Inspired by Shelby Cuisine

There is this wonderful pizza place in my hometown that used to make barbecue pizza. The first time I had it, I thought it was the most brilliant thing ever created. Upon returning home to celebrate the holidays with my family, I was incredibly disappointed to see that Pleasant City had taken my favorite pizza off the menu.

Ever since the first (and only) time I had barbecue pizza, it has been on my mind as a possible adventure in the kitchen. Luckily, I had to buy a ton of barbecue and slaw from Cooper's Barbecue in Raleigh yesterday for my super bowl appetizer (stay tuned!) Last night, I made barbecue pizza, and it was just as perfect as I had remembered!

Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups flat beer, warmed
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1 /2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. quick-rise active dry yeast

Dissolve yeast in beer. Mix ingredients and knead 10 minutes. Form into balls. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, then roll out for pizza. Dough may also be made up the day before and stored overnight in refrigerator.

Barbecue Pizza
Barbecue Sauce
Mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese
Chopped pork, the best in Raleigh comes from Cooper's
Slaw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and spread on barbecue sauce. Top with a very thin layer of cheese and pork. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes and add dollops of slaw.