Be careful with pallet wood , it may have chemicals on it especially when it burns black smoke. Brick should be natural as well with no added chemicals.
Good comment @jaxlltv. This is a great discussion and I hope others chime in here, because of course my perspective is only one among many. I'm very careful to only select pallets made from untreated pine for burning. If there is any doubt, I won't burn them. Of course I cannot guarantee anything, but who can? For one, economics is my guide... Like a plastic drink bottle, most pallets are a single use item. Why would you pay extra to treat it with chemicals if it is not designed to last multiple uses? That's a glaring inefficiency. Also, I currently have several pallets of various ages rotting in different places in the garden, and there is no way they have been treated with anything considering the rate of decay that I observe. I'm also lucky to have a close friend who has worked in the timber industry his whole life, so I'll weight his advice on safety above most other sources. And finally, just to hedge my bets, I only use the pallet wood during the early stages. By the time I'm cooking, that wood is just ash. I know nothing about chemicals in bricks, but I would be curious to know as @teklife suggested??
@@maker_food Hi, I am not knowledgeable in regards to the topic, but I've heard that there are heat treated ones and chemical treated ones. I did a quick search which seems to confirm what I had heard, try looking into it :)
@@maker_food Most palletes have letter HT which means heat treatment. So those are without chemicals. But chemically treated exists. It is for international transport to remove any pests. Also pallet can be used for transport of some fertilizers for example, or can stand in some spillage, etc. So inspection is needed.I am from europe, so maybe in Zealand it is different.
@@PeKlim Great information here and pretty much agrees with what I know too. Most of our chemically treated pallets get painted, usually blue. Those are never out to be claimed anyway. Your advice on the type of materials that might have been transported is something I hadn't thought about. Good idea to avoid ones from agricultural or chemical related stores. Thanks for taking the time to contribute your knowledge.
I LOVE that a question is posited in the title, and is answered in the first 10 seconds lol! I'll stick around to watch the whole thing just because it is click-baity .
Thanks. I gotta rock the slightly click-bait titles to get people's attention, but I promise to always pay off right away because I want you guys to trust me🙂
This is an extremely helpful video. I've been evaluating various diy pizza oven designs. While I would someday like to build a big dome oven (perhaps an earthen oven), I also came to the conclusion that this design is more realistic for me. I really appreciate the tips and tricks! So helpful!
You're welcome, and I'm right there with you. I'm looking forward to building a dome oven one day too, but this design is happily holding me over until then. And it will probably always be the most used, because of its size and ability to heat fast.
I agree completely! I have all kinds of cooking equipment for parties and family gatherings but end up using a grill made from a wheel rim most of the time for me and my wife cause it’s smaller, faster and more efficient. This oven is the same.
I’ve modified a chiminea so I can cook pizza in it. I suspend two fire bricks into the fire using a rebar rigging. When the fire is nearly ready, I raise those bricks a few inches. I then slide a (preheated) pizza stone over the fire. Let that all come to desired temperature, and put the pizza in. I also block the ‘stack’ somewhat, and have a door cover. This all results in even heating across both the top and bottom of the pie.
That's ingenious! How do you "raise those bricks a few inches?" Do you have a series of tabs on the side of the oven that the rebar rigging slots into? How long is your average cook time for a pizza? I recently had pizza at my cousin's house. They use 2 generic pizza stones inside a Big Green Egg and close the lid for cooking. Sounds like a somewhat similar approach to you. 2-3 mins per cook. Amazing grilled flavor in the pizza. I want something similar now. I'm going to make a door for this block oven soon too.
This is a good idea! I have been looking for an alternative to my dome oven and this will probably be it. I built my oven and it works flawlessly. The great thing about dome ovens is the heat retention. After finishing a pizza session, I usually put a pork leg in there, close the door, and by next day it’s falling apart. However, like you said it’s a lot of time, 2-3 hours, for getting to temperature. For a quick middle of the week pizza, not really doable. Thank you for the video!
I can't tell you how jealous I am. I want one of those big beautiful dome ovens badly! The even heat distribution and thermal rebound are undoubtedly superior to this one. But I do love the quick heat up and ability to easily move/repair this one. Do you have space to build one of these nearby, so that you have both? I think that's the best option if you have the space. Thanks for watching😀
One change I would make is to switch the direction of the upper opening so that it faces a different direction to the flame opening so that you're not getting burned when you put in and take out the pizza.
First, you are a very patient person. I read through all of the comments before asking yet another question and noted your response to the tenth person who asked the same question was as cheerful and helpful as the first. Very impressive! Second, have any bricks other than the floor paver cracked or broken? Third, have you experimented with the height of the cooking chamber? I started with 12” but have cut it back to 8”. It seems that most of the convective heat forms a laminar flow blanketing the roof of the oven. Fourth, people who worry a lot about food grade cooking surfaces should not cook outside.
Thanks. That's amazing that you read every comment first! I just assume most people haven't and try to answer accordingly, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I prefer the informed commenters.🙃 -I haven't had any other cracks, but I have noticed a few of the bricks wearing a bit around the edges and corners, leaving gaps for smoke to escape. That's probably a combination of the heat and settling. -I haven't yet altered the ceiling height, but I may play around with that. I set my height so that my big roasting pan would fit inside. It's definitely less efficient for pizza, as you so succinctly stated, but I want to be able to cook other things in it and 1 brick height wouldn't leave me much room. Do you get more even top-to-bottom heat distribution since you lowered your ceiling? I know I'm going to be jealous of your answer, because you're so right, that heat just sits up there taunting me! I lift my pizzas up to it with the peel at the end of cooking. I think I showed that in my Wood Fired PIzza video. - Perfectly said. I worry more about the contaminants already in the food than those coming from outside!
jesus christ!!! first time of my youtube history, i opened a video and it directly gave the answer " no clearly its not better" ... Thanks man.. i didnt know that i needed this.
The constraints of UA-cam, amiright? :-) I have to delve into clickbait territory to get people to click, but my promise to my viewers is I will always pay off the click right away. I'm doing my best to maintain integrity within the system. Thanks for watching!
Thanks. Is it that obvious how obsessive I am with the wood stacking?!😆 I legit will sometimes just go and stare at the wood pile for like half an hour. It's my little zen moment of the day. There's no hope for me, lol!
@@maker_food As I watched you work around the yard, I was envious... from my quake-prone rooftop city apartment. I miss the land. A good wood-stack is a talisman of loved kids and great hospitality.
Yes. Your $24 oven is better than the cracked concrete dome oven sold by many companies. They frequently can't handle the heat and crack...bricks anyday!
Hooray for bricks! This oven is getting close to 3 years old now and only one of the pavers has a small crack. The bricks are in great shape. I'll definitely take it. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic project. Will try that out in my country house here in Brazil (we are in Sorocaba, SP - quite far away from New Zealand). We have been scratching our heads to find best and most cost effective pizza oven, and this one here seems to be, at least, worth trying.
Boa sorte amigo. Penso que este forna esta perfeito para uma fazenda Brasilera. A churrasco de pizza!! :-) Espero que voces fazer alguma coisa fantastica! [Desculpe, o meu portugese fica muita huim agora].
Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm really happy that people are finding the video useful. I'm looking forward to having a space where we can all learn together. So many people have good ideas out there and I'm just a conduit for helping spread them.
Honestly, I couldn't be happier with it. I'm only going to make more because I'm a big dumb pizza nerd who can't help himself. But I don't forsee any other oven being able to compete with this one as the all-around workhorse. Thanks for watching.
I would add another level. Then you can light the fire from behind and you won't burn your fingers when the flames come out of the entrance. The oven would be higher and therefore easier to use. And most importantly, the plate that the pizza goes on will heat much more evenly.
Interesting suggestions. I can see some value in that approach. Have you built one like this too? I'm always curios to know what other's experiences have been like. Thanks for watching!
What I appreciate about your DIY Oven Design is that you address the essentials for the Oven Performance you are looking for & that w/ a very underpriced DIY Oven you accomplish all of those essentials for the oven you are looking to achieve .
That's a great insight! I hadn't even really noticed that, but you're pretty spot on there. Must make sure I give the usual disclaimer that it's not my original idea, but I am working on evolving it to make it even better. Thanks so much for watching!
great video mate. concise and efficient use of time. looking forward to more. side note: love your backyard setup :), throw a few nasturtium petals on the pizza for me next time
Build the back wall as a metal wall in back where copper pipes are attached on the other side to heat your hot tub! Pizza and hot tub parties? Oh... put a porcelain ceramic tile on top of the paver to cook the pizza on.
I've had that exact idea! Great minds, aye? I'm planning on building a sauna in place of that loquat tree which has to come out soon. It will be replaced with an avocado tree. I think the hot tub should go on the deck of the sauna, under the avo tree.
Haha, so am I. But ChefSteps are legendary; we can't be upset not beating them to the punch. And I'm sure they based their design on a old style, stacked stone, earth oven thingy that I've seen a few times. Hope you build one too. It's worth it!
Yeah, I think if my pavers weren't reinforced with rebar, they would have collapsed by now too. Steel is great, but as I'm sure you know, you want to watch your heat. Steel has so much thermal mass and a very high conduction rate that it will dump a TON of heat into your pizza very quickly, potentially burning it in no time. That's the reason it's so prized for indoor ovens that can't get very hot. My plan is to cast pavers in refractory cement (with rebar, if possible) because I think that will address both the cracking and heating issues.
In fact, I have been planning on adding a second "lid" to the top to trap some more heat. You'll see in an upcoming video exactly why I want it in that location. As far as insulating the firebox or cooking chamber, I honestly haven't thought about it. But I am now... It would need to be cheap and easy to work into the overall philosophy of the oven. I'm into it though. What would you recommend for material and/or form factor?
You could improve the oven by different things like change the position of the fire to the side, so when you add in more wood, you don't burn yourself. Just rotate the under half of this construction by 90°C. Also, the stone in the middle can crack after some times, if you use a metal gutter or anything below, the crack won't let all pieces fall apart.
Those are fantastic suggestions! I really like the idea of the firebox offset by 90°. You could probably adjust that based on your aspect to take advantage of the prevailing breeze. Could help with airflow and draft.
I don’t see how that solves the heat coming out of the opening. Some others have suggested this yet I’m truly at a loss since the person is still going to be facing the opening. What am I missing?
@@KB-SayWell, if the opening for the pizza and the opening for the fire are stacked (same side) then the fire comes out where you insert the pizza. If you turn the stones that the fire is either on the left or right, for example but leave the opening for the stone at the front side, the fire doesn't hurt/annoy you.
Thank you for the note of the volume going up and down. Luckily UA-cam has implemented stable volume. Which exterminates the sudden sound spikes that hurt us headphone users. Reminds me of how pop-ups were exterminated long ago.
They do for videos themselves thankfully. But I've been watching a lot of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on UA-cam TV and the ad volume is at least 30% louder than the show itself. I wonder if there are any soundbars or sound systems that can automatically normalize even if the source material varies?
That was/is Joey. He came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly on his damaged wing. We let him roam at will on the property. He got so much happier and healthier that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't really fly that well, we're unsure if he's still out there. He was such a cool character and is sorely missed.
honest question that has kept me on the fence about building one of these... How do I know what bricks and pavers are SAFE to cook on? How do I know they don't contain chemicals and stuff that could hurt my family if I cook on them? Is there a particular place where I would go to buy these types of bricks and pavers? A particular material I need to ask for? Thanks for the advice!
Sorry for the long wait on a reply; I'm overseas at the moment and haven't been able to keep up with my channel. The answer is, I honestly don't know for sure what is safe or not. My philosophy is - and I'm sure many people will disagree - I'm cooking with very high heat. Not many toxins will be able to survive the temperatures that I'm using. Also, bricks and concrete have been used in oven construction for 1000s of years. This is no guarantee of safety, but I feel comfortable enough with these products to use for myself and my family and so I'm comfortable recommending them to others. If you are still unsure, I would consider going to your local home store, finding out what products they sell and then researching these brands for yourself. Thanks for watching:-)
Be careful with using pavers, unless you found some which are not treated with any harsh chemicals. I've been wanting to make one of this style but I've heard a lot about how they are not the safest
Okay, that's interesting. I haven't heard much about that. I'd be very interesting in reading about that. Do you have a source you can point me toward? I'd love to open this up to some discussion with people that know more than me, which is probably everyone, haha. Thanks for watching and taking the time to post a thoughtful comment :-)
Good suggestion. That could be the solution when/if the paver fails, but as it's reinforced with rebar, it's not going anywhere in a hurry. I do use a cast iron plate from an old BBQ as my pizza steel in my home oven. Or I will do soon, as I still need to cut it down to size after upgrading to a newer (smaller) oven. Thanks for watching!
I won't place food on heated concrete. Perhaps you could either place a pizza stone(which would affect your temperature?) or put a layer of clay, fire it after it has been sun baked.
All good man. Everybody has to make their own decisions. I'm comfortable cooking directly on the concrete, but a layer of fired clay sounds like a good idea for those who are hesitant. Have you done this before? Thanks for watching!
I sure do. I built my own tool for cleaning it. It's kind of a medium length broom handle with a head with a wire brush on one side and a leather 'dry mop' on the other. I think you can see it in my Outdoor Detroit video. I plan on making a full video on it at some point so check back. Thanks for watching:-)
I’ve been thinking about building one of these because I got some free bricks from a neighbor, but I’ve been warned by a couple people that the cement will explode, and be a safety concern. Have you experienced that?
I've been fortunate so far that I haven't had any explosions, but I have also taken deliberate steps to avoid this. I burned several small fires in my oven before I ever got it really cranking. I believe this helped drive off any residual moisture. I also keep it covered at all times unless I'm cooking with it. Moisture trapped in the concrete is the real enemy. I have heard of concrete exploding, and even seen it in a video, but I think it's probably rarer than the internet would have us believe. What I think is more likely is that the concrete will crack and eventually fail, but not necessarily catastrophically. Any way you look at it, it's worth taking precautions when you use it, especially in the first few uses. The bricks should be totally fine. The pavers are where you want to be more careful. There are some types of pavers that can take more heat than others, but I'm hesitate to recommend any because I haven't done enough research to feel confident giving out advice. FWIW, my pavers are concrete (no idea what kind of aggregate) that have been reinforced with rebar. Thanks for watching.
I can see that paver you are cooking on that the fire hits is already failing. If you don’t make the cooking slab out of fire cement the slab/ paver will fail in time.
You're not wrong. I am planning on casting my own pavers out of some kind of refractory cement at some point. Luckily there is no rush, as this one is reinforced with rebar, so it's not going to fully fail for a long time. Thanks for watching.
Most people will burn pizza if the flame is "under." Also, what material is the food sitting on? A concrete paver has some nasty chemicals that begin to break down when put in a flame or are exposed to those temperatures. Instead, make "just one box" where the wood burns. Everything happens inside one box. Wide and thin, not two story, tall, When the fire "is out" and you just have a pile of coals, move the coal piles to the left and the right, close up the back to seal in the heat, and place the pizza between the coals. The front is always open, but it's a long and thin opening. With the coals all around the pizza, the pizza can be placed on a food safe sheet or thin pan.
The flame heats the top horizontal stone as well, radiating heat from above while the stone below heats up as well. This is similar to the large domed pizza ovens. His results look awesome.
Thanks so much! I take that as a very high complement from a pizza aficionado as yourself. Where did you get that rotating pizza cooker? Does it cook with infrared? It's pretty cool; I'm quite intrigued.
@@maker_food - it’s the pizza pizzazz, I got it on Amazon. It just has two heating elements. It’s a pretty neat little pizza cooker. Best of luck with the channel!
Thanks. I think I'll have to buy one and review it sometime. I intend to try out a bunch of different ovens as part of my content and I guess the Pizza Pizzazz kind of qualifies, haha. Your reviews are great BTW. My wife and I had some great laughs along with you. Love the Seal of Approval!
Well........... WTF!..........Great little show!........... a mate of mine made a similar one........... except his "hot plate", was a 20mm steel slab, from the metal recycling place........... why the he'll not!.......... well done!......... l will tell my mate's.......... and look for more of your content.......,..,.10 outta 10!
Thanks so much. I've got one of those "hot plates" as my baking/pizza steel for my indoor oven. It's an old BBQ plate. Got to love the metal recyclers!
I think they all looked like that back then by accident. As in it would be hard to make a nice flat sheet of stone back in that time, and it just happened to be the better design in the long run.
It can absolutely be raised. I've seen them built up on a brick platform, kind of like you see with the outdoor kitchen model. It's a bit tricky since you have to account for the weight and the heat, so the ground ends up being the easiest place by default, but it wouldn't take too much effort to build something sturdy enough to handle it. Thanks for watching!
That's so funny. Not 2 days ago I was thinking about whether I could put a dome on this oven! It would definitely change the thermodynamics, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't adapt to the new conditions. You'd probably have to be careful about too much open flame during cooking, as the dome might force too much heat (even flames) down onto the top of the pizza. But you shouldn't need that extra flame heat during a cook, as the dome will be radiating the captured heat more effectively downwards anyway. I feel I really need to put this to the test. Thanks for watching and for asking a good question:-)
Thanks. I don't really believe in concepts like Better and Best, but it is a good way to get people to click on the video. And so I feel I owe it to the viewers to pay it off right away and not leave you in click-bait hell. Thanks for watching.
Yes, I have seen that too. It's a great idea if you have the space, but I don't think it would work for me currently because of the constraints of oven's location.
My Gas Grill + a pizza stone = easy 750 - 900 degrees = THREE Minute Pizza That said Ive been hoping to build a Doomed 'bread' oven for Ages, adobe seams the cheapest
@Foodmaker Can you pls comment on How Many bricks (and what the material is called) to build this oven, I want to build one at my starting small farm property. Incl the pizza stones or whatever else I should purchase- Thanks!!
Never-ending if you're requiring many more hoops, day passes like everyone is making everything more complicated, I just needed a list: 47 bricks of what kind of brick again? And then 2 pizza stones?
Sorry buddy, I'm overseas and I haven't been able to keep up with my channel regularly. I would suggest going to the original build video from ChefSteps: ua-cam.com/video/tHMQ_QQJtbY/v-deo.htmlsi=SgnXxxqCKiuQVytv. I changed their design a bit but it's still pretty much the same. I'm pretty sure they give the numbers on there. I wish I could just pop out and count the bricks for you.
😛. I've been asked if I'm Dutch, Irish, German, even South African. I was born in the States and moved to NZ in my twenties, so the accent is fully hybridized now. I even sound weird to myself!
@@maker_food haha, I cycled through a few of these before I settled on US/NZ. I don’t think people who are prepared to uproot their whole lives to move to another country get the respect they deserve. Kudos to you. (Didn’t quite come far enough tho! 🇦🇺😉)
Seriously, it's shameful that I have been here for 25 years and have only been to Oz once. Melbourne is a great city, very keen to check out more of the country. Perth and WA are of particular interest. Hopefully this channel does well and I can earn some extra money for travel.
@@maker_food Ha, that’s nothing - I’m half Kiwi & I’ve only been there once! There’s plenty to check out over here tho so I’ll give you a sub for free! Good luck 👍
That's a really good question. You're instincts about seasoning are generally quite accurate, but in this case I haven't seasoned it at all. I'm not sure if stone cooking surfaces ever ask for seasoning, but now I'm really curious to find out. That will be a little area of research for me because I genuinely have no idea. See, this is what I love about having a community asking good questions! In the meantime, I suspect your sticking is probably to do with 1 of 2 factors, perhaps both. Was your dough spread out quite thin? Even if it hasn't torn through completely, if there is a thin spot and you have a fairly wet pizza, the steam that flashes when the pizza hits the cooking surface will kind of over-hydrate the dough in that spot and turn it into a sticky paste which bonds like super glue immediately. This happens to me semi-regularly, so don't feel bad. It's easy to do. If you think this has happened, your best bet is to try not to move it as long as you can wait. That spot will sometime scab over and then you can move it around. I can usually rescue all but the worst sticky, burny spots. At the very least, it may be written off entirely as a large crispy hockey puck, but hopefully won't dump a mountain of toppings and cheese on your surface. The other likely culprit is that your cooking surface wasn't hot enough. It's kind of the same problem in a way. The high heat causes the dough to case harden immediately, creating a protective layer from all the moisture in the dough and toppings. If you aren't hot enough, that scabbing over occurs too slowly and the dough has time to bond with the stone. It might be worth getting a laser thermometer so you can check your surface temp. I think I got mine for about $20-25. I like my cooking surface at or around 350C (660F), but even 250- 300C is usually plenty enough to prevent sticking One thing that may help in either case is try using extra flour on your peel (and under the pizza) before you slide it into the oven. It will work as a bit of a protective layer between the wetness of the dough and the heat (or lack thereof) of the stone. While it will burn and create some off flavors and a slightly unpleasant texture (as it sticks to the underside of the crust), it's better than wasting the whole pizza for sure. And you can brush some of it off the bottom of the pizza after it comes out and solidifies a bit. You can slowly pare back the amount of flour you use over time as you continue to work the problem. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
It turns out, seasoning stoneware is indeed a thing. Meathead has a good little article on it here: amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews-and-buying-guides/bbq-tools-toys-and-accessory-reviews/pizza-tools/conditioning-and/ I love this! If you end up seasoning your cooking surface, please let me know how it goes.
@@maker_food Thank you for the very thoughtful answers!! So appreciated. I actually think that my dough was too high hydration for the stove. I'm going to attempt to season it and start with a lower hydration dough, to see if that works better. Good day to you! :)
Here's the link to the original build video: ua-cam.com/video/tHMQ_QQJtbY/v-deo.html At the bottom of the description of the video, there is a link to their website where you can get the plans in a PDF, but I think it's still behind a paywall. However, they show how to do it in the video so you don't really need the plans. Thanks for watching.
Sí, eso ayuda mucho. Intenta también utilizar madera lo más seca posible y, lo mejor, trozos más pequeños para que no eche humo mientras espera a encenderse. Buena suerte.
it's worth noting tomatoes... and many crops we assoc with europe (potatoes) weren't introduced until the mid 1500s after colonization. So while domed clay ovens have existed. "pizza" wasn't a thing until only a few hundred years. not thousands
It's not refractory material, though it would be better if it were. It's just good old standard concrete with a rebar netting. i intend to make my own from a refractory cement at some point.
Man, you sound like you were born in Louisiana and moved to Australia and started picking up the accent, or vice versa. Interesting accent either way lol. Also, that first pizza looked amazing.
Damn, you've got a great ear! Are you one of my cousins in disguise? You're absolutely right, or very close. I was indeed born in Louisiana (outside Baton Rogue). Moved to New Zealand in '99 where I still live. Thanks for watching!
@@maker_food Absolutely. Thanks for the response. Its hard to pick up the New Zealander twang through the thickness of the American, but I did see you mentioned New Zealand later in the video. Maybe I am a cousin. I'd be happy to be your cousin if you're making some of those pizzas at your next family reunion haha
The bricks are simple clay masonry bricks like you would find almost anywhere in the world. The pavers are made from concrete reinforced with rebar. Hope this helps.
For sure mate! Going to happen. With the launch of my channel, I've finally got an excuse to get my starter out of cryostorage and start making sourdough again. Thanks for watching.
You can get a decent gas burner oven for 300 bucks if you know where to look. Its a whole new level of convinience to just connect it to the gas and turn it on. Bam 20mins you've got 400c stone temparature. Or lowering the fire a bit to not burn the toppings too much. Yes you don't get the smokey aroma but thats pretymuch all carcinogenic stuff if we are honest.
You bring up a good point. Comparing this to the dome ovens is a bit apples to oranges. I want to put it side by side with the Ooni Koda or something similar which is a closer comparison. I really like what I see of those gas ovens. I'm going to buy one and do some content with it eventually. What brand do you have and what do you think of it overall?
Good question. The pavers are 600 x 600mm (about 24"). The material is concrete reinforced with rebar. This is highly recommended if you can find it. Thanks for watching!
I've seen videos of these post-explosion. It seems concrete can explode under extreme temps. Got me a bit worried now as I've built mine but not used it yet .....
I understand. I was quite hesitant the first few times too. Maybe try starting with a small fire for a short time and slowly ramp up the temp and duration each iteration, like I did? The barest minimum of research suggests that "concrete can explode (spall) under extreme heat due to trapped moisture vaporizing and creating pressure. This explosive spalling typically occurs above 572°F (300°C) and is more likely with rapid temperature increases." So maybe your chances of success improve with lower moisture and slower heating?? I don't know; I'm no engineer. But I hope you give it a try and make great pizza. Let me know how it goes. Good luck:-)
@@maker_food I'm too risk averse to be honest haha. However I didn't want to abandon the project. So I've replaced the baking paver with 8 fire bricks supported by a stainless steel cooling rack. Then I've placed a sheet of 2.5cm vermiculite fire board under the roof paver and a piece on top of the bottom paver (my oven is raised up off the ground so needed a paver to put the fire on). I'm hoping that not only will the vermiculite protect the pavers, but it should insulate a fair amount of heat inside of the oven which may aid performance. Not going to be able to test it for at least a week or so due to rain forecast pretty much every day, so I'm keeping the rain cover on it. I'll post a short video and comment here if you want to take a look once its done
What a great idea. I most definitely do want to see it. For a while now, I've been thinking about building a new oven with fire bricks and refractory cement pavers. I might even go crazy and try to cast everything myself! I'll definitely cast the pavers. I'm curious to see how your solution works out. Make sure you let me know.
@@maker_foodthat's sounds interesting, I'll be sure to watching your channel to see how you get on. If you're interested in seeing the results of an exploding paving slab search UA-cam for "exploding pizza oven" you should find a short showing the immediate aftermath. That was enough to make me seriously revise my design!
Like a double stack pizza oven? That's actually a pretty cool idea. I'd need to think a bit about how to get enough heat into the top chamber. It's definitely possible and would probably make good content if I can figure out the engineering challenges. You never know, you might see a video about that one day!
I've had the deck temperature at close to 500°C on the top (cooking) side. The underside and the firebox usually max out my laser thermometer. I agree, I think the materials are food safe. Thanks for watching!
@@maker_food thanks. I had asked a few people who have had this design for a while and it appears the bottom paver is the limiting component. I thought to address this two ways; use a smaller 16x16 stone for the bottom that slides out like an oven rack and treat it like a consumable part, then I happened to have a 16 x 16 3/8” ballistic steel plate to rest the bottom paver on. It worked quite well. Again, thank you for the time and effort making this video and replying to me!
You're absolutely right, it is the limiting factor. There is another maker that made a custom metal tray to rest his stone on. What I like about your solution is the additional thermal mass from having that 3/8" plate. Your deck temp must rebound so quick! I've got a piece of ~1/2" cast iron from an old BBQ plate that I haven't found a use for yet. You got me thinkin....
That's a fair point... if you are not careful. I only burn pallets that haven't been chemically treated. We're lucky that in New Zealand we have labelling on some pallets, so you can be sure of what you are getting. And that pine is totally embers or ash before a pizza ever touches the oven. I never have turpentine flavor in my pizza. Except when I put rosemary on some of them:-) Thanks for watching!
Not at all offended, and you're right! I'm 100% American by birth. Moved here in '99 so I've spend enough time here to sound like either depending upon the day. Glad you enjoyed it.
Nope, no flue. It smokes up a storm! I guess the cooking chamber is actually the flue to some degree. That's why I use very small, very dry pieces of hardwood just before cooking, to keep the smoke to a minimum at go time. Thanks for watching.
The cooking chamber IS the flue. This thing works like a combo fireplace/rocket stove/convection oven. If the fire is good and hot, there is very little smoke generated and what is made doesn’t get a lot of contact time with the food.
I think you've nailed it. Large flat stones are more hard to come by than clay. I intend to make an old school style dome oven out of cobb and clay and whatever other earthen materials that I can get my hands on. My Self Reliance built a really cool one a few years ago that inspired me. I think that'll be a frustrating but fun experience!
I haven't yet but I'm absolutely going to, so check back in the future. Maybe even subscribe if that makes sense:-) Feels weird to ask for that but I guess I'm supposed to.😂
So total cringe moment.. I'm guilty of it to.. do stuff barefoot... My guy I thought for sure your bricks were coming down on your foot when lifting the paver. Glad it didn't! Thank you for making this, awesome job!
I didn't even realize I was doing it until I watched the footage (sorry for the cheap pun!). Not setting a great example, I know. But we all do it, haha. Thanks for watching.
It was😢Joey came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly. He came to us and we let him roam at will on the property. He got so much better that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't fly very well, we're unsure if he's still out there...
You're 100% correct, a fact which I addressed early on in my video. Luckily it's a very easy shortcoming to overcome (keep it moving and raise up as needed). Thanks for watching:-)
neither are sufficiently good, I've made one with refractory ceramics/tungsten wire resistence/temperature control dimmer with an air intake for convection effect, for 400 bucks and it's portable as well
I actually have put berries on a dessert pizza before. It wasn't great. I think apple and pear are much better. In this case, perhaps you mistook the caviar for berries? Let's be honest, that's also a weird pizza ingredient. But it was actually quite nice. It was a bit like the classic smoked salmon and capers flavor combo. Thanks for watching:-)
That was/is Joey. He came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly on his damaged wing. We let him roam at will on the property. He got so much happier and healthier that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't really fly that well, we're unsure if he's still out there. He was such a cool character and is sorely missed.
I didn't even comprehend at the time that I was barefoot. I realized in editing I probably wasn't setting a good example. But my content is meant to be the real me, and I do dumb stuff sometimes, just like everyone:-)
@maker_food I love how you say "regular use" -> "every two weeks". I am Italian and I would say "regular use" -> "every day", for bread, focaccia or pizza... 😂😂😂....❤
Be careful with pallet wood , it may have chemicals on it especially when it burns black smoke. Brick should be natural as well with no added chemicals.
which kind of chemicals can one expect to find in bricks?
Good comment @jaxlltv. This is a great discussion and I hope others chime in here, because of course my perspective is only one among many.
I'm very careful to only select pallets made from untreated pine for burning. If there is any doubt, I won't burn them. Of course I cannot guarantee anything, but who can? For one, economics is my guide... Like a plastic drink bottle, most pallets are a single use item. Why would you pay extra to treat it with chemicals if it is not designed to last multiple uses? That's a glaring inefficiency. Also, I currently have several pallets of various ages rotting in different places in the garden, and there is no way they have been treated with anything considering the rate of decay that I observe. I'm also lucky to have a close friend who has worked in the timber industry his whole life, so I'll weight his advice on safety above most other sources. And finally, just to hedge my bets, I only use the pallet wood during the early stages. By the time I'm cooking, that wood is just ash.
I know nothing about chemicals in bricks, but I would be curious to know as @teklife suggested??
@@maker_food Hi, I am not knowledgeable in regards to the topic, but I've heard that there are heat treated ones and chemical treated ones. I did a quick search which seems to confirm what I had heard, try looking into it :)
@@maker_food Most palletes have letter HT which means heat treatment. So those are without chemicals. But chemically treated exists. It is for international transport to remove any pests. Also pallet can be used for transport of some fertilizers for example, or can stand in some spillage, etc. So inspection is needed.I am from europe, so maybe in Zealand it is different.
@@PeKlim Great information here and pretty much agrees with what I know too. Most of our chemically treated pallets get painted, usually blue. Those are never out to be claimed anyway. Your advice on the type of materials that might have been transported is something I hadn't thought about. Good idea to avoid ones from agricultural or chemical related stores. Thanks for taking the time to contribute your knowledge.
I LOVE that a question is posited in the title, and is answered in the first 10 seconds lol! I'll stick around to watch the whole thing just because it is click-baity .
Thanks. I gotta rock the slightly click-bait titles to get people's attention, but I promise to always pay off right away because I want you guys to trust me🙂
@@maker_foodTrust is earned, not given.
This is an extremely helpful video. I've been evaluating various diy pizza oven designs. While I would someday like to build a big dome oven (perhaps an earthen oven), I also came to the conclusion that this design is more realistic for me. I really appreciate the tips and tricks! So helpful!
You're welcome, and I'm right there with you. I'm looking forward to building a dome oven one day too, but this design is happily holding me over until then. And it will probably always be the most used, because of its size and ability to heat fast.
Yes, really helpful! Kind of a bare bones design. I like the fact that it can be picked up and moved around. (Piece by piece)
I agree completely! I have all kinds of cooking equipment for parties and family gatherings but end up using a grill made from a wheel rim most of the time for me and my wife cause it’s smaller, faster and more efficient. This oven is the same.
Love it. Ease of use is such an important factor in determining something's 'worth'. The 80/20 rule always applies!
I’ve modified a chiminea so I can cook pizza in it. I suspend two fire bricks into the fire using a rebar rigging. When the fire is nearly ready, I raise those bricks a few inches. I then slide a (preheated) pizza stone over the fire. Let that all come to desired temperature, and put the pizza in. I also block the ‘stack’ somewhat, and have a door cover. This all results in even heating across both the top and bottom of the pie.
That's ingenious! How do you "raise those bricks a few inches?" Do you have a series of tabs on the side of the oven that the rebar rigging slots into? How long is your average cook time for a pizza? I recently had pizza at my cousin's house. They use 2 generic pizza stones inside a Big Green Egg and close the lid for cooking. Sounds like a somewhat similar approach to you. 2-3 mins per cook. Amazing grilled flavor in the pizza. I want something similar now. I'm going to make a door for this block oven soon too.
This is a good idea! I have been looking for an alternative to my dome oven and this will probably be it.
I built my oven and it works flawlessly. The great thing about dome ovens is the heat retention. After finishing a pizza session, I usually put a pork leg in there, close the door, and by next day it’s falling apart.
However, like you said it’s a lot of time, 2-3 hours, for getting to temperature. For a quick middle of the week pizza, not really doable.
Thank you for the video!
I can't tell you how jealous I am. I want one of those big beautiful dome ovens badly! The even heat distribution and thermal rebound are undoubtedly superior to this one. But I do love the quick heat up and ability to easily move/repair this one. Do you have space to build one of these nearby, so that you have both? I think that's the best option if you have the space. Thanks for watching😀
One change I would make is to switch the direction of the upper opening so that it faces a different direction to the flame opening so that you're not getting burned when you put in and take out the pizza.
First, you are a very patient person. I read through all of the comments before asking yet another question and noted your response to the tenth person who asked the same question was as cheerful and helpful as the first. Very impressive!
Second, have any bricks other than the floor paver cracked or broken?
Third, have you experimented with the height of the cooking chamber? I started with 12” but have cut it back to 8”. It seems that most of the convective heat forms a laminar flow blanketing the roof of the oven.
Fourth, people who worry a lot about food grade cooking surfaces should not cook outside.
Thanks. That's amazing that you read every comment first! I just assume most people haven't and try to answer accordingly, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I prefer the informed commenters.🙃
-I haven't had any other cracks, but I have noticed a few of the bricks wearing a bit around the edges and corners, leaving gaps for smoke to escape. That's probably a combination of the heat and settling.
-I haven't yet altered the ceiling height, but I may play around with that. I set my height so that my big roasting pan would fit inside. It's definitely less efficient for pizza, as you so succinctly stated, but I want to be able to cook other things in it and 1 brick height wouldn't leave me much room. Do you get more even top-to-bottom heat distribution since you lowered your ceiling? I know I'm going to be jealous of your answer, because you're so right, that heat just sits up there taunting me! I lift my pizzas up to it with the peel at the end of cooking. I think I showed that in my Wood Fired PIzza video.
- Perfectly said. I worry more about the contaminants already in the food than those coming from outside!
jesus christ!!! first time of my youtube history, i opened a video and it directly gave the answer " no clearly its not better" ... Thanks man.. i didnt know that i needed this.
The constraints of UA-cam, amiright? :-) I have to delve into clickbait territory to get people to click, but my promise to my viewers is I will always pay off the click right away. I'm doing my best to maintain integrity within the system. Thanks for watching!
This vid deserves a million views. Thanks
Thanks. Very kind of you to say. FWIW, I would be very pleased with that! Do you know a guy??😂🤣
@@maker_food haha! No but I suspect it would help. The playing field isn’t level IMO
Your wood stacks are enviable! That oven design sits sweetly in the Kiwi way. A winner.
Thanks. Is it that obvious how obsessive I am with the wood stacking?!😆 I legit will sometimes just go and stare at the wood pile for like half an hour. It's my little zen moment of the day. There's no hope for me, lol!
@@maker_food As I watched you work around the yard, I was envious... from my quake-prone rooftop city apartment. I miss the land. A good wood-stack is a talisman of loved kids and great hospitality.
Yes. Your $24 oven is better than the cracked concrete dome oven sold by many companies. They frequently can't handle the heat and crack...bricks anyday!
Hooray for bricks! This oven is getting close to 3 years old now and only one of the pavers has a small crack. The bricks are in great shape. I'll definitely take it. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic project. Will try that out in my country house here in Brazil (we are in Sorocaba, SP - quite far away from New Zealand). We have been scratching our heads to find best and most cost effective pizza oven, and this one here seems to be, at least, worth trying.
Boa sorte amigo. Penso que este forna esta perfeito para uma fazenda Brasilera. A churrasco de pizza!! :-) Espero que voces fazer alguma coisa fantastica! [Desculpe, o meu portugese fica muita huim agora].
Conseguiu fazer ?
THAT was awesome. Definitely going to give this a go. Great video mate
Seriously well done fella. You got totally the right attutude about living and cooking. Keep doing what you are doing and teach others.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm really happy that people are finding the video useful. I'm looking forward to having a space where we can all learn together. So many people have good ideas out there and I'm just a conduit for helping spread them.
Yeah I’ve always planned on a simple brick oven, why bother with cost or hassle of a high end one, 🔥🔥🔥
Honestly, I couldn't be happier with it. I'm only going to make more because I'm a big dumb pizza nerd who can't help himself. But I don't forsee any other oven being able to compete with this one as the all-around workhorse. Thanks for watching.
Pretty cool! I'll probably never build one but you've put those little bread crumbs in my head
Just call me Hansel!
I would add another level. Then you can light the fire from behind and you won't burn your fingers when the flames come out of the entrance. The oven would be higher and therefore easier to use. And most importantly, the plate that the pizza goes on will heat much more evenly.
Interesting suggestions. I can see some value in that approach. Have you built one like this too? I'm always curios to know what other's experiences have been like. Thanks for watching!
What I appreciate about your DIY Oven Design is that you address the essentials for the Oven Performance you are looking for & that w/ a very underpriced DIY Oven you accomplish all of those essentials for the oven you are looking to achieve .
That's a great insight! I hadn't even really noticed that, but you're pretty spot on there. Must make sure I give the usual disclaimer that it's not my original idea, but I am working on evolving it to make it even better. Thanks so much for watching!
great video mate. concise and efficient use of time. looking forward to more.
side note: love your backyard setup :), throw a few nasturtium petals on the pizza for me next time
Thanks heaps! Glad you like the video and setup. Next nasturtium pizza is on me😀
Build the back wall as a metal wall in back where copper pipes are attached on the other side to heat your hot tub! Pizza and hot tub parties? Oh... put a porcelain ceramic tile on top of the paver to cook the pizza on.
I've had that exact idea! Great minds, aye? I'm planning on building a sauna in place of that loquat tree which has to come out soon. It will be replaced with an avocado tree. I think the hot tub should go on the deck of the sauna, under the avo tree.
I love how you answer the question rightaway! Btw are you looking for video editor by any chance?
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm not looking for an editor at this time, but you never know. If the channel continues to do well...
Excellent
Very informative
I’m annoyed at myself for not thinking this up on my own!
Thank you!!
Haha, so am I. But ChefSteps are legendary; we can't be upset not beating them to the punch. And I'm sure they based their design on a old style, stacked stone, earth oven thingy that I've seen a few times. Hope you build one too. It's worth it!
I have cracked every paver. Go with steel if possible. It costs around $100 but it’s worth it.
Yeah, I think if my pavers weren't reinforced with rebar, they would have collapsed by now too. Steel is great, but as I'm sure you know, you want to watch your heat. Steel has so much thermal mass and a very high conduction rate that it will dump a TON of heat into your pizza very quickly, potentially burning it in no time. That's the reason it's so prized for indoor ovens that can't get very hot. My plan is to cast pavers in refractory cement (with rebar, if possible) because I think that will address both the cracking and heating issues.
try filling gaps in bricks with sandy mud, no mortar so easily removable but keeps it more air tight
Thanks a really great idea actually! Thanks:-)
i turned the fire box opening to the side and the oven on another side so i am not getting roasted , i also put a pizza steel on the floor of the oven
Have you considered to apply some thermal insulation to have a more even heat distribution? It also keeps the heat for a longer time.
In fact, I have been planning on adding a second "lid" to the top to trap some more heat. You'll see in an upcoming video exactly why I want it in that location. As far as insulating the firebox or cooking chamber, I honestly haven't thought about it. But I am now... It would need to be cheap and easy to work into the overall philosophy of the oven. I'm into it though. What would you recommend for material and/or form factor?
Roxul Rockwool from hardware store 🤘
Great tip. I can see several uses for it. Thanks!
You could improve the oven by different things like change the position of the fire to the side, so when you add in more wood, you don't burn yourself. Just rotate the under half of this construction by 90°C. Also, the stone in the middle can crack after some times, if you use a metal gutter or anything below, the crack won't let all pieces fall apart.
Those are fantastic suggestions! I really like the idea of the firebox offset by 90°. You could probably adjust that based on your aspect to take advantage of the prevailing breeze. Could help with airflow and draft.
@@maker_food yeah, and if you really light up, new and flames get out, you don't burn yourself when rotating or taking in or out your pizzas.
Exactly! I saw that on a similar dyi oven.
I don’t see how that solves the heat coming out of the opening. Some others have suggested this yet I’m truly at a loss since the person is still going to be facing the opening. What am I missing?
@@KB-SayWell, if the opening for the pizza and the opening for the fire are stacked (same side) then the fire comes out where you insert the pizza. If you turn the stones that the fire is either on the left or right, for example but leave the opening for the stone at the front side, the fire doesn't hurt/annoy you.
Thank you for the note of the volume going up and down. Luckily UA-cam has implemented stable volume. Which exterminates the sudden sound spikes that hurt us headphone users. Reminds me of how pop-ups were exterminated long ago.
They do for videos themselves thankfully. But I've been watching a lot of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on UA-cam TV and the ad volume is at least 30% louder than the show itself. I wonder if there are any soundbars or sound systems that can automatically normalize even if the source material varies?
First time on this channel and loving the video so far but what's with the bird hanging out with you at 4:25? Is it familiar with you?
That was/is Joey. He came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly on his damaged wing. We let him roam at will on the property. He got so much happier and healthier that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't really fly that well, we're unsure if he's still out there. He was such a cool character and is sorely missed.
@@maker_food beautiful story, thank you :)
honest question that has kept me on the fence about building one of these... How do I know what bricks and pavers are SAFE to cook on? How do I know they don't contain chemicals and stuff that could hurt my family if I cook on them? Is there a particular place where I would go to buy these types of bricks and pavers? A particular material I need to ask for? Thanks for the advice!
Sorry for the long wait on a reply; I'm overseas at the moment and haven't been able to keep up with my channel. The answer is, I honestly don't know for sure what is safe or not. My philosophy is - and I'm sure many people will disagree - I'm cooking with very high heat. Not many toxins will be able to survive the temperatures that I'm using. Also, bricks and concrete have been used in oven construction for 1000s of years. This is no guarantee of safety, but I feel comfortable enough with these products to use for myself and my family and so I'm comfortable recommending them to others. If you are still unsure, I would consider going to your local home store, finding out what products they sell and then researching these brands for yourself. Thanks for watching:-)
Thanks for the video! Are you using regular bricks or firebricks?
You're welcome. Just regular bricks. If you have access to them, using firebricks would be recommended.
Be careful with using pavers, unless you found some which are not treated with any harsh chemicals. I've been wanting to make one of this style but I've heard a lot about how they are not the safest
Okay, that's interesting. I haven't heard much about that. I'd be very interesting in reading about that. Do you have a source you can point me toward? I'd love to open this up to some discussion with people that know more than me, which is probably everyone, haha. Thanks for watching and taking the time to post a thoughtful comment :-)
A good inexpensive oven alternative!
Yeah, great for people on a budget. Especially if you have a neighbor trying to get rid of bricks!
Find a piece of carbon steel to replace the cracked paver. You’ll never have to worry about breaking. Season it like cast iron.
Good suggestion. That could be the solution when/if the paver fails, but as it's reinforced with rebar, it's not going anywhere in a hurry. I do use a cast iron plate from an old BBQ as my pizza steel in my home oven. Or I will do soon, as I still need to cut it down to size after upgrading to a newer (smaller) oven. Thanks for watching!
I won't place food on heated concrete. Perhaps you could either place a pizza stone(which would affect your temperature?) or put a layer of clay, fire it after it has been sun baked.
All good man. Everybody has to make their own decisions. I'm comfortable cooking directly on the concrete, but a layer of fired clay sounds like a good idea for those who are hesitant. Have you done this before? Thanks for watching!
You may be right for my experience with wood fire oven too Less hight oven get hotter and pizza cook faster
Yep, that's true. But I am going to cook a whole series of bigger things in it so the extra height will be worth it in the end.
Can you just use charcoal instead of wood for heat?
very helpful. do you clean the stone where the pizza touches? how?
I sure do. I built my own tool for cleaning it. It's kind of a medium length broom handle with a head with a wire brush on one side and a leather 'dry mop' on the other. I think you can see it in my Outdoor Detroit video. I plan on making a full video on it at some point so check back. Thanks for watching:-)
I’ve been thinking about building one of these because I got some free bricks from a neighbor, but I’ve been warned by a couple people that the cement will explode, and be a safety concern. Have you experienced that?
I've been fortunate so far that I haven't had any explosions, but I have also taken deliberate steps to avoid this. I burned several small fires in my oven before I ever got it really cranking. I believe this helped drive off any residual moisture. I also keep it covered at all times unless I'm cooking with it. Moisture trapped in the concrete is the real enemy. I have heard of concrete exploding, and even seen it in a video, but I think it's probably rarer than the internet would have us believe. What I think is more likely is that the concrete will crack and eventually fail, but not necessarily catastrophically.
Any way you look at it, it's worth taking precautions when you use it, especially in the first few uses. The bricks should be totally fine. The pavers are where you want to be more careful. There are some types of pavers that can take more heat than others, but I'm hesitate to recommend any because I haven't done enough research to feel confident giving out advice. FWIW, my pavers are concrete (no idea what kind of aggregate) that have been reinforced with rebar.
Thanks for watching.
Excellent. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Nice! The bricks you got from your neighbor and the slabs, are they fire bricks or ordinary masonry bricks and slab?
Ordinary masonry and concrete. The only unique thing is the rebar in the pavers. Certainly helps with the longevity. Thanks for watching!
great video, thank you
You're most welcome😀
I can see that paver you are cooking on that the fire hits is already failing. If you don’t make the cooking slab out of fire cement the slab/ paver will fail in time.
You're not wrong. I am planning on casting my own pavers out of some kind of refractory cement at some point. Luckily there is no rush, as this one is reinforced with rebar, so it's not going to fully fail for a long time. Thanks for watching.
Most people will burn pizza if the flame is "under." Also, what material is the food sitting on? A concrete paver has some nasty chemicals that begin to break down when put in a flame or are exposed to those temperatures. Instead, make "just one box" where the wood burns. Everything happens inside one box. Wide and thin, not two story, tall, When the fire "is out" and you just have a pile of coals, move the coal piles to the left and the right, close up the back to seal in the heat, and place the pizza between the coals. The front is always open, but it's a long and thin opening. With the coals all around the pizza, the pizza can be placed on a food safe sheet or thin pan.
That's a cool idea. Kind of reminds me of the way they cook the roman style pizzas, in those long, thin ovens. Have you made one of these?
Couldn’t you just put the pizza on a food safe sheet or pizza stone in the two-story design?
The flame heats the top horizontal stone as well, radiating heat from above while the stone below heats up as well. This is similar to the large domed pizza ovens.
His results look awesome.
Just found your channel. Very interesting idea, really enjoyed the video!
Thanks so much! I take that as a very high complement from a pizza aficionado as yourself. Where did you get that rotating pizza cooker? Does it cook with infrared? It's pretty cool; I'm quite intrigued.
@@maker_food - it’s the pizza pizzazz, I got it on Amazon. It just has two heating elements. It’s a pretty neat little pizza cooker. Best of luck with the channel!
Thanks. I think I'll have to buy one and review it sometime. I intend to try out a bunch of different ovens as part of my content and I guess the Pizza Pizzazz kind of qualifies, haha. Your reviews are great BTW. My wife and I had some great laughs along with you. Love the Seal of Approval!
It looks beautiful
I appreciate that. We're lucky to have a great little setup in the backyard. It's our haven. Thanks for watching.
Well........... WTF!..........Great little show!........... a mate of mine made a similar one........... except his "hot plate", was a 20mm steel slab, from the metal recycling place........... why the he'll not!.......... well done!......... l will tell my mate's.......... and look for more of your content.......,..,.10 outta 10!
Thanks so much. I've got one of those "hot plates" as my baking/pizza steel for my indoor oven. It's an old BBQ plate. Got to love the metal recyclers!
I think they all looked like that back then by accident. As in it would be hard to make a nice flat sheet of stone back in that time, and it just happened to be the better design in the long run.
Absolutely. Pretty cool when the only way turns out to be the best way. Thanks for watching :-)
Great idea. Does the oven have to be on the ground or can it be raised?
It can absolutely be raised. I've seen them built up on a brick platform, kind of like you see with the outdoor kitchen model. It's a bit tricky since you have to account for the weight and the heat, so the ground ends up being the easiest place by default, but it wouldn't take too much effort to build something sturdy enough to handle it. Thanks for watching!
@@maker_food thanks for feedback.
@@divalush_01 if you’re 30, then it doesn’t matter. If you’re 60, raising is an absolute necessity!
@@eardw2251 Haha, well said!
I already have the basic cement done (£250 - UK Amazon Hereford Pizza Ovens). Could a done be adapted to the two tier system like you made?
That's so funny. Not 2 days ago I was thinking about whether I could put a dome on this oven! It would definitely change the thermodynamics, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't adapt to the new conditions. You'd probably have to be careful about too much open flame during cooking, as the dome might force too much heat (even flames) down onto the top of the pizza. But you shouldn't need that extra flame heat during a cook, as the dome will be radiating the captured heat more effectively downwards anyway. I feel I really need to put this to the test. Thanks for watching and for asking a good question:-)
Awesome approach to intro
Thanks. I don't really believe in concepts like Better and Best, but it is a good way to get people to click on the video. And so I feel I owe it to the viewers to pay it off right away and not leave you in click-bait hell. Thanks for watching.
I have just seen a video where they move the entrance of the pizza to the side... did you ever think about that?
Yes, I have seen that too. It's a great idea if you have the space, but I don't think it would work for me currently because of the constraints of oven's location.
What a sweet idea thanks
You're welcome. It's not my idea, but I'm continuing to work on perfecting it.
My Gas Grill + a pizza stone = easy 750 - 900 degrees = THREE Minute Pizza
That said Ive been hoping to build a Doomed 'bread' oven for Ages, adobe seams the cheapest
Great video. Thank you. Do not worry about your small mess up’s, two out of the three I wouldn’t have caught it if you hadn’t posted the text.
You're welcome. It's good to know that my misspeaks aren't too noticeable. I always think they are glaringly obvious, ha:-)
@Foodmaker Can you pls comment on How Many bricks (and what the material is called) to build this oven, I want to build one at my starting small farm property. Incl the pizza stones or whatever else I should purchase- Thanks!!
Never-ending if you're requiring many more hoops, day passes like everyone is making everything more complicated, I just needed a list: 47 bricks of what kind of brick again? And then 2 pizza stones?
Sorry buddy, I'm overseas and I haven't been able to keep up with my channel regularly. I would suggest going to the original build video from ChefSteps: ua-cam.com/video/tHMQ_QQJtbY/v-deo.htmlsi=SgnXxxqCKiuQVytv. I changed their design a bit but it's still pretty much the same. I'm pretty sure they give the numbers on there. I wish I could just pop out and count the bricks for you.
“Play around with your wood 🤭” - always healthy to acknowledge your inner child!
I’m new here, that’s quite a hybrid accent you have : )
😛. I've been asked if I'm Dutch, Irish, German, even South African. I was born in the States and moved to NZ in my twenties, so the accent is fully hybridized now. I even sound weird to myself!
@@maker_food haha, I cycled through a few of these before I settled on US/NZ. I don’t think people who are prepared to uproot their whole lives to move to another country get the respect they deserve. Kudos to you. (Didn’t quite come far enough tho! 🇦🇺😉)
Seriously, it's shameful that I have been here for 25 years and have only been to Oz once. Melbourne is a great city, very keen to check out more of the country. Perth and WA are of particular interest. Hopefully this channel does well and I can earn some extra money for travel.
@@maker_food Ha, that’s nothing - I’m half Kiwi & I’ve only been there once! There’s plenty to check out over here tho so I’ll give you a sub for free! Good luck 👍
Chur bol 😎
The vhs of pizza ovens. Yay
Analog pizza baby, that's how we roll! Thanks for watching:-)
We built one of these and the taste was amazing, however, the dough stuck so badly that it tore the pizza up. How do you season your cooking surface?
That's a really good question. You're instincts about seasoning are generally quite accurate, but in this case I haven't seasoned it at all. I'm not sure if stone cooking surfaces ever ask for seasoning, but now I'm really curious to find out. That will be a little area of research for me because I genuinely have no idea. See, this is what I love about having a community asking good questions!
In the meantime, I suspect your sticking is probably to do with 1 of 2 factors, perhaps both. Was your dough spread out quite thin? Even if it hasn't torn through completely, if there is a thin spot and you have a fairly wet pizza, the steam that flashes when the pizza hits the cooking surface will kind of over-hydrate the dough in that spot and turn it into a sticky paste which bonds like super glue immediately. This happens to me semi-regularly, so don't feel bad. It's easy to do. If you think this has happened, your best bet is to try not to move it as long as you can wait. That spot will sometime scab over and then you can move it around. I can usually rescue all but the worst sticky, burny spots. At the very least, it may be written off entirely as a large crispy hockey puck, but hopefully won't dump a mountain of toppings and cheese on your surface.
The other likely culprit is that your cooking surface wasn't hot enough. It's kind of the same problem in a way. The high heat causes the dough to case harden immediately, creating a protective layer from all the moisture in the dough and toppings. If you aren't hot enough, that scabbing over occurs too slowly and the dough has time to bond with the stone. It might be worth getting a laser thermometer so you can check your surface temp. I think I got mine for about $20-25. I like my cooking surface at or around 350C (660F), but even 250- 300C is usually plenty enough to prevent sticking
One thing that may help in either case is try using extra flour on your peel (and under the pizza) before you slide it into the oven. It will work as a bit of a protective layer between the wetness of the dough and the heat (or lack thereof) of the stone. While it will burn and create some off flavors and a slightly unpleasant texture (as it sticks to the underside of the crust), it's better than wasting the whole pizza for sure. And you can brush some of it off the bottom of the pizza after it comes out and solidifies a bit. You can slowly pare back the amount of flour you use over time as you continue to work the problem.
Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
It turns out, seasoning stoneware is indeed a thing. Meathead has a good little article on it here: amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews-and-buying-guides/bbq-tools-toys-and-accessory-reviews/pizza-tools/conditioning-and/
I love this! If you end up seasoning your cooking surface, please let me know how it goes.
@@maker_food Thank you for the very thoughtful answers!! So appreciated. I actually think that my dough was too high hydration for the stove. I'm going to attempt to season it and start with a lower hydration dough, to see if that works better. Good day to you! :)
Perfect. Sounds like you're onto it. Happy cooking:-)
Where are the plans to build it?
Here's the link to the original build video: ua-cam.com/video/tHMQ_QQJtbY/v-deo.html
At the bottom of the description of the video, there is a link to their website where you can get the plans in a PDF, but I think it's still behind a paywall. However, they show how to do it in the video so you don't really need the plans.
Thanks for watching.
Entonces para que la pizza no salga negra por el ollin ni gusto feo, es mejor la leña dura que la blanda ? Saludos
Sí, eso ayuda mucho. Intenta también utilizar madera lo más seca posible y, lo mejor, trozos más pequeños para que no eche humo mientras espera a encenderse. Buena suerte.
loved this...thank you.
You're welcome!
it's worth noting tomatoes... and many crops we assoc with europe (potatoes) weren't introduced until the mid 1500s after colonization. So while domed clay ovens have existed. "pizza" wasn't a thing until only a few hundred years. not thousands
Is this Flooring or Base where the pizza will be baked, made of concrete and cement and hardware or is it a large refractory plate?
It's not refractory material, though it would be better if it were. It's just good old standard concrete with a rebar netting. i intend to make my own from a refractory cement at some point.
Have you considered using charcoal instead of wood?
No, I haven't. In your opinion, what advantage does it offer that wood doesn't?
@ in my opinion charcoal burns at a higher temperature.
Man, you sound like you were born in Louisiana and moved to Australia and started picking up the accent, or vice versa. Interesting accent either way lol. Also, that first pizza looked amazing.
Damn, you've got a great ear! Are you one of my cousins in disguise? You're absolutely right, or very close. I was indeed born in Louisiana (outside Baton Rogue). Moved to New Zealand in '99 where I still live. Thanks for watching!
@@maker_food Absolutely. Thanks for the response. Its hard to pick up the New Zealander twang through the thickness of the American, but I did see you mentioned New Zealand later in the video. Maybe I am a cousin. I'd be happy to be your cousin if you're making some of those pizzas at your next family reunion haha
Deal! You're henceforth an honorary cousin, a celebration which must be marked with pizza eating :-)
Such a long video but I can't get the the specific brick material for the baking base and the top
The bricks are simple clay masonry bricks like you would find almost anywhere in the world. The pavers are made from concrete reinforced with rebar. Hope this helps.
What about baking bread?
For sure mate! Going to happen. With the launch of my channel, I've finally got an excuse to get my starter out of cryostorage and start making sourdough again. Thanks for watching.
You can get a decent gas burner oven for 300 bucks if you know where to look.
Its a whole new level of convinience to just connect it to the gas and turn it on. Bam 20mins you've got 400c stone temparature. Or lowering the fire a bit to not burn the toppings too much.
Yes you don't get the smokey aroma but thats pretymuch all carcinogenic stuff if we are honest.
You bring up a good point. Comparing this to the dome ovens is a bit apples to oranges. I want to put it side by side with the Ooni Koda or something similar which is a closer comparison. I really like what I see of those gas ovens. I'm going to buy one and do some content with it eventually. What brand do you have and what do you think of it overall?
Hi. What is the size and material of the flat horizontal cooking brick ?
Good question. The pavers are 600 x 600mm (about 24"). The material is concrete reinforced with rebar. This is highly recommended if you can find it. Thanks for watching!
I've seen videos of these post-explosion. It seems concrete can explode under extreme temps. Got me a bit worried now as I've built mine but not used it yet .....
I understand. I was quite hesitant the first few times too. Maybe try starting with a small fire for a short time and slowly ramp up the temp and duration each iteration, like I did? The barest minimum of research suggests that "concrete can explode (spall) under extreme heat due to trapped moisture vaporizing and creating pressure. This explosive spalling typically occurs above 572°F (300°C) and is more likely with rapid temperature increases." So maybe your chances of success improve with lower moisture and slower heating?? I don't know; I'm no engineer. But I hope you give it a try and make great pizza. Let me know how it goes. Good luck:-)
@@maker_food I'm too risk averse to be honest haha. However I didn't want to abandon the project. So I've replaced the baking paver with 8 fire bricks supported by a stainless steel cooling rack. Then I've placed a sheet of 2.5cm vermiculite fire board under the roof paver and a piece on top of the bottom paver (my oven is raised up off the ground so needed a paver to put the fire on). I'm hoping that not only will the vermiculite protect the pavers, but it should insulate a fair amount of heat inside of the oven which may aid performance. Not going to be able to test it for at least a week or so due to rain forecast pretty much every day, so I'm keeping the rain cover on it. I'll post a short video and comment here if you want to take a look once its done
What a great idea. I most definitely do want to see it. For a while now, I've been thinking about building a new oven with fire bricks and refractory cement pavers. I might even go crazy and try to cast everything myself! I'll definitely cast the pavers. I'm curious to see how your solution works out. Make sure you let me know.
@@maker_foodthat's sounds interesting, I'll be sure to watching your channel to see how you get on. If you're interested in seeing the results of an exploding paving slab search UA-cam for "exploding pizza oven" you should find a short showing the immediate aftermath. That was enough to make me seriously revise my design!
By dad built an outdoor grill out of bricks in the 70’s…I didn’t appreciate it then…I thought he was crazy..but cool…😂
All the best dads have a bit of crazy! I think mine might have had more than his fair share.
How about a duplicate on top for 2 one bottom one on top
Like a double stack pizza oven? That's actually a pretty cool idea. I'd need to think a bit about how to get enough heat into the top chamber. It's definitely possible and would probably make good content if I can figure out the engineering challenges. You never know, you might see a video about that one day!
How much is the highest temperature you can reach in this owen? Materials should be food safe.
I've had the deck temperature at close to 500°C on the top (cooking) side. The underside and the firebox usually max out my laser thermometer. I agree, I think the materials are food safe. Thanks for watching!
Have any of the pavers cracked?
Yep, the lower one has been cracked for a while but as it's reinforced with rebar, it hasn't been a problem.
@@maker_food thanks. I had asked a few people who have had this design for a while and it appears the bottom paver is the limiting component. I thought to address this two ways; use a smaller 16x16 stone for the bottom that slides out like an oven rack and treat it like a consumable part, then I happened to have a 16 x 16 3/8” ballistic steel plate to rest the bottom paver on. It worked quite well. Again, thank you for the time and effort making this video and replying to me!
You're absolutely right, it is the limiting factor. There is another maker that made a custom metal tray to rest his stone on. What I like about your solution is the additional thermal mass from having that 3/8" plate. Your deck temp must rebound so quick! I've got a piece of ~1/2" cast iron from an old BBQ plate that I haven't found a use for yet. You got me thinkin....
Never burn pine, unless you want hints of turpentine in your food. Also, never burn pallet wood...period.,
That's a fair point... if you are not careful. I only burn pallets that haven't been chemically treated. We're lucky that in New Zealand we have labelling on some pallets, so you can be sure of what you are getting.
And that pine is totally embers or ash before a pizza ever touches the oven. I never have turpentine flavor in my pizza. Except when I put rosemary on some of them:-) Thanks for watching!
@@maker_food Cheers!
If not could you make a oven that you can use charcoal to cook your pizza
You sound almost completely American. I hope that doesn’t offend you. Must have spent some time stateside?!? Great video. Thank you for the info.
Not at all offended, and you're right! I'm 100% American by birth. Moved here in '99 so I've spend enough time here to sound like either depending upon the day. Glad you enjoyed it.
What is wrong with sounding American?
And the pizza ?😮
I got you! ua-cam.com/video/8YD3ZlQYiUs/v-deo.htmlsi=yv8nqx9hdJlPpYNl
And there will be many more. Thanks for watching 😀
What about the smoke in the cookiNg chamber? Is there a flue I missed?
Nope, no flue. It smokes up a storm! I guess the cooking chamber is actually the flue to some degree. That's why I use very small, very dry pieces of hardwood just before cooking, to keep the smoke to a minimum at go time. Thanks for watching.
Honestly you WANT the smoke, for the few minutes of cook or even an hour or two for meats, smoke tastes better. Even pine on a short cook!
The cooking chamber IS the flue. This thing works like a combo fireplace/rocket stove/convection oven. If the fire is good and hot, there is very little smoke generated and what is made doesn’t get a lot of contact time with the food.
@@eardw2251 Spot on. Couldn't have said it better myself.
I think the reason why they built dome shaped ovens is because it's much easier to build them, you don't need a large flat, and heavy, slab of rock.
I think you've nailed it. Large flat stones are more hard to come by than clay. I intend to make an old school style dome oven out of cobb and clay and whatever other earthen materials that I can get my hands on. My Self Reliance built a really cool one a few years ago that inspired me. I think that'll be a frustrating but fun experience!
Not easier! Those take days & lots of heavy lifting!
did you ever try to cook meat in it?
I haven't yet but I'm absolutely going to, so check back in the future. Maybe even subscribe if that makes sense:-) Feels weird to ask for that but I guess I'm supposed to.😂
So total cringe moment.. I'm guilty of it to.. do stuff barefoot... My guy I thought for sure your bricks were coming down on your foot when lifting the paver. Glad it didn't! Thank you for making this, awesome job!
I didn't even realize I was doing it until I watched the footage (sorry for the cheap pun!). Not setting a great example, I know. But we all do it, haha. Thanks for watching.
Is that your magpie….?
It was😢Joey came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly. He came to us and we let him roam at will on the property. He got so much better that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't fly very well, we're unsure if he's still out there...
I’ll bet you’ll see Joey and his family some day
🤞
A domed top is much more effective spreading the heat evenly. A flat top like yours is not so effective
You're 100% correct, a fact which I addressed early on in my video. Luckily it's a very easy shortcoming to overcome (keep it moving and raise up as needed). Thanks for watching:-)
I wonder how the strong convective flow generated in a block oven offsets the mass and volume of a dome oven?
neither are sufficiently good, I've made one with refractory ceramics/tungsten wire resistence/temperature control dimmer with an air intake for convection effect, for 400 bucks and it's portable as well
That sounds amazing. I'd love to see it.
@@maker_food you could use heating mantle or some kind of refractory lining to make it lighter instead of ceramics
Did he make a "pizza" with no sauce or cheese... 😳
What is in a name? Would another flat bread baked with toppings by any other name taste as delicious?!! 🤣
This guy lost me when he put berries on the pizza!
I actually have put berries on a dessert pizza before. It wasn't great. I think apple and pear are much better.
In this case, perhaps you mistook the caviar for berries? Let's be honest, that's also a weird pizza ingredient. But it was actually quite nice. It was a bit like the classic smoked salmon and capers flavor combo. Thanks for watching:-)
10:57 Golf joke.
😎
its CDO not OCD.... alphabetical order :)
😂 Touché!
@04:22 what is that BIRD doing there?? how come it appears to be super OK with a human next to it???
That was/is Joey. He came to us as a rescue project. He was hit by a car when he was quite young and had to spend a good portion of his life in a cage as he couldn't fly on his damaged wing. We let him roam at will on the property. He got so much happier and healthier that he could fly (kind of) and took off one day, never to be seen again. Normally that would be great, but as he couldn't really fly that well, we're unsure if he's still out there. He was such a cool character and is sorely missed.
Dealing barefoot with heavy weight stuff like this plates and/or stones - well, at least you got that amazing cheap healthcare system…
Is this envy?
I didn't even comprehend at the time that I was barefoot. I realized in editing I probably wasn't setting a good example. But my content is meant to be the real me, and I do dumb stuff sometimes, just like everyone:-)
😮😮😮😢😮😮😢😢
😁😉🙃
@maker_food I love how you say "regular use" -> "every two weeks". I am Italian and I would say "regular use" -> "every day", for bread, focaccia or pizza... 😂😂😂....❤
Haha, that's fair!! I deserve that. Feel free to come over and use mine daily 😂😂😂