When I envision pizza, I don't picture one that I took out of the freezer at the grocery store. I imagine a freshly baked pie, preferably made in a wood-fired oven. However, due to time and budget limitations, this isn't always feasible. What if an AI-enabled pellet grill could change that? Currently in the process of moving, my evenings are consumed by packing and transporting belongings to my new home. Trying to find quick meals that go beyond a simple sandwich, a frozen pizza often becomes the best option for my busy family. In a moment of brilliance or delayed realization, I decided to forego using the oven to warm up my house during these extreme temperatures and instead turned to my pellet grill. Wood-smoked pizza for the win The Brisk It Origin 580, one of the top pellet grills in the market, was used for this cooking experiment. At first glance, the grill may not appear particularly outstanding, with decent build quality, a serviceable 580 square inches of cooking area, a digital control panel, and a 22-pound pellet hopper. However, what sets this grill apart is its software. Yes, you heard correctly, it's the software that makes this grill stand out. Can you use the Brisk It Origin 580 to cook without the fancy software?Absolutely, it performs exceptionally well. But instead of relying on trial and error to determine the right temperature and cook time for the perfect melty frozen pizza, I decided to enlist the help of the Vera AI system. Brisk It provides an AI assistant named Vera to assist in cooking a wide range of meals on the pellet grill. Chris Wedel/CNET Vera is an AI resource that possesses extensive knowledge of the Brisk It Origin 580, providing recipes and instructions on how to cook various meals on the pellet grill.

When I asked Vera AI for assistance in cooking a grilled frozen pizza, as shown in the screenshot above, I received a simple set of directions to guide me through the pizza baking process. I followed all the instructions, except for using a pizza stone since I had already packed mine and it was inaccessible. Instead, I placed my Walmart Marketside Ultimate Meat Pizza directly onto the grill grates. It's worth noting that while these pizzas aren't frozen, I had stored mine in the freezer after purchase. Skipping the pizza stone step, I placed the pizza directly on the grates, resulting in a delicious outcome. Chris Wedel/CNET The end result was a perfectly cooked pizza with a crispy crust that was soft and chewy in the center. The toppings were delightfully melty, with some pleasant crunchiness near the crust's edges. While it's true that these results could be achieved using a conventional oven, the added smoky flavor elevated this pizza beyond what traditional methods could produce. I did contemplate putting the pizza on early during the startup process of the grill when there is more smoke, but ultimately decided against it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see how it would taste following Vera's instructions, and secondly, I desired a more hands-off approach due to my busy schedule. If I had placed the pizza on at the beginning, I would have had to remove it halfway through once the smoke subsided. Pellet grills can cook a frozen pizza to perfection while infusing it with a smoky flavor that enhances even the most basic store-bought pie. Chris Wedel/CNET I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize that I could cook a frozen pizza on a pellet grill, and I am disappointed in myself for that. Not only did I enjoy the outcome of the pizza, but more importantly, my family loved it too. So, the next time you desire a quick meal with a flavor that surpasses a basic sandwich or an oven-baked pizza, fire up your grill.