Meat Lovers Pizza

Take 500 g of ready-made pizza dough out of the refrigerator, divide it into two 250 g balls, and leave them, covered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cold dough tears rather than stretches, so let it relax fully before shaping.

Crush the drained San Marzano tomatoes by hand in a bowl until coarsely broken down. Stir in minced garlic, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Set aside — do not cook the sauce.

Place a pizza stone or heavy baking steel on the top rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature (at least 260°C or 500°F) for a full 45–60 minutes until the stone is thoroughly heated.

Cook the fennel sausage in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles, for 5–6 minutes until browned and cooked to an internal temperature of 74°C — verify with a meat thermometer. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Cook the bacon lardons in the same skillet over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes until the fat has rendered and the edges are just beginning to crisp. Transfer to the same plate and allow all meats to cool.

Stretch one dough ball on a semolina-dusted pizza peel into a 30–32 cm round, working from the centre outward with your fingers and maintaining a slightly thicker rim.

Spread a thin, even layer of the tomato sauce across the base, leaving a 2 cm border. Scatter over half the grated low-moisture mozzarella, then top with half the pepperoni, fennel sausage crumbles, bacon lardons, and pulled pork. Dot with half the torn fresh mozzarella.

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for 10–12 minutes until the crust is deeply golden with char spots, the cheese is bubbling and browned in places, and the pepperoni edges have crisped.

Remove from the oven, scatter with fresh basil leaves, and allow to rest for 2 minutes before slicing. Repeat with the second dough ball.