Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => Product Reviews => Topic started by: smokeasaurus on April 28, 2016, 11:51:38 AM
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This review is literally 3-4 years in the making. I have been giving this unique outdoor cooking device the hairy eyeball that long. About a month ago Wendy happened to walk by when I was checking this unit (for the millionth time) on the computer. She rolled her eyes and said "Oh no, not another BBQ". So I sat her down and showed her the introduction video......She was sold :)
What sold her was that when we entertain, I am out at the pit drinking brewskies, while she is stuck in the kitchen (we have a small cabin kitchen) making the sides and deserts. We also have an electric oven which she tolerates to say the least. This outdoor oven offers two separate cooking chambers. One is a dry sealed stone lined pizza oven. The other chamber is a smoker. They are both stainless steel lined and are heated up off of the same heat source. So we have two distinct cooking environments. The fire-box as well as the two top cooking chambers are also fully insulated. This beast is a Prius when it comes to fuel consumption. Speaking of fuel, the fuel of choice is wood chunks. 8)
When the bottom pizza oven is at 375, the smoker is at 250. The possibilities are endless:
While meat is in the smoker, you can bake a side dish, dessert and a loaf of bread all at the same time.
If you would like a kiss of smoke to your baked goods, simply put them into the smoker for a while.
Another great feature is when you are smoking your meat and it is time to wrap. Don't add more wood to the fire...simply set it in the pizza oven where the stone will stay hot for hours (free heat) and finish off your smoked offering in there........brilliant 8)
Our unit is in transit. The owner of the company Tim, has been so helpful with my countless questions. Tim is also a KCBS judge so he knows good Q!! Over 2000 units have been sold and there are only 38 left at this time. They average 5 sold a week so this model will be gone soon. A re-design is in the works. I told Wendy, if we don't jump on this we might be disappointed in getting one of the most unique and versatile outdoor cooking appliances I have ever seen......we jumped. We really had to thin the herd, but Wendy and I feel that this unit is so versatile and can cook an entire meal plus dessert and bread at the same time out on our wood deck that this was a no brainer.
Speaking of a wood fired unit on a wood deck, the fire box on this unit is the star of the show. It is completely contained and is designed to be pulled out to add fuel. Another similar looking unit on the market does not offer this and it lets hot embers go all over the place when refueling......that is a major no no in my book. Cleaning appears to be simple. A full length zippered cover is now included with the oven as well as two nice baking pans and a sweet aluminum prep tray...Wendy and I are already "discussing" who gets to use this ;)
So until I get the unit delivered, here is the excellent introduction video to wet your appetites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9I7cP3I54
Here is a older video from 2011, that shows fire starting and clean-up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppVOf9pSlJ8
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Sounds really cool, but what's the $$$$$ tag?
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I like it!
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Sounds really cool, but what's the $$$$$ tag?
I just searched, looks about 1500
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Sounds really cool, but what's the $$$$$ tag?
I just searched, looks about 1500
go here for 1399 plus free freight and a free cover..this is the ecoque store
http://www.outdoorchefstore.com/collections/grills-ovens-smokers/products/wood-fired-pizza-oven-smoker
not cheap but it weighs in at 375 lbs and with stainless in the right places.......we cleared our deck to make room for this bad boy.....
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Looks very cool.
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I have seen it before. It looks like a great unit.
It would be nice however if the pizza oven had the ability to pull heat from the sides to get hot air above the pizza like a true pizza oven.
Maybe a couple dampers the could open in the pizza oven compartment to allow that.
Otherwise a really great looking unit to me.
Look forward to your review Scott
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I have read somewhere that if you put a pizza stone on the top rack above the pizza that you can toast up the toppings and cheese.
I have to find the diagram that shows that the heat does go up the sides. It has to travel that way to get the heat and smoke into the smoker oven.
I think this fire management video explains how the heat travels through the oven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=840vfVG8Tnc
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I have seen it before. It looks like a great unit.
It would be nice however if the pizza oven had the ability to pull heat from the sides to get hot air above the pizza like a true pizza oven.
Maybe a couple dampers the could open in the pizza oven compartment to allow that.
Otherwise a really great looking unit to me.
Look forward to your review Scott
Thanks Mike. This might be one of the last reviews I do in a while. This should probably be my most extensive review due to the versatility of the two cooking environments and how they can be used separately or at the same time.....or one oven for part of the cook and the smoker chamber for the remainder. One thing is for sure, I will call straight down the middle 8)
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Got the first package today. I ordered an extra cover for down the road. That came with some Lightning nugget firestarters. I just lit my wood stove with these and they burned for 15 minutes. I had some red eucalyptus and oak (these two woods are hard to light without a established fire base and these nuggets got em blazing.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160428_134149_zpscuykk1qk.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160428_134149_zpscuykk1qk.jpg.html)
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Thanks for the review! The capacity is relatively small but the design is obviously well thought out and I can see where one would be just the ticket for a camp or cabin or home with a small kitchen. I like the insulation and versatility.
Hub
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Video looked good!
Forget the water in pan , not needed.
Thinking the drippings won't burn so should give a "clean smoke taste" like an offset.
WHAT HAPPENED TO BROIL KING OFFSET ???
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Video looked good!
Forget the water in pan , not needed.
Thinking the drippings won't burn so should give a "clean smoke taste" like an offset.
WHAT HAPPENED TO BROIL KING OFFSET ???
Still got it along with the PK.....that is it on the deck these days. Wendy is such a good cook and baker she is really going to use this oven a bunch for side dishes, breads and desserts..while I fill the smoker up 8) Another plus is when the power is out for a spell...which happens more often than not up here...we wont miss a beat for supper............
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Thanks for another great review / introduction! Looks really cool!
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It has arrived. It is a beast. The unit is 380 lbs. The fit and finish are as good as I have ever seen. Stainless steel lined ovens and the fire-box. Just well made and thought out.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_155410_zpslwmrnnbb.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_155410_zpslwmrnnbb.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_160318_zpssw1wulhm.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_160318_zpssw1wulhm.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_155422_zps8qahkfs0.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_155422_zps8qahkfs0.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_160414_zpszhtctqps.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_160414_zpszhtctqps.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_155446_zpsh4rosf1a.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_155446_zpsh4rosf1a.jpg.html)
The fire-box is the star of the show so far. It clips with a rod to a stainless pull out shelve. You simply slide it in and out to stoke your fire or to add wood/lump.
Extremely heavy duty, it is designed for smaller fires (when you want to slo-smoke in the smoker oven) or larger fires (when you want that crispy pizza crust.)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_155905_zpsfkdji8xt.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_155905_zpsfkdji8xt.jpg.html)
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Set some white oak and sugar maple chunks in the fire-box and got a fire going.
Had all three spinners open until the fire got established. Then closed the two side vents to get the temps stabilized. Very easy (so far) to feed the fire and keep an even fire going.
No leaks in any of the doors. The pizza oven is a dry hot smokeless chamber. The smoker chamber is.......smokey 8) The smoker chamber runs around 130 degrees cooler than the pizza oven. It is going to be interesting to have some meat smoking while side dishes and bread bake in the bottom oven. I like running two ovens off of the same fire.....
Here is the inaugural burn:
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160502_160651_zpslowiutwh.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160502_160651_zpslowiutwh.jpg.html)
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You da man!
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Wendy just had to make something to put in the pizza oven. It took 2 hours for the stone to hit 500 degrees.
She made: Bistro style mushroom flatbread with creme fraiche and white truffle olive oil.
We didn't have any corn meal so we couldn't cook the bread directly on the stone. So we had to cookie sheet it.
The bread was done in five minutes. The top was melted nicely and the bottom was perfectly crispy.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160503_185004_zpsohxklid6.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160503_185004_zpsohxklid6.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160503_190751_zps4pua53lt.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160503_190751_zps4pua53lt.jpg.html)
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That looks awesome
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Beautiful!
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Very nice! Great job Wendy!
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NICE!!!
Can we get some more info on the cooker too? Pictures of the overall unit? Maybe the manufacturer's website? I wonder how hot you can get it it?
And...HOW did you sneak it home? :D :D :D
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That pizza looks good Smoke. What do you think the air temp in the oven was?
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You bet Tee.
here is the product review page from Eco-Que. At the bottom of the page is a bunch of videos of this bad boy in action.
http://pizzaoven.ecoque.com/overview.html
They recommend not running the oven over 650 and I can tell you last nights cook the stone was only at 490 and that flatbread cooked and crisped up in minutes.
The stone was still warm this morning.
Sneak it home?? No way no how. Wendy bought into this bad boy because it gets her out her little cabin kitchen. I had to hire some chicken fried mountain boys to help me get this bad boy out on the rear deck. Total weight with the stones in the oven is 380 lbs. Now consider this: The unit is 25 inches wide by 27 inches deep and 58 inches high and it is just under 400 lbs. This is one stoutly built oven/smoker :)
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That pizza looks good Smoke. What do you think the air temp in the oven was?
I don't quite know buddy. I am waiting to hear from Tim on how to calibrate the thermos in the doors. The stone was at 490. I didn't add anymore wood after that and the stone was slightly warm this morning.....................
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Ok, found out from Tim that the thermos are calibrated to "guess" what the middle of the ovens temps. This is due to the fact the ovens are 2 feet deep and the thermos are in the doors. He said to go off of stone temp in the pizza oven and to use a maverick in the smoker for best results.
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Rubbed down some back beef ribs with Double Secret and into the Ecoque with white oak and sugar maple for heat and smoke. I had a tray with water on the bottom rack per the owners instructions.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160504_140834_zpsiws6fkzd.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160504_140834_zpsiws6fkzd.jpg.html)
Ribs went 4 hours and then I wrapped them. I didn't add any more wood. I actually shut down all the vents and put the ribs in the pizza oven on the top rack. I went to get Wendy from work and we tossed in some garlic bread. 10 minutes later we had supper.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160504_195752_zps9dtmtabq.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160504_195752_zps9dtmtabq.jpg.html)
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160504_200423_zpsnjjnrosf.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160504_200423_zpsnjjnrosf.jpg.html)
The ribs were super tender and tasty. True authentic pit BBQ flavor. The Garlic bread was hot on top and slightly crispy on the bottom.
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160504_201020_zpspcmsvsci.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160504_201020_zpspcmsvsci.jpg.html)
This smoker/oven is the real deal. It is a miser on wood. It cooks perfectly. We are going to use this a lot :)
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They look good Scott!
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That's Cool! It's on my list ! :)
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Very cool
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I failed to mention that I added the fire-grate this time. The fire grate limits the amount of wood you can add so you can keep your temps down for lo and slo. The smoker ran around 240 while the pizza oven was at 360. I know the Mfg suggests only one or two wood chunks to maintain temp but I have found that it does not give me enough of a coal base. So I take a small axe and half some chunks and add them in with about three regular size chunks about every hour.
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Was getting the stone heated up for some pizza and Wendy brought out upside down cake to put in the pizza oven
25 minutes later
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160510_170038_zpsrwonbumw.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160510_170038_zpsrwonbumw.jpg.html)
and then:
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160510_170329_zps9wgqjy7q.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160510_170329_zps9wgqjy7q.jpg.html)
I added some more wood chunks and opened up the vents more and the stone hit 500 degrees
tossed in a store bought taco pizza
10 minutes later:
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160510_180402_zpsijyvcx09.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160510_180402_zpsijyvcx09.jpg.html)
look at that crispy crust and perfectly cooked toppings
(http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc469/s1cott11/20160510_181733_zpswbhlyd6n.jpg) (http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/s1cott11/media/20160510_181733_zpswbhlyd6n.jpg.html)
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This is shaping up to be an awesome cooker, Smoke!
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Sure looks like a great oven and smoker!!! Don
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Great looking pizza
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I think I will wrap up this review.
Now this is more of a niche item I feel. It is extremely heavy duty and very well made. The pizza oven is much larger than I thought. Last nights pizza was a 16inch round offering and it fit comfortably in the oven. This oven should have no problems with multiple things going on. Casseroles and breads can be done at the same time.
The smoker works well and creates a very nice smokey moist environment. The size seems limited though. You are pretty much forced to have a pan on the bottom rack because there is no where for the grease to go. So that leaves with just the top rack. You can get three racks of ribs on it because both ovens are 2 feet deep. Two pork butts should be fine and one packer brisket is no problem. Two spatchcocked chickens or one spatchcocked turkey is fine. There is no headroom so you cant leave them whole..but I like spatchcocking anyways.
The firebox is brilliant. It is set up for large fires for using the pizza oven and smaller fires for doing lo and slo. The mfg really put some time and thought into this. The firebox is adhered to the heavy stainless rack by a rod and the rack is set up to be pulled all the way out safely with no fear of the rack coming out completely. Very reassuring when pulling it out to stoke the wood or add more chunks.
Now wood consumption is another thing. If you only add a "couple" of chunks every hour you eventually will not have enough of a coal base to get the two chunks burning when you add them. The air tight fire chamber can be a hindrance by letting your wood smolder instead of catching a flame.
I have found a way around this....you just knew The Smoke would ;)
I take a small axe and half the chunks. I add 6 smaller pcs total about every 45 minutes and leave the three spinner vents open more. This gives me a smaller hotter cleaner burning fire...I do not mind adding wood more often. This unit is a vertical stick burner. I almost have to treat the fire the same way I do in my off-set...just on a smaller basis.
So I do use more wood than the Mfg says that I should but there is one feature that does make up for this. :) At the wrapping stage, I simply stop adding wood and place the wrapped meat in the pizza oven. The brick and stone in there stays hot for hours...even after letting the fire burn down. Free heat if you ask me.
Wendy and I looked at this oven/smoker for almost two years. When I contacted the owner he sadly informed me they had 39 left and when I talked to Tim late last week about fire management issues he said they were down to 25. So these units are selling pretty well. I believe they had a lot of 2000. My unit was mfg in 2014. We bought direct from the Mfg and got 500.00 off of retail and a free cover and free freight shipping. There will be no more after this. There is a slight re-design change in the works but Tim is not sure there will be another incarnation.
If anyone or if you know of anyone that is interested...act quck. Go to outdoorchefstore.com to get the 500.00 off retail with all the goodies and free shipping.
We were concerned making this large of a purchase with the item going away soon. Tim assured me they have plenty of parts for warranty claims. He informed me that they have only had to ship somebody a pizza stone. That was because it had cracked during transit.
Everything on this pit is heavy duty. All stainless steel lined fire-box and both ovens. Fully insulated. Very nice powder coating. Charcoal tray is 12 gauge and welded. Racks are heavy stainless steel. At 380 lbs this oven/smoker will be around for a while. I had to hire a couple of guys to help me get this bad boy through the cabin and down to the bottom deck. Now The Smoke is buff and chiseled (that is my story and I am sticking to it :D) and this is at least a two man lift or somebody will get hurt.
So is this unit for everybody. Probably not. We like the two distinct cooking environments. The pizza oven is dry and hot. The smoker is moist and smokey. At the same time!! So, while I feel wood usage is not as good as suggested, the unit makes up for that by being able to use both "ovens" at the same time. Being able to use the pizza oven as a "holding" oven after smoking something is a real neat feature.
I hope everybody enjoyed this review. I have been informed by Wendy that I won't be doing any product reviews any time soon ??? ??? so this one is going to have to suffice for a while.
Now if I can only figure out how to get a Fire Butler into the storage shed sight unseen ;) ;) Until then, lets keep that blue smoke rolling 8)
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It is a great review Smoke! Honest and unbiased IMHO
I like the unit but honestly would rather have the pizza oven work more like a real wood fired oven. The full exposure to smokey air by using some type of baffles and openings in the interior wall that would allow the smoke and heated air to enter the oven chamber instead of the smoking chamber or be directed in the oven chamber then back out into the smoking chamber. Then could be closed when you want to use it like a standard oven. I think if they added that function it would really improve the unit and make it more like a real wood fired oven.
The Uuni is the closest thing I have found that makes an authentic wood fired pizza. I love it for the portability and the flavor it gives pizzas. One day when I finally get settled I am going to have a large real wood fired pizza oven in my backyard. I would honestly give this unit more of a look if the oven functioned more like that. I will probably be spending around a thousand dollars for my oven when I do decide to make the plunge. Having a all in one unit like this would be great...
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There is an oven like that Muebe called the Fornetto. It has a pullout knob to let the smoke enter the pizza chamber. I asked Tim about that model design and he felt the stone would get too much smoke saturation so they went with the two separate ovens. He suggested to move whatever we are cooking in the pizza oven into the smoking chamber for a kiss of smoke........
Glad you liked the review :)
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Nice review Smoke! But Kimmie kill me if I looked into getting one
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I have to add to this product review to keep things honest.
This cooker simply does not work as advertised.
It is not a fuel miser.
It is not easy to use.
If I could afford to, I would sell it to a recycling place.
Tim at Ecoque is a great guy. He can't figure out what is going on. He thinks it might be elevation. His brother has one and lives in Denver. Our elevation here is higher than Denvers. So we will see what happens.
I am following all of Tims suggestions because at the end of the day, if this pit does not straighten out, I will be demanding some sort of restitution......... >:(
to be continued..........................
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Thanks for a very through good honest review there Smoke.
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Well, after two weeks of brainstorming and trying things with Tim from EcoQue, we have determined that the only thing we can think of is elevation that is giving us problems. The firebox smolders and does not burn clean no matter what we do. It takes 3 hours and a bunch of smokey wood to get the pizza stone to 450 to do a 6 minute pizza cook.
Tim offered me a 500.00 partial refund and I can sell the oven/smoker locally. Should be on Craigslist in about an hour :(
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Sorry you couldn't get it figured out Scott.
Maybe someone at a lower elevation in the valley will have better luck.
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Sorry you couldn't get it figured out Scott.
Maybe someone at a lower elevation in the valley will have better luck.
Thanks Buddy.
Tim said out of 2000 units he has never seen this problem. He said a unit went to Denver and he has heard of no problems...but we are higher in elevation than the mile high city!
Wendy still has issues from time to time baking at this elevation............
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Well, a guy from the So-Cal beach communities bought the Eco-Cue the other day. He is also purchasing 3 new ones from Tim. So it worked out to be a happy ending for all parties involved :)
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Well, a guy from the So-Cal beach communities bought the Eco-Cue the other day. He is also purchasing 3 new ones from Tim. So it worked out to be a happy ending for all parties involved :)
Hope you got most of the money back!
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Well, a guy from the So-Cal beach communities bought the Eco-Cue the other day. He is also purchasing 3 new ones from Tim. So it worked out to be a happy ending for all parties involved :)
Hope you got most of the money back!
We came real close. Luckily the owner was a stand up guy and I tried all his suggestions, but just would not work up here at 6100 ft elevation...