Winter Grill, Smoker, and Pizza Oven Recipes to Keep You Warm| Don's Appliances

The cold weather is certainly upon us, but that doesn’t mean we’re throwing in the (terrible) towel when it comes to grilling. Most people would assume that burgers and ribs are on hold until spring, but your winter dinner menu can feature much more than soups, stews, and casseroles.

Do we have to stop grilling when the calendar turns to winter? Well, if you don’t mind bundling up and keeping an extra set of snow boots near your grill, you can keep your taste buds flowing with some truly tasty winter barbecue recipes. And besides, you’re going to need some rib-sticking, finger-licking, tailgate food to enjoy while you cheer on the Steelers in the playoffs.

Outdoor cooking isn’t reserved for the summer season. If you want to recreate your favorite recipes on a crisp winter day, don’t bother slaving away over a hot stove—simply grab your charcoal or turn on the propane as we take a bite out of these winter outdoor cooking recipes. Don’t forget to bring an appetite!

Pizza Oven Recipes

Outdoor cooking shouldn’t stop just because it’s cold outside, and your pizza oven is no exception. When you need to keep warm, there’s nothing like a hot and cheesy slice of pizza. Don’t eat too fast—we've got to talk about the vibrant flavors of winter pizza recipes.

RECIPE Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

What’s better than the first bite into a saucy chicken wing? We wanted to take that same mouthwatering experience and transform it into a pizza. Now, in case you’re sticking to your New Year’s diet resolutions, this recipe features cauliflower instead of chicken for those watching their figure.

Don’t worry; this pizza is still covered with enough buttery hot sauce and creamy bleu cheese to make the traditionalists happy, and it is an inclusive recipe for vegetarians to enjoy. Besides, pizza is far more portable than drenched chicken wings, and it's easier to prepare and eat while you’re battling the cold.

If you're cooking for a gameday crowd, roll out your dough to make a large rectangle and bake on a pizza stone or a large-rimmed baking sheet. Cut each slice into squares and serve with some bleu cheese dressing on the side. And if you just can’t shake your hankering for the real thing, it’s easy to reintroduce that juicy, succulent chicken. Roast two or three chicken thighs, cut them into ½-inch cubes, and toss them in the spicy buffalo sauce.

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the dough
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup Frank’s RedHot sauce
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 pizza dough ball (14 to 16 ounces)
4 ounces creamy bleu cheese, crumbled
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat the pizza oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil until evenly coated. Spread them out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with your preferred seasoning mixture, and roast for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and golden.
Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees or use the broil setting and let it warm up for about 15 minutes.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the hot sauce and salt.
Stretch or roll out your dough in a 14-inch circle.
Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and par-bake or blind-bake for 2 to 5 minutes, just until the crust is lightly golden.
Carefully remove the crust from the oven. In a large bowl, toss the roasted cauliflower with the homemade sauce until each piece is well coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the crust; drizzle with some extra sauce if desired, and scatter the bleu cheese on top.
Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned—about 3 to 5 minutes.
Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the parsley over top; slice and serve.

RECIPE French Dip Pizza

When it comes to a French dip sandwich, simple is supreme. Tender roast beef, a soft loaf of bread, a generous smear of horseradish, and a warm cup of au jus on the side.

For this alternative pizza version, we start by slow-cooking roast beef in beer-flavored broth for 7hours and shredding it into thin slices after cooking. A homemade horseradish aioli is added to the dough, and slices of provolone cheese are topped between the slices of beef. The cheese helps glue everything to the crust so it looks like a pizza instead of an open-face sandwich.

A three-pound roast will yield plenty of extra meat for one more dinner and maybe a lunch or two later in the week. If you find yourself with extra aioli, keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days and use it as a dipping sauce for oven-baked fries, slather it over poultry, or make another sandwich with the extra beef and au jus.

Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) beef eye roast, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup dark beer
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 cup of vegetable oil
3 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
1 pizza dough ball (14 to 16 ounces)
6 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides. Toss in the onions and cook, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onions just begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat.
n a medium bowl, whisk together the broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, and beer. Pour the broth mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
Place your pizza stone on an oven rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and let it heat up for at least 30 minutes while you make the dough and prepare the toppings.
In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the horseradish and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dust the ball of dough with flour and place it on a well-floured work surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch disk. If you’re using a pizza stone, dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet generously with flour or cornmeal.
Spread the pizza with a thin, even layer of horseradish aioli, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Scatter on about 1 cup of the shredded beef and layer the provolone slices on top.
If you're using a pizza stone, increase the oven heat to broil. Broil the pizza for 5 to 7 minutes until the bottom of the crust is crispy.
Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the cooking juices into a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Slice the pizza and serve with a small bowl of the warm au jus for dipping.

Outdoor Grill Recipes

If you’re craving that sizzle, sear, and steam during the winter, it’s time for the resident grill master in your house to get back to work with these outdoor grill recipes.

RECIPE Bacon-Wrapped Carrots

This is one of the most fun and festive winter grilling side dishes. It's a simple yet tasty recipe featuring grilled carrots wrapped in bacon with a sweet maple glaze. It’s a surefire way to get your kids to eat their veggies.

Ingredients:

2 pounds carrots, well-scrubbed or peeled
1 pound bacon
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Wrap the carrots in bacon.
Make sure the grill is hot and wrap the carrots in foil or place them directly on the grill grates.
Close the lid and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is golden and crisp and the carrots are tender. Glaze with maple syrup halfway through cooking.
During the last 5 minutes of grilling, brush the carrots with another dollop of maple syrup. Grill until the syrup starts to bubble, remove from the grill, and serve.

*Reminder: This recipe can be prepared in an oven as well. *

RECIPE Honey Sweet Potato Chicken Kebabs

When it comes to grilling, you can’t go wrong with a kebab. Chicken and potatoes are great items to prepare on the grill, and sweet potatoes with a honey glaze are a nice addition for a warm, winter meal. Chop up your ingredients, skewer, and roast—that's all it takes.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1½-inch chunks
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Directions:

Place potato pieces into a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the tops.
Bring the water with potatoes to a boil over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes until potatoes are nearly cooked but still a bit firm.
While the potatoes are cooling, prepare the glaze and spice rub by mixing the garlic salt, chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the honey and cider vinegar.
Add chicken to a medium bowl; drizzle with olive oil and toss with half of the spice rub. Do the same with cooled potato pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and toss with the remaining spice rub.
Thread the chicken, sweet potato, and onion onto the skewers.
Grill the chicken skewers for 8 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Brush the skewers with the prepared honey glaze, remove from the grill, and serve.

Smoker Recipes

We’re not done just yet. It’s time to heat things up during the coldest season with some tasty recipes you can prepare in your outdoor smoker.

RECIPE Brisket Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese is always a winter favorite, and with a side of tomato soup—forget about it. It's warm, it’s easy to make, and it’s oh-so cheesy. But you can turn it up a notch with the addition of brisket and a rich, smoky flavor. And this recipe substitutes the tomato soup for a generous slather of bacon jam—this is definitely a grilled cheese for the adult's table.

Ingredients:

5-6 pounds of brisket
2 ounces of liquid smoke
1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 whole onion sliced
3 cloves garlic smashed
1 1/2 pounds bacon

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Texas Toast or Italian bread
2 cups cheddar jack cheese

Directions:

Enclose meat in foil and pour liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, and cola over the meat. Sprinkle the onions and garlic on top and around the brisket. Crimp the foil tightly over the meat.
Smoke low and slow at 275 degrees for 5 hours.
Cool and slice into thin pieces.
Chop the bacon for the jam and cook it until nice and crispy.
Sautee the onion and garlic cloves in the bacon fat for 5 minutes until they start to turn golden.
Return the bacon to the pan, add the brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat for half an hour, or until deep golden and thickened to the consistency of jam.
Time to assemble. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of butter on one side of each piece of bread. Place a piece of bread buttered-side down and add 1 tablespoon of the bacon jam.
Cover the unbuttered side with shredded cheddar cheese, then a layer of brisket, followed by a layer of shredded jack cheese.
Place another piece of bread on top and repeat for each sandwich.
Heat a pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted.

Bonus Recipe

If you’re new to smokers or outdoor cooking appliances, ease into this culinary realm with a recipe for smoked cheddar cheese. It’s an instant favorite and you can experiment with all your favorite cheese varieties. You could even use some of the smoked cheese for your grilled cheese sandwich. You’ll thank us later.

Don’t Stop Cooking

Regardless of the season, we're here to help you with any appliance need. If you want to further explore our catalog of outdoor cooking appliances and test out some of these winter recipes for yourself, give us a call or stop by Don’s Appliances to shop for grills, smokers, pizza ovens, and more.