re: Building a Brick Oven - Anyone here have one?

U have the hear deflector plates and a pizza stone? Definately need both

quote:

---

I built a 42" Forno Bravo Pompeii oven and use it all the time. I sourced all the materials in the Baton Rouge area other than the fire brick. The brand carried by a supplier in New Orleans (Alsey) is superior to the fire brick sold in BR (Butler). I mixed my own high heat mortar. For the mortar ingredients, I purchased the fire clay at a ceramic shop in town and a particular type of lime and fine mason sand at an old Ace hardware on Foster Drive. Quikrete Portland cement was also used. The insulation came from an industrial insulation supplier in Gonzales. You can save money by getting the materials locally rather than purchasing online. Shipping costs will kill you.

I've cooked just about everything in it. Whole pigs, redfish, turkeys, kabobs, pizza, etc. If you want to smoke things, it's ok, but the smoke rises and the meat is on the floor so you don't get a lot of smoke moving over the meat. Did smoke pastrami over the weekend that came out great.

---

Thanks TigerTaco! Have you had any of the moisture issues described earlier? Is it under a roof, or just out in the elements?

Guys out of burmingham my dad used to do business with builds custom wood burning ovens. He showed up out of the blue about 3 months ago with one for our family. The guys that build them are refractory guys. THey pretty much build them for fun. Anyway, I've cooked on mine about 5 times so far. Number would be a lot higher if the weather would break but up here around Memphis it's been brutal for the past 6 weeks. My main focus on the oven js baking tartine style country breads but I have cooked tri tip, ribeye and duck in it as well. Not pizzas yet but better believe I will be throwing some pies soon.

quote:

---

Thanks TigerTaco! Have you had any of the moisture issues described earlier? Is it under a roof, or just out in the elements?

---

My dome is simply multiple layers of stucco with waterproofing additives added during mixing. I admit is isn't the best and a better roof/enclosure would be better, but moisture is not a problem given the following. If I haven't used the oven in a few weeks, I know that it will take longer to reach pizza temps and the heat retention will not be as good the following few days. If I want to do pizzas, I will light a fire for a couple hours the day before so that the oven is preheated. I've never bothered doing a "drying" fire. For any other cooking, the oven will get hot enough despite any moisture. My oven has not developed cracks of any significance. I believe that the moisture content of my firewood plays an equal if not more important role. If you don't have dry wood, it also makes it hard to get to pizza temps (650* floor and 900*+ roof) My wood isn't covered, but what I do is place logs in the oven after a cook so that they are "kiln" dried and ready for the next cook. This helps a lot. When the oven is really dry, it will still be around 300* a few days later. I've been able to bake baguettes the following day at around 500*.

One thing that I'd have to mull over if I did it again would be dome height. If you are strictly in it for pizza, I'd consider a lower dome height than the Pompeii. My dome is about 21.5" tall. A lower dome will have a slightly hotter roof and will be a little easier to heat, I suspect. The trade off is a smaller door. I wanted to be able to fit a pig, turkey etc. in it so the 12.5" tall opening works for me. It would likely be around 8-10" for a lower dome.

what kind of pizza steel are y'all using?

quote:

---

Big green egg pizza is just..okay.

---

I have made pizzas and calzone on my BGE and haven't had this problem. Always nicely browned on top.

I usually start with a clean firebox, sort my lump, plate setter and pizza stone. Calzones especially browned on top and cheese melted perfectly with charred areas on crusts on pizzas.

Works for me.

quote:

---

Building a Brick Oven - Anyone here have one? quote: Big green egg pizza is just..okay. I have made pizzas and calzone on my BGE and haven't had this problem. Always nicely browned on top. I usually start with a clean firebox, sort my lump, plate setter and pizza stone. Calzones especially browned on top and cheese melted perfectly with charred areas on crusts on pizzas. Works for me.

---

I should have been more precise: you can make a fine enough thicker crust "baked" American style pizza in a BGE. What you cannot make effectively is a 90 second to three minute Neapolitan pie with appropriate upper charring and lower freckling/leopard spots. To get the desired upper and lower browning with a high hydration crust, you need a cooking arrangement where upper reflected heat is as great or greater than heat from the bottom.

Yes, I have plate setter, multiple stones, grid raiser, etc.