Pizza Oven?

Rad5

I'm not happy with the performance of the egg when it comes to making pizza. The pizzas never cook quite right and and every time I crank the heat up to 500-600, my gasket gets trashed, I notice new cracks, and my bands need adjusting.  I was thinking about getting a dedicated oven like the Ooni Pro or similar. Does anyone have a separate pizza oven?  

JohnInCarolina

Yes, many of us do.  They range from the Oonis, to the Roccboxes, to the recent Ardores, to full blown outdoor WFOs.  You will find a lot of expertise here on this subject.

GaBGE

I wouldn’t give up so quick on your BGE, I am my worst critic when comes to what I cook but I pull some pretty good pies out of my XL.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Roccbox here. Love it.  

Gwizrace

Ooni Pro here with gas attachment  and loving it

ColtsFan

Ardore here. Love it 

@rad5 check this thread out. @JohnInCarolina is turning out some killer pies on a Roccbox and there are a few from the Ardore 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1216721/ot-the-unofficially-official-pizza-thread-ot

The Cen-Tex Smoker

GaBGE said:

I wouldn’t give up so quick on your BGE, I am my worst critic when comes to what I cook but I pull some pretty good pies out of my XL.

I actually think the egg is a good pizza oven but what he is saying is true. It cracks fire boxes and rings, and is very hard on your egg to run that hot for multiple pies.

lkapigian

Rocbox vs Ardore Differences ?

Rad5

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

GaBGE said:

I wouldn’t give up so quick on your BGE, I am my worst critic when comes to what I cook but I pull some pretty good pies out of my XL.

I actually think the egg is a good pizza oven but what he is saying is true. It cracks fire boxes and rings, and is very hard on your egg to run that hot for multiple pies.

Exactly, along with burning quite a bit of coal in the process. 

alaskanassasin

I quit egging pizza for the same reason!  So far since I quit making pies on the egg I have had  a much better eggperience.    

  For me cooking pizza on the egg resulted in a cracked base, two fire boxes, and ring.  Since I quit cooking high temp nothing has broken. 

Eoin

Roccbox here, works well, but I've no experience with anything else to compare it with. Much easier than using the Egg and better results, for me at least.

DoubleEgger

Perhaps your thermometer is off. 500-600 degrees will not trash a gasket or cause bands to require constant adjustment. If that were the case. I would have had to replacement my gasket at least a few hundred times by now. 

jtcBoynton

If you want a dedicated pizza oven, get yourself one.  But the issues you describe are not inherent to pizza cooking with an egg.  Your setup or procedures could be reviewed and modified to make the issues go away.  Lots of folk cook pizza on their eggs without ever seeing any of the problems you describe.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lkapigian said:

Rocbox vs Ardore Differences ?

Short version is Ardore is a little bigger and the flame rolls up from the side as opposed to coming up from the back with the Roccbox. 

JohnInCarolina

The biggest issue cooking pizza on the BGE is how quickly you go through lump.

lkapigian

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

lkapigian said:

Rocbox vs Ardore Differences ?

Short version is Ardore is a little bigger and the flame rolls up from the side as opposed to coming up from the back with the Roccbox. 

Thank You

Canugghead

+1 on long pre heat and high lump usage on cooking pizza in BGE.

From what I read, RB's hot spot is next to rear burner and requires more frequent turning. Ardore's hot zone is the entire side opposite the side burner and cooks more evenly with less turning. Ardore's flame pattern also resembles that of wfo. 

Good discussions and Q&A on the Ardore in this forum, some members have also commented on their RB vs. Ardore experience:
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=54604.0

In GWN I can get Roccbox at WS only, at higher price than Ardore.  Really tempted to pull the trigger on Ardore, sale ends in less than one day:
https://www.pizzapartyshop.com/en/portable-gas-fired-pizza-ovens-ardore-spacesaving/

Seller provides $60 discount code, if you're interested you can sign up to request code here:
https://www.ipizzaparty.it/

thetrim

Is the Ardmore portable?  Does it come w a free crawfish stirrer?

JohnInCarolina

thetrim said:

Is the Ardmore portable?  Does it come w a free crawfish stirrer?

Yes and yes.

HeavyG

Canugghead said:

+1 on long pre heat and high lump usage on cooking pizza in BGE.

From what I read, RB's hot spot is next to rear burner and requires more frequent turning. Ardore's hot zone is the entire side opposite the side burner and cooks more evenly with less turning. Ardore's flame pattern also resembles that of wfo. 

Good discussions and Q&A on the Ardore in this forum, some members have also commented on their RB vs. Ardore experience:
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=54604.0

In GWN I can get Roccbox at WS only, at higher price than Ardore.  Really tempted to pull the trigger on Ardore, sale ends in less than one day:
https://www.pizzapartyshop.com/en/portable-gas-fired-pizza-ovens-ardore-spacesaving/

Seller provides $60 discount code, if you're interested you can sign up to request code here:
https://www.ipizzaparty.it/

After much hemming and hawing I just pulled the trigger to join Team Ardore. Also ordered the Saputo floor and their peel set (as the peels I have are too big for the Ardore). Shipping was $142 - ouch! - really have gotten spoiled by Amazon Prime.

JohnInCarolina

HeavyG said:

Canugghead said:

+1 on long pre heat and high lump usage on cooking pizza in BGE.

From what I read, RB's hot spot is next to rear burner and requires more frequent turning. Ardore's hot zone is the entire side opposite the side burner and cooks more evenly with less turning. Ardore's flame pattern also resembles that of wfo. 

Good discussions and Q&A on the Ardore in this forum, some members have also commented on their RB vs. Ardore experience:
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=54604.0

In GWN I can get Roccbox at WS only, at higher price than Ardore.  Really tempted to pull the trigger on Ardore, sale ends in less than one day:
https://www.pizzapartyshop.com/en/portable-gas-fired-pizza-ovens-ardore-spacesaving/

Seller provides $60 discount code, if you're interested you can sign up to request code here:
https://www.ipizzaparty.it/

After much hemming and hawing I just pulled the trigger to join Team Ardore. Also ordered the Saputo floor and their peel set (as the peels I have are too big for the Ardore). Shipping was $142 - ouch! - really have gotten spoiled by Amazon Prime.

Awesome!  I think I join everyone here in saying I look forward to not seeing any of your pizza cooks either! 

Hub

I've been looking at pizza ovens for a long time and lean towards the Uuni Pro.  I love the convenience of the gas or wood pellets, but I dislike the the oven is just sitting on a table.  Have any of you guys kind of built the oven into your outdoor kitchen to make it more permanent/stable? Is there any reason this can't be done?

Canugghead

Congrats @HeavyG , I don't need it but want it   
This is stopping me ...

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina said:

HeavyG said:

Canugghead said:

+1 on long pre heat and high lump usage on cooking pizza in BGE.

From what I read, RB's hot spot is next to rear burner and requires more frequent turning. Ardore's hot zone is the entire side opposite the side burner and cooks more evenly with less turning. Ardore's flame pattern also resembles that of wfo. 

Good discussions and Q&A on the Ardore in this forum, some members have also commented on their RB vs. Ardore experience:
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=54604.0

In GWN I can get Roccbox at WS only, at higher price than Ardore.  Really tempted to pull the trigger on Ardore, sale ends in less than one day:
https://www.pizzapartyshop.com/en/portable-gas-fired-pizza-ovens-ardore-spacesaving/

Seller provides $60 discount code, if you're interested you can sign up to request code here:
https://www.ipizzaparty.it/

After much hemming and hawing I just pulled the trigger to join Team Ardore. Also ordered the Saputo floor and their peel set (as the peels I have are too big for the Ardore). Shipping was $142 - ouch! - really have gotten spoiled by Amazon Prime.

Awesome!  I think I join everyone here in saying I look forward to not seeing any of your pizza cooks either! 

littlerascal56

There are some cool videos on You Tube detailing construction of a permanent outdoor oven, and kits that include the shaped bricks and refractory.  I still have some of the 2400 degree ceramic blanket material that gets installed on the dome (and then grouted over), if anyone does decide to build one!

Canugghead

@HeavyG can't compare to Amazon Prime because it's domestic. IMO Ardore  shipping charge is reasonable considering that it includes all taxes, brokerage fees, duties, etc. It's all relative though, since folks in the GWN are used to paying more.  

cookingdude555

I’ve cooked 100-200 pizzas on my eggs. Not one of them cooked as well as any cooked on my blackstone pizza oven. Unfortunately it’s not made anymore. It’s design solves the problem the egg cannot overcome of too much heat below and not enough redirected above. The blackstone is a good stop gap until I build a WFO. I did do a pizza on Halloween on my XL where I used the weed burner to lightly “kiss” the top of the pie after the bottom was done. This helped overcome some of the heat imbalance. However I melted the dome to the base in the process and now that egg is out of service until it gets pryed open and new gasket material is applied. 

thetrim

My pizza on the egg went from no good to sooo good when I started cooking them on a thin pizza pan, then removed that when the toppings were 80-90% complete and finished them right on the stone.  No more burned crust on topping not done.

milesvdustin

@Canugghead is that the pizza party or which oven?

Canugghead

@milesvdustin , it's a Portuguese imitation of Pizza Party    

Wanasmoke

My pizza journey, starting in the oven then moving to the egg, has culminated with the Fontana Forni. Got it this spring and absolutely love it!  Not just for pizza - have used it for both high and low heat cooking. I find it compliments my egg perfectly.  It’s another tool in the arsenal.... but a hell of a lot of fun!