Pulled chicken or brisket get tossed with BBQ pizza sauce and blanketed by 2 kinds of cheese in this "Cowboy" Pizza made in a cast-iron pan. Short on time? Use store-bought pizza dough and swap in your favorite BBQ sauce instead of making it from scratch. Then all you have to do is combine with meat, build and bake!
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and coarse black pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
2 tablespoons chili powder, ancho preferred
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons pourable dark- or light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon smoked soy sauce or tamari
½ cup chicken or beef bone broth or stock
For the meat:
1 pound pulled rotisserie chicken meat or thick-cut cooked beef brisket, chopped
For the pizza assembly:
A little AP flour to roll out dough
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Non-aerosol cooking spray, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) or olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 large roasted red peppers, sliced
Pickled jalapeño peppers or Italian hot cherry pepper rings
1 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
¼ cup very finely chopped dill, chives and parsley, combined
Salt and pepper
Make Easy Pizza Dough (or use store-bought).
Preheat oven to 525˚F to 550˚F (as high as it goes) with rack at center.
For sauce and meat, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with oil, 2 turns of the pan, add onions, season with salt, and soften a few minutes, add ½ cup water and let it absorb, add garlic and stir, add 1 tablespoon pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, coriander, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and stock, thicken at a simmer 10-15 minutes, then add meat to combine.
Preheat the cast-iron skillet (10-12 inches) over medium-high heat.
Stretch dough into an even round that will cover pan, using a bit of flour to keep it from sticking to a work surface.
Sprinkle cornmeal across the skillet and press dough into skillet and up sides as much as possible. (Reminder: The pan is hot.) Spray the dough with EVOO and season with a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top the dough with meat sauce, cheeses and roasted red peppers, then place in oven.
Bake the pizza 14 to 15 minutes to deep golden, brown and bubbly.
While the pizza bakes, stir all the ingredients for Ranch Dressing in a bowl and funnel them into a squeeze bottle with the top trimmed to widen spout for thick dressing. Drizzle the pizza with the ranch dressing and top with pickled jalapeño peppers or hot cherry pepper rings.
