Building a wood fired pizza oven

[pz]

I'm not sure if this post is exactly where it belongs, but I didn't find any place more suitable. Please feel free to move it if you have a better place 

I've been looking for years for an outdoor pizza oven that was reasonably priced.  Mostly they are upwards of $3000, which is a bit rich for my blood.  However, last year I purchased a kit for nearly half price and then planned to install it myself.  naturally being an old guy, my ambition was writing checks bigger than my old joints could cash, so I enlisted my youngest son to help 

It did not go too bad, and it took about a week for all the concrete and mortar to properly cure - here's a few images of how it went:
Click to zoom, click again to minimize

We had landscapers come a couple of years ago, and they did some masonry in the back yard. We asked them to put in this base of packed gravel
My son got the easy part of the job.  He only had to pour 19 sacks of concrete for the base by hand. We actually went to rent a mixer, but on that particular day they were closed for some kind of holiday that only they knew about. Ricky is such a good kid; even though I offered, he would not let his old dad do even a single sack of concrete mixing.  I'm proud of that young man.
I had it much more difficult than my son - clean the concrete that spilled over. It might not look all that professional, but what the heck; we're back yard concrete guys
Of course, the boss worked the hardest that particular day. I must admit that even after 25 years in the place, I never tire of the view.
Because this is a kit that consists of pieces fitting together like a puzzle, even amateur masons like my son and I can do a reasonable job.
Ready to set the front of the oven and the next course. (if there are any professional masons on the forum, don't laugh at our work )
The boss got up long enough to inspect the job, and then take a picture for her Facebook page.  Naturally being the boss, she took credit for the entire job.
The basic construction is finally finished It is definitely not pretty, and I need to figure out some kind of shell for the thing, but at least it works, and produces great pizzas.

[squirtthecat]

Nice!!

[drholly]

What a great post! I too have been chasing the elusive wood fired oven. Unfortunately, I don't have a son. I have two teen age daughters... and a "boss." So, the project is on hold.

Great pictures and story. I look forward to seeing some of your pizza cooks - be sure to get some "crust pics!"

Thanks for sharing this.

[ACW3]

PZ,
Your pizza oven looks great.   But that view is out of this world!!

Art

[Pam Gould]

We had a guy from Africa that had a wood fired grill and he made all kind of things on his. His name was africanmeat. Haven't seen him in ages. Wonder if anyone else has?  I want one of those wood fired ovens so bad. I will look and see..I know I saved some of his recipes. Beautiful view too.  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ

[pz]

Thanks guys!  We completed the oven last year and have had quite a few pizza parties, so I'd like to share a few pics that show how much fun it can be to entertain with a wood-fired appliance (there is just something wonderfully different about tending a wood fired oven that makes it just plain fun 
Click image to zoom, click again to minimize

The fire is started, and we are beginning the process of heating the oven to temperature. We usually take it to an internal temperature of about 900F to 1000F
It is lots of fun preparing the entire pizza, from start to finish, outside on the back deck near the oven.
Here's the moment we placed a pizza into the oven which was at about 900F - the pizzas cook in about 90 seconds at this temperature
This pizza consists of fresh tomato, mozzarella, black olives and sun dried tomato. The plants you see at the side of the oven are tomato - picked fresh and sliced right onto the dough.
Here's a closeup of that last pizza.  Not much is better on a pizza than tomato picked seconds before cooking.
Another pizza that we now love, but tried for the first time only a month or two ago is this one.  The ingredients are pulled pork and black bean, with a bed of Mexican 4-cheese blend plus a bit of mozzarella.
Kind of overcooked this one, but it was still outstanding. Written description alone does not do this combination justice - it has a rich porky flavor that perfectly complements the spicy black beans.  Spices include smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, thyme, and sometimes we use cocoa powder for an almost chocolate mole kind of flavor.

[drholly]

Wonderful! Great pictures. Good looking pies.

[pz]

Thanks for the comment, drholly! Those were some of our earlier pies that were not all that perfect, but were still quite good

Wood fired ovens are not only useful to make the most delicious pizzas on the planet, but we also use the residual fire to make other delicious foods - the sky is the limit.
Click to zoom, click again to minimize

On another day we tried a few new pizza ideas - this one was topped with sausage, fresh basil out of an Aerogarden, and pizza cheese blend.
We began experimenting with chicken once the pizzas were done.  There is a simple Traeger poultry rub on the chicken, and it is ready to go into the oven, uncovered.
Almost done!  The chicken was really tasty, but I need to use an internal thermometer next time because the breast tended to dry a bit. The skin was crisp and had the same smoky flavor as did the pizza.  The dark meat was to die for it was so flavorful and tender.
Focaccia bread was also really good
...and last but certainly not least, bread with authentic European-style thick crust.  We've tried for decades to achieve the crust we experience in Europe with absolutely no success.  A friend on another forum sent us the link to a YouTube video in which he claimed really good bread - he was certainly correct!  This is the best bread we have ever made at home.

[teesquare]

WOW!!!!

Talk about hitting the"hot button" for a lot of us here ...I have been getting my wife warmed up to the idea of the pizza oven in my deck expansion......

Very nice job! I have seen some covered in tiles, and some in stucco, or bricks. Are you considering anything to top it off with - or leave it natural?

[drholly]

Now you're just teasing me... 

Those are some great pictures and good looking food!

Maybe the driveway can go a few more years...

[mikecorn.1]

Outstanding setup. I would love to have something like that, including the view 

[pz]

Talk about hitting the"hot button" for a lot of us here ...I have been getting my wife warmed up to the idea of the pizza oven in my deck expansion......

If you haven't already, get her hooked on wood fired pizza, and you'll have an easy time of it.  Besides, it is so useful for a variety of outdoor oven cooking.  We just purchased a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven (3 legs) into which we can put our favorite Dutch oven foods (like crusty European bread) and heap the coals on top while the pizzas cook.  Add to your argument that it is an outstanding way to entertain with everyone helping and congregating around the oven area and she'll be sold. 

Very nice job! I have seen some covered in tiles, and some in stucco, or bricks. Are you considering anything to top it off with - or leave it natural?

Thanks teesquare!  I'd love to encase the unit in a stucco style dome, but I don't know if stucco would do well in my area where we have temperature extremes and lots of freeze thaw.  Tile would also be great as would brick, but I think I would need to contract that job done so that it doesn't come out looking lumpy and lop-sided like a melted kids toy.

Maybe the driveway can go a few more years...

Interestingly, we were at this crossroad a couple of years ago.  We do one big project each year, and we had to decide on a driveway or a pizza oven - we chose the oven thinking that our guests would choose wood fired pizza over an asphalt driveway any day of the week.  Guess what our big project was this year? 

Outstanding setup. I would love to have something like that, including the view 

Thanks mikecorn1; I just lucked into this place over 25 years ago when the housing prices were dirt cheap in my area.  I couldn't afford to purchase the place in today's housing market!  I've been grateful for that view each and every day for the past quarter century

[pz]

We had a guy from Africa that had a wood fired grill and he made all kind of things on his. His name was africanmeat. Haven't seen him in ages. Wonder if anyone else has?  I want one of those wood fired ovens so bad. I will look and see..I know I saved some of his recipes. Beautiful view too.  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ

Thanks for the comments Pam 

If I had to do it again, I think I would find some good plans and build the oven from scratch.  The masonry is not that difficult once you get the hang of it, and the materials to get the job done would not be more than a good quality BBQ grill.

I'd have to say that the wood fired oven has been one of my favorite outdoor cooking devices of all time, partly because my son and I put it together - would have been even more satisfying if we had built it from scratch.

[teesquare]

Can you tell us where you found your kit at a good price? That is the main impediment for most of us

[pz]

Can you tell us where you found your kit at a good price? That is the main impediment for most of us

Absolutely; I did not want to be potentially politically incorrect by posting a link to a vendor.  The manufacturer is called Firerock, and they evidently have a method of producing fireplaces (and this pizza oven) by some kind of poured material.  It has been a couple of years, but I think I ordered it through a local masonry shop for about $1700