stone climbs past its rating. Toss a small chunk of wood on the coals for a hint of smoke.
Pizza stone on a Traeger or pellet grill
Pellet grills are made for this. Set the stone on the grates, set the grill to 425 F (or your stone's limit) and let it preheat 30 minutes. Pellet grills cook with convection, so the top browns nicely, but many models struggle to get the stone bottom as hot as a gas grill. Give it the full preheat and expect 10 to 12 minutes per pizza. A hardwood or pizza blend of pellets adds real wood-fired flavor.
Pizza stone on a Big Green Egg or kamado
Kamados hold heat beautifully, which makes them great for pizza. Set up for indirect cooking with the heat deflector (convEGGtor on a Big Green Egg) in place, and set the pizza stone on the grate above it. The deflector keeps the bottom from scorching. Bring the grill up slowly and stop at your stone's rating. A kamado is much easier to hold steady on the way up than to cool down after it overshoots. Burp the lid when you open it to avoid a flare-up.
Do you need a pizza oven? Grill and stone vs. Ooni
Dedicated pizza ovens like Ooni and Gozney are great at one thing: very high heat, often 750 to 950 F, for Neapolitan pies that cook in 60 to 90 seconds. If you want leopard-spotted, puffy crusts every weekend, that heat is hard to beat.
But most backyard cooks don't need another appliance. Here's how they stack up:
| Grill + stone | Pizza oven | |
|---|---|---|
| Gear | The grill you own, plus a stone and peel | A separate oven, fuel, peel and cover |
| Heat | About 425 to 445 F | Often 750 F and up |
| Cook time | 8 to 12 minutes | 60 to 90 seconds |
| Best pizza styles | New York style, thin and crispy, bar pies, pan pizza | Neapolitan |
| Learning curve | Forgiving. You have minutes, not seconds | Fast-moving. Easy to burn a pie |
| Other uses | Everything else you grill | Mostly pizza and flatbread |
Our take: start with the grill. A stone and peel let you find out how often you'll really make pizza. If you're firing up pizza every week and want true Neapolitan, a pizza oven is a fun upgrade later. Your stone, peel and cutter will all come along with you.
Shopping for a pizza-loving griller?
Not sure which gear they already own? A Grill Masters Club Digital Gift Card lands in their inbox instantly with a personal note from you. It works on everything in the store, from pizza stones and peels to a BBQ box subscription, and it never expires. Choose from $50 to $250.
Give a gift cardTroubleshooting grilled pizza on a stone
- Burnt bottom, raw top: the stone is hotter than the air in the grill. Lower the burners under the stone, keep the lid closed, and add a heat deflector or raise the stone on a kamado.
- Pale, soft bottom: the stone wasn't preheated long enough. Give it the full 20 to 30 minutes and let it recover between pizzas.
- Pizza sticks to the peel: use more flour or cornmeal, build fast, and give the peel a shake before you launch.
- Soggy middle: too much sauce or wet toppings. Go thin and precook veggies.
The easy way to start: stone + pizza kit
Pair the stone with the Pitmaster's Grilled Pizza Kit and you have the pizza and the gear covered: Urban Slicer grilling dough, Pizza Sauce!, spicy cupping pepperoni and two Pizza Mojo seasonings, plus the stone's free cutter. Together they cross the $100 line, so the order ships free in the US.
Gear tip: take 10% off eligible pizza gear with code USA at checkout, and orders of $100 or more ship free in the US. (The Barebones skillet griddle is already priced low, so it's excluded from codes.)
Caring for a cast iron pizza stone
Let it cool on the grill. Scrape off stuck bits, scrub with hot water and a chain mail scrubber, dry it fully over low heat and wipe on a thin coat of oil. Skip the dishwasher and don't let it soak. See Cast Iron Care 101 for the full routine.
FAQ
Can you put a pizza stone directly on the grill?
Yes. Set it on the grates before you light the grill and let it heat up with the grill. Putting a cold stone on a hot grill, or a hot stone on a cold surface, risks cracking ceramic stones. Cast iron handles it better.
What temperature should the grill be for a pizza stone?
Follow your stone's rating. Many ceramic and cordierite stones can run 500 F and up. The Outset cast iron stone we sell is rated by the manufacturer up to 446 F, so run the grill at about 425 to 445 F and plan on 8 to 12 minutes per pizza.
How long do you preheat a pizza stone on the grill?
About 20 to 30 minutes with the lid closed, until the stone itself is hot. An infrared thermometer pointed at the stone is the easiest check.
Is cast iron or ceramic better for a grill pizza stone?
Cast iron won't crack from sudden temperature changes and it holds heat between pizzas. Ceramic and cordierite are lighter and often rated hotter. Either beats cooking dough right on the grates if you want a pizzeria-style bottom.
Do I need a pizza oven to make good pizza at home?
No. A grill with a lid and a pizza stone makes excellent pizza at 425 to 445 F. A dedicated pizza oven reaches much higher heat for 60 to 90 second Neapolitan pies, but it's another appliance to buy and store.
Keep the pizza nights coming
Once the stone is dialed in, the fun is in what goes on top. With a Grill Masters Club subscription, a themed box of pitmaster-picked sauces, rubs and a tool shows up every 2 or 3 months, with a recipe booklet built around exactly what's inside. No theme ever repeats.
Start your subscriptionFree US shipping. Shopping for the griller in your life? Give the Gift of BBQ.
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