History

Coletta's on South Parkway claims to have invented BBQ pizza around 1954, two decades after the restaurant opened in 1923. Elvis Presley would order it in the original South Parkway Elvis Room. The dish is now on menus at Memphis pizzerias and a regional specialty across West Tennessee and North Mississippi.

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Common allergens: Wheat, Dairy, Pork

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 20 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 pizza dough ball, 250g
  • 150g pulled pork
  • 100ml tomato BBQ sauce, mild
  • 200g shredded mozzarella
  • 50g sharp cheddar
  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Heat oven to 250C with a pizza stone or upturned baking sheet inside.
  2. Roll the dough into a 30cm round on parchment. Brush with olive oil.
  3. Spread BBQ sauce over the dough, leaving a 1cm border. Scatter pulled pork across the sauce.
  4. Top with mozzarella, then cheddar.
  5. Slide onto the hot stone and bake 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is bubbling and crust browns.
  6. Cut into 8 slices and serve hot.

Tip from the editors. Mild BBQ sauce is the key; spicy sauce overwhelms the cheese. Don't skip the sharp cheddar; it makes Coletta's version.

Where to eat memphis bbq pizza

Memphis BBQ pizza in Memphis

Coletta's Italian Restaurant ★ 4.0

$$ ItalianSouth Memphis

Coletta's is Memphis's oldest restaurant on South Parkway since 1923, Elvis Presley's South Parkway haunt and the home of Memphis BBQ pizza topped with pork.

OrderBBQ pizza with the side spaghetti.

TipAsk for the Elvis Room dining area. Closed Sundays and Mondays. The Appling Road location runs the same menu.

Directions Book

Memphis Pizza Cafe ★ 4.1

$ PizzaMidtown

Memphis Pizza Cafe's Madison Avenue midtown room has run thin-crust by the slice and house specialty pies since 1991, a casual midtown standby with a side.

OrderThe Hippie pizza with feta and pesto.

TipOpen daily for lunch and dinner; the patio is the seat in spring. Multiple locations across Memphis run the same menu.

Directions Book

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