Tri-tip Pizza

Tri tip was on sale, so I bought a piece without much of a plan.  I was also wanting to make pizza with some chutney as a base.  It didn't take much to bring the two ideas together.

First up, I had to learn how to cook tri-tip without putting it on the grill.  I did not feel like firing it up for only the thin part of the roast, especially because I had just cleaned it.  Found an easy recipe on Baking Mischief that starts with pan-searing and finishes in the oven.

Once that was going, I set to work doctoring up some of the Mediterranean Chutney into BBQ sauce.   That involved onions, tomato paste, and a goodly amount of bourbon.  Even with cooking, it's going to take me several more years to use up the liquor cabinet.

After that, it was just basic pizza.  Ok, I made the dough from scratch.  You could buy ready-made or refrigerator dough.  I wanted whole wheat, then threw in a teaspoon of chia seeds because I was feeling guilty for having this without a vegetable side.

Dough

1 C 100º water
*1 tsp honey
1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp yeast
2-3 C flour (whole wheat ok)
1/2 tsp salt
cornmeal for dusting

1.  Stir together water, honey, oil, and yeast.  Allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  In mixer with the paddle, combine liquids with 1 C of flour.  Beat into a smooth batter, 2 minutes.  Add another cup of flour and the salt and beat into a thick and stringy batter, another 2-3 minutes.

3.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes, adding only as much flour as necessary to get it to hold its shape.  Roll into a ball.  Turn over in a lightly oiled bowl to coat all sides.  Set in a warm place to rise, away from drafts, until doubled, about 1 hour.  While that's happening, skip down to the tri-tip part of the recipe if not using leftovers.

4.  When dough is risen, punch down and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Divide into 4 pieces with a food scale for individual pizzas.  Roll into circles 6" diameter for thick crust, 8" for thin.  Scatter cornmeal on two baking sheets and place crusts on them.

Tri-tip

1 lb tri-tip point
1 Tb olive oil
*seasoning salt (like Lawry's)

1.  Preheat oven to 425º.  If necessary, trim excess fat off of roast.  You still want some, but an untrimmed roast could have as much as half an inch on it.

2.  Rub seasoning salt over all sides of the roast.  Heat oil over medium in an oven-proof skillet.  Place meat fattier-side down in the skillet and cook until seared, about 4 minutes.  Flip meat over and immediately place in oven.  I do recommend a splatter guard if you have an oven-safe one.  Or even loosely covered with foil.  Had to clean the oven, but it's worth it.

3.  Cook roast for 10 minutes.  You're going for just barely past mooing because it's going back in the oven later.  I cooked mine fine for the table, but not for the second bake.

4.  Allow tri-tip to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.  It's going to look a little raw in the middle.  That's fine.  Set aside while you get the dough punched down and shaped.

Assembly

4 personal pizza crusts
1/2 C BBQ sauce of choice
1 to 1-1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese (I'm not judging)
sliced tri-tip

1.  If the oven is still set for the tri-tip, turn it down to 375º.

2.  Spread 2 Tb BBQ sauce on each crust, leaving a clean rim.  Sprinkle with mozzarella to taste, roughly 1/4 to 1/3 C per pizza.  Allow to rise 30 minutes.  Chop meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

3.  Bake pizzas 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, add slices of tri-tip, and return to oven just until meat is warmed, about 3-5 minutes.  Slice and serve hot.

Makes 4 personal pizzas

Difficulty rating :-0 (dough from scratch) or :) (store-bought crust)