Using A Wood Fired Pizza Oven
Firing up and making pizza in your outdoor wood-fired pizza oven is the most incredible summer moment. Finally, you can fire it up and cook some excellent pizza right from your backyard. Outdoor pizza ovens have become quite popular, making the food more authentic. However, most people shy away from this option because these ovens are challenging to use. To help you out, here are guides to help you use a wood-fired pizza oven.
Lighting the Fire
Open the wood-fired pizza oven door and chimney smoke control vent, and keep them open when lighting the oven.
Prepare kindling material and place them at the oven’s center. Use three to four small logs and any material that can easily catch fire. Place the logs in a teepee shape with firelighters at the center.
Light your match on the firelighter and leave it at the center of the kindling. Then, stay closer to ensure the whole kindling catches fire.
Keep the Fire Burning
Keep adding logs when the kindling is burning well to increase the size of the fire slowly. Use three of four logs for a bigger fire. Add more logs until the oven dorm becomes black. It changes color because of the wood’s smoke, and the firewood will also become ashy.
Grow the fire on the entire pizza oven floor to distribute heat across the surface. You should use protective gear like gloves to stoke the flames. Have a fire extinguisher if the flames flare up and drop onto the ground.
Distribute the Heat
Keep the temperatures higher until you notice that the dome turns white on the inside. Keep moving the fire to ensure the wood burns and covers the entire floor. The oven should be around 400° hot, and you can check it using a thermometer. Using a regular thermometer would burn your hand.
Prepare the Cooking Surface
Once the oven reaches its maximum temperatures, close the smoke control of the oven to retain the heat. You can now prepare your cooking area. After the flames have turned into embers, move them to the back and side of the oven to create space for making your pizza. The pizza should either be at the center or the front for easy removal when it is ready.
Leave the door open for a few moments to burn any remaining embers and avoid smoke buildup. The oven will stay hot for around 2 hours which can cook plenty of pizzas.
When you follow these steps, you will have an easy time working with your oven. This process works for all foods that can be cooked in a pizza. If you want to use the wood-fired pizza oven, ensure that you have all the needed safety materials to prevent a fire breakout.
Leave a Reply