3-Meat Pizza with a Seasoned Crust

I used to be a vegetarian. Not a full-on "meats are evil" gal (I still ate fish and eggs), but I started doing the veggie thing and decided to continue because at the time I just didn't miss meats that much.

That was five years ago. Hardly a day has gone by since then that I have been meat-free. Now I revel in the delight of crispy, rich bacon with breakfast, perfectly tender chicken parmesan, and even the occasional juicy cheeseburger.

Don't get me wrong, I've heard all the meat-haters out there get on their soapboxes and disparage animal products saying things like, "Meat gives you cancer!" or "Too much protein is bad for you!" or "Red meat is the worst thing for you!" And if they can't make those claims then they just start spewing off things like "Hormones!", "Antibiotics!", "MSG!", "Processed!" all while trying to conjure up images from The Jungle in your impressionable brain.

All things in moderation, my friends. All things in moderation.

Sooo...pizza. Shall we?

Lately, before the pizza making on pizza night begins, I've been hearing the husband chirp into my ear, "Can you make it with a garlic crust?" And the answer is inevitably, "Of course, darling!"

Really, it is. Because all it takes to turn a crust from "plain" to "gourmet garlic" is to add about a tablespoon of garlic powder to the dough while it's mixing.

But for this za, I wanted something more from the crust. I added the standard 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, but I also included 1 tablespoon of onion powder and 1 tablespoon of oregano. And if I am remembering this correctly, "I think you've perfected the crust" is a direct quote from the spouse during the pizza eating. Score.

Seasoned dough, waiting and rising

Ingredients:

• Prepared or homemade pizza dough for the crust
• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded chicken breast meat
• 9-10 large deli pepperonis
• 5 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
• About 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

I seasoned up the chicken meat with a dash of chili powder and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes. The pepperoni may lend enough spiciness for you. But not for me. I like it nice n' spicy!

Put it all together:

• First, place your pizza stone into a cold oven. I cannot stress this enough. If you want to know why, here's the reason. If you're going to be using the oven for the meat preparation, just leave the stone in there for whatever temperature you use to cook your meats, then later you can increase the temp up to 500 without ever having to wait for the oven to cool or putting the stone into an oven that's already hot. It is such a sadness to have a pizza stone break. When it happened to me, more than just my stone broke. So did a little piece of my soul. 

So let's get started with those three meats: chicken, pepperoni, and bacon.

• I prepped the chicken in the crock pot earlier in the day. I've found this is definitely the easiest way to prepare a bunch of plain chicken that I'll later shred and season for various meals. All that's required for that cooking is to place your chicken breasts (mine come in packages of 3) into the crock with a splash of olive oil plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Put the temp on low and let things simmer in there until the meat is no longer pink. My crock pot gets Africa-hot, so it only takes me about 3 hours on low to cook up that sort of batch. 
• The pepperoni is from the deli counter in the grocery store. Ask your delicatessen for about 9 or 10 thin slices of pepperoni. I used to order everything in pounds or ounces, but as it turns out, the people working behind the meat counter actually prefer counting slices than estimating the weight of your meats and cheeses. It didn't take me long to stop and think, "Oh, that does seem like it would be easier." 
• Bacon cooks so easily in the oven. Turn the oven to 375, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the bacon onto the sheet without overlapping any pieces. Place that in the oven until the bacon is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. When the bacon is done, blot the excess grease with paper towels, then crumble or chop it into bits and pieces. 

It's all just toppings from here!

• You did set your oven for 500 degrees a while back and put the pizza stone in it, right? Phew. Good. Now grab that stone with your hand in an oven mitt, place it on a stable work surface, and put the crust for your dough on top of the hot stone. Put it back in the oven (no toppings yet!) for 2-3 minutes. After that time, remove the half-cooked dough-topped stone form the oven and place it back on your work surface. (That's the secret to my so-called "perfected crust" recipe.)
• Spread the sauce on the dough as evenly as possible. Sprinkle on the shredded chicken. Evenly place the pepperonis on top of that. Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese followed by the bacon bits. Add more cheese to any spots you may have missed.
• Put the whole shebang back in the oven and set a timer for about 6 or 7 minutes. Really, just stay nearby so you can keep an eye on it and take it out when the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are golden brown. 

Pizza out to cool on the cooling rack. This definitely helps with crust crispiness.

If you don't have the patience or shoulder strength to keep up with the calisthenics of removing and replacing and removing the weighty pizza stone from the oven, then you can do things the lazy way. Top your dough once with all the toppings in the order described and cook it in the 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Still works, still yummy, but perfect? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Dinner is served!

It feels so right to eat this meat-covered pizza.