Grilling Frozen Pizza Rolls

On day #1 of my grilling adventures 12 years ago, I swore that I’d steer as clear as possible from all of the cliche grilled foods. So many backyard cookers only turn to their grill when it’s a weekend and the menu consists of burgers, dogs, brats, or steaks. There’s nothing wrong with those foods, but it saddens me that so many people are missing out on the full potential of their grills.

A few days ago, my Southern California home was without power for 8 hours. Not really a big deal, there are plenty of food options here in Orange County. However, I had a wicked craving for Totino’s Pizza Rolls – a comfort food and childhood favorite of mine. Normally these are drunkenly consumed at 2am after nuking them until all but a few explode. The few that don’t spill their cheesy guts onto the plate are likely still frozen. I’ve always preferred pizza rolls to be cooked in the oven, as it crisps them up a bit more. The crispy crusts help the rolls hold salsa – the preferred topping.

Without power, both the oven and the microwave were rendered useless. BUT I WAS CRAVING PIZZA ROLLS!

So I fired up Oprah, my big, black, beautiful 26″ grill. I lit half of a mini chimney of CoShell and dumped it into a single craycort quadrant housing previously used charcoal. (The Troy Method) Within minutes the dome temp was 450 – perfect. I had already thrown away the bag, so at this point it was all instinct.

I arranged the pizza rolls, far more than any human should consume in a single sitting, as indirect as possible and let them cook for 10 minutes.
When I opened the grill, all but a few had burst open – which means they’re done.

Just like coming from the microwave, they were far too hot to eat. I had to wait 6 minutes, while still attempting to take a bit every 30 seconds and then swearing away the pain.

Unlike the microwave and oven, these rolls picked up a bit of grilled smokeyness. They were freaking fantastic – dare I say – the best pizza rolls I’ve ever had sober!

Leave a comment and let us know what non-traditional things have you grilled!!