When we brainstormed recipes for D’Pizza, the D Magazine-inspired February pizza of the month special at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, we wanted something that related to our publication’s identity: Texan, sophisticated, straight talking, and always interesting. We quickly decided that “straight talking,” in food terms, means “spicy.”
But, to be honest with you, we mostly just wanted the official D pizza to not be bad. “That would be really embarrassing,” I thought, “if we repped our brand with a boring pizza.”
Thankfully, it’s terrific. And I’m not just saying that because I helped pick the cheese, or because GAPCo delivered a stack of boxes of D’Pizza to the D offices. I will be ordering one or two more this month, and obnoxiously telling all of my friends to order it, too. Heaven help any vague acquaintances of mine who plan a movie night this month, because I’ll blow up their texts with pictures of D’Pizza.
Enough hype. What is it? It’s a GAPCo thin-crust pizza topped with pulled brisket, jalapeños, roasted corn, cotija cheese, cilantro, and a white sour cream-based sauce. We had the basic idea, and then the GAPCo team spent the early February ice shutdown time perfecting the recipe.
Why does it exist?
Because the February issue of D is the Pizza Issue, and GAPCo is featured both inside and on the front cover. Every month, the local chain offers a rotating special pie, so to celebrate their cover appearance, the folks at GAPCo decided to let D staffers pitch recipe ideas.
Not only does D’Pizza fit our brief—Texan, spicy, always interesting—it is remarkably delicious. Brisket and jalapeño ultimately take supporting roles in the flavor balance. The elote-like sour cream sauce and crumbled cotija are the flavors that keep you craving more bites.
This is Dallas on a slice. Now, some eagle-eyed foodie readers might ask if it is, in fact, Fort Worth on a slice, because Panther City BBQ started putting brisket on elote cups in 2018. But in our formulation, the jalapeño plays a bigger role, and the brisket and corn smaller roles. The brisket isn’t smoked. This is not a “barbecue pizza.” It is simply delicious.
The Greenville Avenue team gave D’Pizza a great foundation with their flavorful crust. And because the crust is so thin, you can eat four or five slices.
Our pizza issue is on newsstands now, with 16 glorious pages of pizza recommendations, tips, and insights from some of the city’s best cooks. There’s no better way to browse through it than with a D’Pizza delivery order on the way. And if you don’t subscribe to the printed magazine yet, D’Pizza pizza is a good way to whet your appetite until all those articles get published online.
Oh, and if you do not subscribe yet (cough), GAPCo will include a copy of the magazine with your D’Pizza order, so you can get reading right away. We’re informed that they won’t put the magazine inside the pizza box. That would be weird.
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