Unsure of how to get about lighting a wood fired pizza oven? We've got everything you need to know to get i upwardly and running this summer!

When British summer time is on full swing, is in that location whatever greater joy than firing upwards a forest fired pizza oven and cooking up your own succulent cuisine correct in your own back garden? We don't remember so!

Outdoor pizza ovens are hugely popular at the moment, offering the perfect way to just relax and take it easy while making authentic food for all to enjoy.

Yet, 1 reason nosotros discover that people are wary of making the investment in an outdoor oven is they aren't entirely sure how to employ one – is it worth buying one if all they end up with is some smouldering logs and burnt dough?

In truth, pizza ovens are really easy to use one time you know what you are doing, and are completely worth the fourth dimension and coin.

To assistance you out, we've even put together this like shooting fish in a barrel guide to lighting a wood fire pizza oven, including how to cure it for the showtime time and how to cook your pizza.

Allow'south go started!

How to Light a Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Premier Wood Fired Pizza Oven with Stand & Table

Lighting a wood fire pizza oven does have time and a trivial patience – the central is to build information technology upwards slowly, gaining heat gradually and safely.

Hither is our step-by-stride guide to lighting a pizza oven…

  1. Open the door of your pizza oven and the chimney smoke control vent – both need to exist kept open throughout the burn lighting process
  2. Place some kindling in the centre of the oven. Three or iv pocket-sized logs with a few pine cones or other kindling cloth should be fine. Suit them in a teepee shape, and identify some firelighters in the center.
  3. Light your match. Carefully light the firelighter and go out the friction match placed by information technology, still in the centre of the kindling. Stand dorsum and permit it to fully take hold of fire.
  4. Add a few more than logs. In one case the kindling is burning well, add together another three or four small-medium size logs, slowly increasing the fire size.
  5. Wait as the pizza dome turns black. This is downward to the fume existence produced by the fire. You will also detect the firewood gradually turning white.
  6. Go along to add together more logs. Go on growing the fire beyond the full floor of the pizza oven to distribute the rut out. Caution: the fire volition actually be heating up now, so use suitable tools and gloves to stoke the flames. E'er be careful the flames don't get out of hand and have an extinguisher on-hand.
  7. Allow the temperature to continue to increase. As information technology gets hotter, you should notice the inside of the dome turns from black to white. Move the fire to ensure all the wood is burning and the unabridged oven flooring is covered. At this point, information technology should be effectually 350-400°C. Use a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation thermometer to check this – don't endeavor to test it with a regular thermometer or you volition fire your mitt!
  8. Close the oven's smoke command. Now it's upwards to temperature, this will keep the heat in and you are ready to prepare your cooking surface area!
  9. Move the burn embers to the side. Once the flames have died down and reduced to embers, movement them to the sides and back of the oven to make space for roasting your food. If you are cooking pizza, move the embers to the back of the oven so you lot can place the pizza at the front end.
  10. Check for embers still burning. If at that place are still flames or embers, exit the door vent open for a few minutes – or, if you don't take 1, exit the door ajar to avoid too much smoke inside the oven.
  11. Identify your food inside. The oven should now exist ready to cook your food! A good forest fired oven should stay hot for at to the lowest degree 2 hours – perfect for ho-hum cooking also equally pizzas.

Lighting a Pizza Oven – FAQs

Still got some concerns over how to light your wood fired pizza oven? Take a wait at these FAQs for some more information…

Tin can yous use firelighters in a pizza oven?

Yes, you tin use firelighters in a pizza oven, just it'south all-time to choose a natural firelighter. A standard white firelighter you would use in your stove will likely take chemicals in it that could affect the gustatory modality of your food. Natural firelighters are made from compressed wood shavings, making them odourless and safe for use in an oven. Never employ kerosene, lighter fluid or any other highly flammable substance to light a pizza oven.

Related: How to Make Your Own Kindling & Firelighters with Vincent Thurkettle

How exercise you use a pizza oven for the first time?

Before using your pizza oven for the first time, it needs to be cured properly beforehand. This minimises the run a risk of your pizza oven dome cracking when you fire it upward fully on its beginning usage.

Each pizza oven should have its own instructions for curing the kickoff time, though typically it involves lighting a series of small fires, gradually increasing in size and estrus over effectually v days. This slowly allows whatever moisture to evaporate from the dome – if all the wet is forced to evaporate all at once, it can cause irreparable damage.

You only need to cure your pizza oven the very beginning fourth dimension you use information technology. In future, it won't be necessary. If you lot oasis't used your pizza oven for some time or it has been sitting out in the rain, yous can dry information technology out before use by burning a small-scale fire within first – but this can be washed the same day and doesn't require the total 5-day process.

How long does information technology take to heat up a forest fired pizza oven?

It usually takes up to i hour to fully heat up a forest fired pizza oven. However, this does depend on the size and blueprint of your pizza oven, the wood used and the weather condition exterior. Smaller ovens can be heated upwardly in xl minutes, larger ovens could take as long equally ii hours or fifty-fifty more to estrus up to the correct temperature.

Can you lot use charcoal in a wood fired pizza oven?

E'er check with your manufacturer before using charcoal in a wood fired pizza oven. Charcoal tin produce a fiercer rut than wood, so exist sure that your stove is capable of burning it without neat.

Charcoal fired pizza ovens tin also create a dissimilar style of pizza. Due to the heat, they oftentimes produce a crispier pizza, cooking quickly with a chewier inside and crunchier crust. Woods fired pizzas are typically softer with a slightly charred edge.

What is the all-time wood for a wood fired pizza oven?

The best wood to use in a wood fired pizza oven is one that produces high heat and low smoke. This makes hardwoods much more suitable than softwoods. Woods such every bit ash, birch and oak are all ideal for a pizza oven, while many people love the mediterranean aroma of olive wood.

Most importantly though, no matter what wood you utilize for your forest fired pizza oven, it must be fully dry and well seasoned. Green or wet wood that still contains loftier levels of moisture will produce too much smoke and won't burn hot or fast enough to create the weather you lot need.

Related: How to Stack, Store and Season Firewood

How hot does a pizza oven have to be?

To cook a pizza in a woods fired oven, you demand a temperature of at least 400°C. The hotter the temperature, the thicker the crust will be – though likewise hot, and your dough will burn down too rapidly.

At the right temperature, a pizza should melt to perfection in effectually 90 seconds – giving you a crispy chaff, melted cheese and a gooey centre.

If you want to roast meat or fish, you volition want to aim for a temperature of effectually 230 – 280°C. For boring cooking things like ribs and pulled pork, you volition want your wood fired pizza oven much cooler, at around 100 – 120°C.

Lighting a pizza oven – Warnings:

Never use gasoline, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid or similar combustible substances when lighting a fire in a pizza oven.

Don't throw h2o on the burn to lower the temperature or extinguish the flames.

Only use dry, seasoned wood, not resinous wood, treated wood or wet wood.

If the pizza oven is wet, allow information technology to dry out out with a weak fire before building it out for cooking.

Are you looking to buy a new outdoor pizza oven this year? Exist sure to see our range at Straight Stoves for acme quality products with free delivery.

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