Memphis had its own answer to the question of what belongs on a pizza long before barbecue pizza became familiar across America. At Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, a local institution founded by an Italian immigrant family, the combination of pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and melted cheese became a signature. Elvis Presley was among its most famous admirers.

Coletta’s barbecue pizza is a documented Elvis favorite, but the restaurant’s precise formula belongs to its own kitchen. This recipe is a carefully developed home interpretation of the Memphis style, not a claim to reproduce Coletta’s original dough or sauce.

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Recipe Information

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 to 16 minutes
Total Time: 32 to 36 minutes
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy (2 of 5)
Cost: Moderate ($$$ of $$$$$)
Region/Ethnic Origin: Memphis, Tennessee; Italian-American and Southern barbecue fusion

Ingredients

• 1 pound prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup thick Memphis-style barbecue sauce, divided
• 1 1/2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded pork shoulder, warmed
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (optional)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 475°F for at least 20 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough into a roughly 12-inch round. Transfer it to parchment paper on an inverted baking sheet or pizza peel.
3. Brush the exposed rim lightly with olive oil. Spread 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a narrow border.
4. Scatter the mozzarella over the sauce. Toss the warmed shredded pork with the remaining barbecue sauce and distribute it evenly over the cheese. Add onion if using.
5. Slide the pizza, with its parchment paper, onto the hot baking surface. Bake for approximately 12 to 16 minutes, until the crust is golden, the cheese is bubbling, and the pork is hot throughout. Follow the parchment manufacturer’s maximum temperature instructions, or remove the parchment after the crust sets.
6. Rest the pizza for 2 minutes, scatter with parsley if desired, and cut into 8 slices.

Kitchen Notes

Use fully cooked pork shoulder, not raw pork, and choose a barbecue sauce thick enough to avoid making the crust soggy. If the pork is refrigerator-cold, warm it before topping the pizza so it heats through without overbaking the crust. The optional onion and parsley are modern serving choices, not authenticated features of Elvis’s restaurant order.

A Little Memphis History

The Easter egg is hidden in the restaurant’s unlikely combination of traditions. Coletta’s began as an Italian-American family business, yet its signature pizza embraced the smoked pork that helped define Memphis food culture. Elvis’s enthusiasm for the dish made this distinctly local crossover part of his culinary legend. Coletta’s original South Parkway restaurant remains an important part of that story.

Historical Recipe Disclaimer: This collection celebrates foods documented as favorites of Elvis Presley through historical accounts, interviews, family recollections, and published materials. Unless specifically identified as an authenticated historical recipe, the preparations presented here are carefully researched interpretations rather than exact reproductions of dishes served at Graceland. Carter Family Recipes is an independent culinary publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland, or the Presley estate.