Wood fire in an Egg..Possible?

Unknown

I'm trying to make Neapolitan Pizzas as authentically as possible. I don't have the room or the budget for a wood fired oven, and I'm wondering if a Big Green Egg might work in it's place. The domed shape is similiar, as is the ceramic material. the egg can reach high temps like a wood fired egg, but what about using wood instead of charcoal...possible?
The one problem I see is that in a wood fired oven, the pizza would cook next to the fire...in an egg, the pizza would be directly above.
Any thoughts?[p]Steve in Walla Walla

Prof Dan

Steve Brooks,[p]Wood will work, but the food comes out really smokey. I like smoke, but there is a limit. Also, you will get a LOT of ash, and the neighbors may call the fire department. [That's what mine did, when I tried wood. They were absolutely sure that the house was on fire.]

djm5x9

SB:[p]I think you will find wood fires too smokey and creating too much ash resulting in a clogged fire grate. Wood fired pizza ovens are designed so there is very little interaction between the smoke and the pizza. It is always good to experiment so you know the limits of your cooker. Pizza cooked in ceramic cookers with lump works just fine.
[ul][li]Pizza . . .[/ul]

eggor

Prof Dan,
Ya, or the police department. When I tried doing that homemade lump I did not make any points with my neighbors.[p]Scott

stike

Steve Brooks,
the charcoal will burn hotter than the wood, and it'll be easier to control temps if you are doing a number of pizzas back to back.
the egg doesn't easily permit adding fuel during a cook (if you were cooking with wood), simply because with charcoal you can fill the egg with way more fuel than you'll ever need.[p]but what i do for pizza (because i do like a wood fred pizza) is get the egg up to temp, with the stone. then prior to tossing on the pizza, stick some oak branches down through the grate, standing to the side. you won't get too much smoke on the pizza because the draft will be substantial at 500-600 degrees, and the smoke won't have long to hang around as it does during a lo and slo. and also, the pizza won't be in there for hours, just 8 to 10 minutes.[p]and because you are using a stone, you won't have any flames licking the pizza...