# anyone have a backyard wood fire pizza oven?



## boomchakabowwow (Apr 8, 2013)

been thinking about building one. having an internal struggle with "am i gonna use it much?".

my backyard is huge and nasty. we had a drought and the water district restricted watering. i let it die.

i think i can strategically place this oven to accommodate a future home remodel/enlargment and backyard re-landscape.

anyone have one and not use it? the romance expire and now it is just a black widow spider haven? you develop a cheese allergy?


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## PierreRodrigue (Apr 8, 2013)

Good question, I want to build one as well. You thinking Brick oven or earthen oven?


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 8, 2013)

thinking brick..i would cover it all up with some nice tile work..

i did some quick calcs..the finish product would need a construction forklift to move. my friend is 80% complete with his. didnt look that difficult. he lives too far for me to sponge off of his oven..and it sparked the idea with me


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## Jmadams13 (Apr 8, 2013)

Built a earthen oven with my father at my parents house last year, and will be building a. Brick this summer. Never used it for pizza, but bake bread all the time. For some good info. Wad over to The Fresh Loaf, there is a forum specifically devoted to brick and earthen ovens. DIY and commercial. I would suggest lurking there a while them joining up, lots of smart bread and pizza obsessed (like me, lol) with lots of great info. Can be kinda snobby at times, but the members are still smart as hell


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 8, 2013)

Jmadams13 said:


> Built a earthen oven with my father at my parents house last year, and will be building a. Brick this summer. Never used it for pizza, but bake bread all the time. For some good info. Wad over to The Fresh Loaf, there is a forum specifically devoted to brick and earthen ovens. DIY and commercial. I would suggest lurking there a while them joining up, lots of smart bread and pizza obsessed (like me, lol) with lots of great info. Can be kinda snobby at times, but the members are still smart as hell



i do this..i am kidnapping you, for a week or so  and stealing your sourdough mother. ahhaha.


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## heirkb (Apr 8, 2013)

Ever since I saw the Blue Bottle Coffee guy's original coffee roasting oven, I've wanted to build a backyard oven. Thanks for the TFL rec Jmadams13. Didn't realize they had an oven section there.


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## Jmadams13 (Apr 8, 2013)

As long as you pay for my ticket to Cali, let me sleep on the couch, and provide a never ending supply of IPA, prefer affably Green Flash or Stone, lol. I'll even smuggle some of my Momma for you. But I must warn you, she's quite a stinky angry on, lol


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## don (Apr 8, 2013)

Jmadams13 said:


> ... provide a never ending supply of IPA, prefer affably Green Flash or Stone, lol.



Actually, that's what our fridge is stocked with. We do have some Sierra Nevada Torpedo too.

I want a wood fire oven as well, but it's not going to happen in our current home.


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## Jmadams13 (Apr 8, 2013)

I'd you really want, I can go in depth on the benifits and downsides to both kinda, as well as white vs blak firing, and some input I got from building mine. 

I've baked both pro and home with a few different kinda of wood fired ovens, and some are definitely better than others for many reasons. I'll go into it when I get done work today, and have some time to think it out, lol


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 8, 2013)

i think the fact that my backyard looks like "the trees vomited" is not going to help me. sure i can build an oven, but i cant install new irrigation and sod? i can hear my wife now


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## Jmadams13 (Apr 8, 2013)

Wow my spelling was off on that lol. But I'm sure you got the idea


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## tgraypots (Apr 8, 2013)

I built a brick oven 2 yars ago and have not regretted it. It's a very simple "dry brick" design made with hard kiln brick and a couple of extra large kiln shelves. We have baked as many as 18-20 pizzas in it for a crowd. I've also baked bread during the heat up and have baked some other dishes. I don't use it as much as I would like to, but it's always there for when the occasion, or power outages, require.


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## PierreRodrigue (Apr 8, 2013)

Tom, I would love to see pictures of it, and how it was built.


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## Chefdog (Apr 8, 2013)

I would also love to see pictures, please.


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## wenus2 (Apr 8, 2013)

One thing to consider is that you have access to, or are willing to purchase, lots of wood.
Regularly firing your oven takes lots and lots of wood.


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## Miles (Apr 8, 2013)

Yes, lots of photos please! Backyard oven has been one of my bucket list projects. Unfortunately, given how long it takes me to get home projects finished, we'd probably already have moved by the time I finish the thing. :lol2:


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## tgraypots (Apr 8, 2013)

I'm in the midst of the 2nd busiest time of the year for me, and will post photos and info asap. BTW, 2 people came by last week specifically to see the oven, not to buy my work :->


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## franzb69 (Apr 8, 2013)

a wood fired oven would just be a dream for me out here. been wanting to build one out of firebricks.


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## Dardeau (Apr 9, 2013)

I use one at work, for everything but pizza. Roast meat, fish, peppers, onions. It works great to reheat things or to crisp skin as well. And you will go through a long ton of wood.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 9, 2013)

i have a buddy taking out an almond "forest"..he is hoarding wood for everyone. 

i really need to mull this over...thanks.


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## PierreRodrigue (Apr 9, 2013)

http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.html
There are free plans here


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## franzb69 (Apr 9, 2013)

thanks for that pierre!


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## tgraypots (Apr 16, 2013)

After googling brick ovens for several years, I came across a post somewhere about building an oven in a day. It inspired me to go with what I had on hand or could find within my community of potters. It's totally dry built in an old kiln shed, using mostly materials that were in that old kiln. The shelves came from a friend and make up the deck and roof. Interior dimensions are 36"w x 19"d x 14"h. I will probably put in another course of brick to raise it 4 1/2" and raise the door height as well. It is far from being perfect or even attractive, but it gets the job done, and quickly. It hits 1100F in about an hour and a half with dry wood and bakes a pie in about 4 minutes. I usually get it up to 1100 and bake down to 850F. If I'm not through baking, like for a crowd of folks consuming 15-20 pies, I stoke again. The biggest problem I have had is keeping the floor/deck hot, and usually bake on a smaller kiln shelf about 2" off the floor. I've heard really good things about 1/4"-1/2" steel decks and hope to soon start scrounging for a 16" x 16", or larger, piece. I don't know how many bricks it required but used hard kiln bricks for the faces and soft kiln bricks for the outside. In that regard it might be overbuilt, with a 2 1/2" thick hot face and 9" of insulating brick outside that. There are a zillion ways to build a brick oven and plenty of good kits out there, just remember, folks have been building wood-fired brick ovens for a long, long time with a whole lot less than what we have access to. I hope this helps someone. If so, please post a pic. Later-Tom


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## Duckfat (Apr 25, 2013)

Big Green Egg. Wood fired pizza, grill, smoker, slow cooker.


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## DeepCSweede (Apr 25, 2013)

Duckfat said:


> Big Green Egg. Wood fired pizza, grill, smoker, slow cooker.



For the short term, that is my plan.


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## MichaelCampbell (Apr 26, 2013)

I am thinking to built a Brick oven and wanna enjoy with friend but problem is that its not possible to make it in my home....


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## Chef Niloc (Apr 26, 2013)

I built this last year


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## tgraypots (Apr 26, 2013)

oh yeah. well done Colin!


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## chris9998 (May 29, 2019)

i am planning to buy wood fired oven for my outdoor kitchen. i researched a lot about good brands, then go to finial the ilFornino Brand. It is easy to fit and use.


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## js0930 (Jun 15, 2019)

For another option for those of us who lack the space for a brick oven, Green Mountain Grill makes a pizza oven attachment for their pellet smokers that goes up to 900 degrees.


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## daveb (Jun 15, 2019)

A friend has the Green Mt oven described above. He loves it.


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## js0930 (Jun 15, 2019)

I’m pulling mine out tomorrow. If I remember I’ll get some pictures for the thread.


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## js0930 (Jun 17, 2019)

Sorry, failed on the picture front. Green Mountain Pizza Oven’s amazing though. Cooking surface was rolling along at 720 degrees. Took 3.5 minutes for a pizza. Could have gone even higher temperature wise but that was working for us. Can’t recommend it enough of you want the feel of wood fired but don’t have the space.


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## chris9998 (Jun 25, 2019)

Yes, I have ilFornino piccolino wood fired oven in the backyard. Cooking area is about 545 square inches. Its sleek compact design allows it to fit into small spaces, heats up between 20-25 minutes, retains the temperature at about 700 °F and cooks a pizza in less than 2 minutes.


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## lowercasebill (Jun 25, 2019)

Ooni pro does gas, wood, charcoal.
Ooni 3 does pellets or gas (with optional converter).
950 in about 20 minutes. 
I have ooni 3 with gas.


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