Wood Pizza Oven Wonderfullness

Finally got to utilizing our pizza oven. Lets just say that it isn’t as easy as the youtube videos make it look. Get your fire going. Let it run for a good two hours before you cook anything. I think that is the key. The one thing I found tricky was I naturally wanted to close the door to maintain heat. That actually stifles the fire and often works against you when you are trying to get the fire going.

Another trick, don’t make the mistake of starting your fire in the back or corner of the oven. Yes, this is the eventual destination of the wood and burning embers – but you need to start right smack dab in the middle. When you have the oven to temp and your wood is that nice white – time to push it to the back and start your cooking.

One thing I noticed with the oven, the brick around the front cracked a bit under the heat. Eugene from Grills N Ovens warned me about this. When the oven cools, you can still see the issue, but it is less visible. I bought some masonry cement but haven’t ventured into the repair yet. You’ll also notice the front part of the unit blackens. For me, I like it – gives it the authentic look. The wife, who wants it all to look like something from a catalog…not so much. Just be aware – it’s not always going to be pretty and if you want to keep some of the prettiness, clean it up once cooled.