Building a wood fired pizza oven

[pz]

Thanks David; the calzone freezes nicely, and we were able to take them to work for lunch (I've a small counter top oven in my office).  It was a great way to bring the smoky pizza flavor to the workplace - my colleagues were envious!

[drholly]

I bet they were - I can imagine the aroma! Nice lunch.

[Smokin Don]

PZ I have watched this with envy as you have posted!!! The oven looks great to me and is extra special since you and your son built it. This would be on my wish list if I were younger and had the money, it has to be fun to use and your pizzas look delicious. We used to go to a place in Dayton, OH that had one inside their restaurant, the pizza was extra good! Don

[pz]

Thanks for the comment, Don, and you are soooooo correct in that my ugly oven is made special because I was able to assemble it with my son - something a dad will always remember.

I think if I were to do it again, I'd build mine completely from scratch, likely something like this guy did for less than $200: Click here for the article

... or even better, build a starter oven in a couple of weekends for $20 (yes, that's twenty dollars) Click here for the article.

One thing I've learned in this process is that one does not need an expensive oven of kit to make wonderful baked goods - all you really need is a reasonably built stone/masonry/or clay heating chamber.  In fact, I think that I'd feel accomplished if I were able to create my own from scratch rather than purchasing a kit.

[drholly]

pz - great articles! An inspiration - thanks!

[pz]

My pleasure, David!  I wish I would have done a bit more research before I purchased my kit.  After using my oven for the past year, I have come to realize that a home built unit will be just as good if not better than a commercially built unit or kit.

I have a book on baking bread in wood fired ovens, and in it they show a wood fired oven that is still standing (and in use) that is over 500 years old.  It looks like not much more than a pile of rocks.

[drholly]

I have to smile, pz. 

When I travel in some of the more remote areas of Latin America, the stoves & ovens are rarely much more than a collection of bricks and rocks with some expanded metal over the top. In fact, last year my family spent a couple of weeks in a remote fishing village in Nicaragua (it was literally at the end of the road.) I walked the streets several times a day. When we arrived a "new" restaurant was being "built" I use the quotes because to anyone from the states, this was a pile of brick and rock with some sheet metal and palm fronds over the top, and a smaller pile of brick and rock becoming the oven. By the 2nd week, we were regular customers. Pizzas, fish, steak - you name it - all prepared on that pile of bricks and rocks - it was delicious!

[pz]

lol, I can understand, David 

I feel almost embarrassingly spoiled by what we have available to us in the sense that I could have likely done my own for a fraction of the cost, and would have had much greater satisfaction.

However, on the positive side, I had an old retaining wall that we had taken down because it was leaning heavily.  It consisted of 90lb rectangles of nearly solid concrete.  Instead of having them hauled away, I chose a site in the back yard and built a fire ring approximately six feet in diameter.  The intended use is to have a place to stand around when we want a campfire, and especially on new Year's eve when we have a gathering of friends.

Once it was built, I added a few blocks extending toward the center from the edge of the ring, and my intent is to top it with a bbq grill (but now Grill Grates due to the excellent information on this forum)  Then I'll be able to do a bit of wood fired grillin' around the campfire.

Another unit I would like to build is a circular table large enough for 6 chairs.  My youngest is a welder and I'll ask him to build a metal frame on which I can place a circular granite slab with a hole in the center (looks like a granite doughnut).  Into the hole in the center I plan to put a burner (likely gas, but maybe charcoal), and then have different cook tops I can place on top of the burner depending on what I want to do.  For instance, a Korean bbq topper, a paella pan, fondue pot, circular cast iron cook surface, etc.  We would be able to all sit around the table and individually cook our goodies while socializing.  Talk about socializing around the fire 

[veryolddog]

The pizza oven that you have is really fantastic. What is even more interesting is the fact that pizza ovens have been built in North America for over 2000 years.

If you ever have a chance to visit New Mexico, you will be driving by and through many Native American Reservations. In their backyards, they have what is referred to as a Horno which is a behive shaped oven for cooking breads and whatever. No matter what tribe, they all have these ovens in the backyards.

So, now wood fired "Pizza" ovens are becoming more popular and are being either purchased or home made by families that have this desire for outdoor cooking. There is a sense of History here coming full circle.

Here is a typical Horno.



Now, I am waiting for Teesquare to make fun of the word, "horno".

Ed

[Pam Gould]

My grandma lived in Romania where they had a community oven for the entire town. They were very poor but they cooked together. They shared one animal for the entire town also. I can't imagine but love the outdoor oven concept. I want one so bad. Must be a family thing.  LOL.  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ

[africanmeat]

My grandma lived in Romania where they had a community oven for the entire town. They were very poor but they cooked together. They shared one animal for the entire town also. I can't imagine but love the outdoor oven concept. I want one so bad. Must be a family thing.  LOL.  Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ

you are right my grandparents and my parents were from Romania and they had a communal wood oven.
it must be a genetic thing . that why i love my pizza oven .

[africanmeat]

sorry i jump in so late did no see this before . it looks like a great build , after you do the pizza , the meat, and the bread . as it gets cooler you can put in the pizza oven a tray with 1/2 tomatoes sprinkle olive oil and oregano and let it stand over night. in the morning you will have the best dry tomatoes ever .

[drholly]

pz - I really like the ways you are thinking of building fires in your backyard...  It sounds like a wonderful gathering place! I can't wait to see pictures and hear the stories as you build them and entertain.

Pam and africanmeat - your stories of Romania are much like what I've seen in the Americas. Being invited to join these communities as I travel has been one of the best parts of my experience. Those dried tomatoes look fantastic.

[pz]

Thanks for the comments, and the histories on outdoor ovens - although I'm not surprised, I did not know many of the things you have posted

We love outdoor cooking and gathering by the fire - there is something mesmerizing about campfires, and that naturally extends to cooking 

The tomato idea is excellent africanmeat; thanks for posting.  There is so much residual heat in the oven when we are done with pizzas, but not enough to cook something else.  However drying something like tomatoes to intensify their flavor is something that I'll definitely try this weekend.

[drholly]

Ed - love the reminder of the hornos and the picture. You are right about things coming back around!