The Extra Steps That Upgrade A Meat Lover's Pizza Every Time

You love a juicy meat lovers' pizza, no doubt about that. What you don't love is that orange pool of goo that sometimes floats on top of the meatiest of pizzas. Unfortunately, in this respect, a meaty pizza has a strike against it that a veggie pizza doesn't. Most of the meat lovers' pizza's ingredients possess greater amounts of fats than the vegetables on your veggie lovers' pizza do. This makes for a greasier pizza from the get-go.

To combat this, Nicole Bean, who owns and operates the Houston, Texas-based pizza chain Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana, spoke exclusively to Chowhound about how to cut down on pizza grease: "Pre-cook and season your meats and drain the excess liquids."

Some meats, like ground beef, sausage, and your pizza's bestie, pepperoni, in particular, pose a greater grease risk because they have so much fat in them to begin with. The cooking process pushes the oils and fats out of the meats. These lipids have no choice but to seep out on top of your pizza, creating greasy pools. If you pre-cook the meats as Bean suggests, you cut down on the amount of fat that'll drain out of your meat and onto the pie.

It's also worth mentioning that some meats, like chicken, turkey, and fish, are less fatty, and while you may not envision bits of salmon on your meat lovers' pizza, chicken or turkey might be good options. The same goes for Canadian or turkey bacon. With any of these choices, you get to keep the heartiness of meat on the pizza without introducing so much fat.

Stacking ingredients a mile high on your pizza is another reason why your meatier pizzas get soaked in grease. Even a veggie pizza gets a bit soggy in this case because the moisture in the veggies cooks out as temps get higher. This is all the more true with the oils in your meats. Nicole Bean cautions against this, telling home gourmands to "avoid putting too many toppings or too much of one topping." You could also go with a mix of meats. In other words, try to strike a balance between meats like pepperoni or hamburger and chicken or Canadian bacon.

Additionally, keep in mind that certain crusts, like pan or thin, are better at keeping grease at bay. It's also the case that many home gourmands brush their crusts with oils or stuff the rims with cheese and meats, which can make for a soggy crust or pie on occasion. When you're making pizza at home, keep these add-ons to a minimum.

Finally, it isn't only meat that contributes to your meat lovers' pizza's sogginess — the cheese you choose will exacerbate the grease problem, too. Get around this issue by taking a less-is-more approach to the cheese and sticking with less oily cheeses. For example, mozzarella in moderation is fine, but too much is a lake of grease. If you still feel like you need more flavor, then sprinkle a bit of hard cheese, like Parmesan or pecorino romano, on top once the pizza's done cooking. You'll get delicious cheese flavor without making the top of your pizza look like the Exxon Valdez oil spill.