Fired up the uuni, first impressions and comparison to bge

westernbbq · April 2016

I know i know, picts or it didnt happen....ill post picts here as soon as i can get to computer and download off phone.

the uuni 2s does NOT come with a flameguard. This is a problem as it causes you to have to constantly rotate and check the za to keep the back top edge from charring too much. The bottom of za doesnt cook as well as it does on bge stone because uuni stone is thinner, and because the top cooks so fast you have to take it out. I didnt use my own dough as this is a 4 day process and i really wanted to try it out. i bought some easy to handle stuff from a local pizzeria. The crust was thicker than i would like but when i make my own varasano inspired dough, itll be MUCH thinner and perhaps the undercooked bottom issue will be resolved.

This little oven is also a challenge to keep at high temp. You have to constantly feed it fuel and let the new fuel ignite before you put food in. Otherwise itll be way too smoky. The 2S has a flame keeper ss 'hood' that inserts between inner and outer oven layers in the oven and younslide it in near the door and it kept shaking loose during last nites 4 pie cook. this is both annoying and dangerous.

I do like its portability, simplicity of design and relative ease of use. I am going to attempt a steak or burger broil with it and ill report back how that goes.

I was disappointed at the lack of communication from the company when asking questions and had to figure out on my own that the flame keeper is not the same as a flame guard. The instruction book is vague in its depiction of installation of flame keeper. Well i got a little help from youtube. They really need to bring the flame guard back so back edge of food can be cooked evenly.

Is this better than bge for pizza? Probably in terms of getting the top nice and bubbly. And you dont have to worry about a dome slipping off and breaking at 900F. Bge is better for maintaining a lower high temp(say 650) for long period of time without needing to recharge fuel. When i have a pizza party, i make 15 zas over 2 hours and the temp at 650 is rock steady. When pellets first ignite in uuni a ton of smoke happens and this is a constant balancing act when making a production line of pizzas.

Overall for $299 the uuni is a good value and as i improve za skills and dough making i am sure ill use uuni over bge for a lot of pizza making. It is more ideal for Fewer pies than a larger scale production due to the need to constantly refuel. I think ill use the flame keeper as a shield and wedge it in between the
Stone and the ceiling of the inner oven to provide a barrier between flame and food. The uuni will also come apart easily and travel extremely well.

Company communication is awful. You have to email and then hope for a response in 24 hrs . no info on warranty and that stone for the oven is a large rectangular sheet that is a lot thinner than what i am used to and that i can see cracking easily with the the amount of use ill be employing here.

Also when refueling pellets spill into oven on stone surface. All the more need to have the flame guard. I dont know why eliminating it from the 2s is considered an improvement?

If you have the money and love making za, 299 is an excellent deal for what you get. If company communication improves, and the flameguard comes back, and they explain what kind of warranty they provide, this unit is a winner. And id doesnt replace bge, but rather supplements it.

Botch · April 2016

Thanks much for the review!
You said the bottom didn't get cooked quite as much as you wanted; how long did you let the stone heat up before adding the pie?

westernbbq · April 2016

Approx 30 mins. And i added fuel twice and each time i waited about 10 for smoke to die down, sooo, i let er heat up 2x to 3x longer than uuni says to. I might try one of my cgs or bge stones in there to see how a thicker more heat retention type stone would work. Ill report back and ill put picts up too!

Chubbs · April 2016

I am considering one.

westernbbq · April 2016

I dont regret it at all. There are some possibilities with it such as broiling and ease of transport for mobile pizza making that i am looking forward to. I used reward points to buy it so thats good too

Zippylip · April 2016

For the same price I’d’ve gone with a Blackstone which reports exactly none of the issues you’ve expressed, produces perfect results right out of the box & every time thereafter. I’ve seriously never owned a cooking device that lived up to its intended purpose better than the Blackstone.

Of course it won't be as easy to transport so there's that.

Chubbs · April 2016

Zippylip said:

For the same price I’d’ve gone with a Blackstone which reports exactly none of the issues you’ve expressed, produces perfect results right out of the box & every time thereafter. I’ve seriously never owned a cooking device that lived up to its intended purpose better than the Blackstone.
Of course it won't be as easy to transport so there's that.

Blackstone makes a pizza oven?

Zippylip · April 2016

Chubbs said:

Blackstone makes a pizza oven?

for my purposes they make 'the' pizza oven. This was the first bake after assembly, a quick warm rise dough, 3 minute NY thin crust pie, this thing is designed brilliantly with the two stone split flame rotating base, they really engineered all the typical problems right out of pizza baking. A 90 second to 3 minute ride in this thing depending on the pie you're baking yields a perfectly even bake every time:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/hb/c48h3e0lxpmr.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/sd/bd4jfdnu7sum.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/4d/4rilgs2bfed3.jpg

I think this might've been a different pie

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/6u/2z9epq04552b.jpg

NY pie is my favorite, not as big a fan of neopolitan but to make those it's a matter of tweaking the dough & maybe 5 minutes longer on your preheat to get the proper temp & you'll get all the big black char marks you can handle.

I've had this oven for about a year & a half & have yet to find a problem. By the way dollar for dollar it sips fuel as compared to wood/charcoal fired alternatives.

Dredger · April 2016

This works perfectly too. Plus, you have 3 30,000 BTU burners to do with whatever you please plus a two burner griddle that comes standard with it. We added the pizza oven.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/63/n53etz5soqe7.jpg

Works great for pizza. Ready to go in about 4 minutes. Use an IR gun to get it to the temp you need. No re-fueling. Legs are removable and it has a carry bag for the stove and the pizza oven.

westernbbq · April 2016

I really looked hard at the blackstone. I was one mouse click away from ordering but then i changed my mind and went with uuni due to fuel difference. After i got my first bge i swore off anything fueled by anything but wood or charcoal. Maybe im stupid stubborn but i stuck to principle. I had a weber summit gold d gasser that i gave away after i got bge. To me now the uuni presents a challenge that i am bent on defeating

That blackstone was tempting though!

Zippylip · April 2016

westernbbq said:

I really looked hard at the blackstone. I was one mouse click away from ordering but then i changed my mind and went with uuni due to fuel difference. After i got my first bge i swore off anything fueled by anything but wood or charcoal. Maybe im stupid stubborn but i stuck to principle. I had a weber summit gold d gasser that i gave away after i got bge. To me now the uuni presents a challenge that i am bent on defeating

That blackstone was tempting though!

I'm with you on the challenge, that's part of why I abandoned gas grills many years ago & prefer eggs & kettles for all things grilling & smoking. I came to a different conclusion for baking. In my experience I haven't lost anything by abandoning the egg. What little wood flavor I got on my pizzas (almost none really, I have a dedicated baking egg that hasn't seen a drop of anything rendering in it & I burn straight lump hot & clean so there's no smoke), I can't taste the difference between this & the propane fired oven.

When I first got this thing I had an idea to sorta rig a smoking element up under the stone, like one of those gas grill smoke boxes, just add some burning pellets or chips... the entire thing is metal so there's no issues, the smoke would just roll on up through the oven & vent out the door along with the heat. But after I tasted the pie that idea went out the window, just not necessary. I suppose for those that have to have it this is one easy way to get the smoke flavor.

Theophan · April 2016

Dredger said:

This works perfectly too. Plus, you have 3 30,000 BTU burners to do with whatever you please plus a two burner griddle that comes standard with it. We added the pizza oven.

Do you think you could make your pictures larger? I not only can't tell what that pizza oven thing is (can't read the label), you posted some really gorgeous looking food pictures recently, but they were so small I really couldn't see them very well, and it was disappointing because they looked like they would have been amazing if I'd just been able to see them. Is there some reason you're making your pictures so tiny?

I guess different computers and devices look really different -- on my screen, anyway, that picture is so tiny it's just hard to see. I can read "Expedition" and "3-something", but that's about it. Can't read the label on the pizza thing at all.

westernbbq · April 2016

Zippylip and Dredger

Ineglected to comment on the perfection you each posted here. Wow.

Dredger · April 2016

Sorry @Theophan, just trying to stay with standard internet pic sizes. I can resize them larger and try to repost. The original ones are huge, so I can make them bigger. Not sure what size the Vanilla platform will allow, so if anyone knows, please chime in on the maximum size limit.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ac/mozlponeflsk.jpg

Does this look better on your device? The pizza oven is strictly for the camp chef, it says Camp Chef Artisan Pizza Oven 90. It's 16" X 24" and the cooking surface is 15" X 20". I normally make ours on a 14" pizza screen, but you could go larger. My dough recipe makes two 14" pizzas and that is a great size for us.

NonaScott · April 2016

Dredger said:

This works perfectly too. Plus, you have 3 30,000 BTU burners to do with whatever you please plus a two burner griddle that comes standard with it. We added the pizza oven.

Works great for pizza. Ready to go in about 4 minutes. Use an IR gun to get it to the temp you need. No re-fueling. Legs are removable and it has a carry bag for the stove and the pizza oven.

Have you tried that dough recipe on the egg? That is exactly the thickness and color I like. Can you share the recipe please?

Eggscuses · April 2016

Theophan try clicking on the picture. Should show up on another tab. Then enlarge.

Dredger · April 2016

Happy to share @NonaScott. This is a variation of a Wolfgang Puck recipe. I don't use sugar in my dough because I like to cook them at 600 degrees and don't want the dough to burn. I also use the OO flour because it makes it easy to get a thin, crispy crust that we like. I usually let mine rest overnight in the fridge also. I get two 14" crusts from this recipe.

Makes enough dough for 1 large or 2 medium pizzas
INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups Caputo 00 flour
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
METHOD
1. Following the order listed, place ingredients in bread pan.
Insert bread pan into breadmaker; close lid.

2. Press MENU and select DOUGH.

3. Press START.

4. Total machine time is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

5. Remove dough; divide into two dough balls if you want to make
medium pizzas.

6. At this point you can make your pizza or freeze the dough balls.

You will need to remove the dough from the fridge about 2 hours before you plan to assemble your pizza. I use a rolling pin (gasp, I know) and roll it out very thin, place on a pizza screen, that I sprayed with Pam or similar, and then add prepared toppings. I check the stone temp with an IR gun. Put the pizza in and rotate after about 2 minutes. Total time is usually 4 to 5 minutes till done. Haven't done it on the egg because the pizza oven is ready to rock and roll in less than 5 minutes, but I am sure it would be great as long as you used something to raise the stone closer to the dome like the AR.

Theophan · April 2016

Dredger said:

Sorry @Theophan, just trying to stay with standard internet pic sizes. I can resize them larger and try to repost. The original ones are huge, so I can make them bigger. Not sure what size the Vanilla platform will allow, so if anyone knows, please chime in on the maximum size limit...

Thanks! The one you just posted was much easier to see. 'Ppreciate it!

And regarding "standard internet pic sizes," I think you're stuck in the late '90s. The first picture you posted was 372x279 px, and when I resize pictures for my church's web site, I usually make the largest dimension 900 px. That's what I usually make my pictures when I post to this forum, too.

I snagged this picture from @JohnInCarolina's post on the Butt Blast thread, and I see that it's 4032x3024 px, but the forum software only displayed it at about 1326x995 px. I'm guessing that's what it'll look like below, though you can click on it and see the larger version:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/do/r3layhkppdxc.jpg

Here it is, though, resized to 372x279, and clicking on it won't get a larger version, because this is as big as it is:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/3q/ju4brmfsn2hx.jpg

Again, different people's computers are different, but on mine, anyway, the smaller image just doesn't show what's going on very well. Of course, I'm an old guy, and looking at this with bifocals...

I really think you can size your pictures to 900-1000 px and not only be well within the "standard internet sizes" of today, they'll actually still be smaller than a lot of folks are posting.

Thank again for posting a bigger version -- I have really enjoyed many of your shots -- just wished I could see them better.

Dredger · April 2016

Thanks for the info @Theophan. I resized a shot of sliced pizza, so let's see how that did.

Looks like it did just fine, so from here on out, I'll make them bigger. Reminds me that I need to make some pizzas this week. If there is anything else you want me to resize, just let me know and I'll be happy to oblige.

Theophan · April 2016

Dredger said:

Thanks for the info @Theophan. I resized a shot of sliced pizza, so let's see how that did.

GORGEOUS!!! That is one luscious looking slice! Thanks for making it larger!!!

Dredger · April 2016

You're most welcome @Theophan.

Thatgrimguy · April 2016

@dredger with food looking that good, I'm really glad we got your pics to grow!!

Dredger · April 2016

Thanks @Thatgrimguy, I appreciate that. Glad to know what size works best. I was always a little disappointed by the pics I posted, but never thought to make them bigger - duh. I'll do so in the future, I promise.

westernbbq · April 2016

Zippylip said:

westernbbq said:

I really looked hard at the blackstone. I was one mouse click away from ordering but then i changed my mind and went with uuni due to fuel difference. After i got my first bge i swore off anything fueled by anything but wood or charcoal. Maybe im stupid stubborn but i stuck to principle. I had a weber summit gold d gasser that i gave away after i got bge. To me now the uuni presents a challenge that i am bent on defeating

That blackstone was tempting though!

I'm with you on the challenge, that's part of why I abandoned gas grills many years ago & prefer eggs & kettles for all things grilling & smoking. I came to a different conclusion for baking. In my experience I haven't lost anything by abandoning the egg. What little wood flavor I got on my pizzas (almost none really, I have a dedicated baking egg that hasn't seen a drop of anything rendering in it & I burn straight lump hot & clean so there's no smoke), I can't taste the difference between this & the propane fired oven.

When I first got this thing I had an idea to sorta rig a smoking element up under the stone, like one of those gas grill smoke boxes, just add some burning pellets or chips... the entire thing is metal so there's no issues, the smoke would just roll on up through the oven & vent out the door along with the heat. But after I tasted the pie that idea went out the window, just not necessary. I suppose for those that have to have it this is one easy way to get the smoke flavor.

I am ordering cast iron pans and a Dutch oven so i can fry chicken on the green egg and do some serious steak searing on bge with ci fry pans. I figure that if temp control can happen why not adjust it to get oil temp for deep frying chicken?

I will post back here as i get more pizza ventures with the unni under my belt.

Egg On!

Stormbringer · August 2017

@westernbbq how's the uuni going? Still using it?

westernbbq · August 2017

YES. I use the uuni every time a mass pizza cook happens. It works well and I put some metal between the stone and flame box so food doesn't get burned at back of oven PLUS I just took delivery of uni 3 , not the pro and I will be running gas adapters in both. Hopefully uuni gets its production dome in time for me to do some tailgate party pizza cooks in Oct and Nov around here.

But portabililty and ease of use once you go through learning curve really make the uuni my go to option when minimal is too much to lug around

Stormbringer · August 2017

westernbbq said:

YES. I use the uuni every time a mass pizza cook happens. It works well and I put some metal between the stone and flame box so food doesn't get burned at back of oven PLUS I just took delivery of uni 3 , not the pro and I will be running gas adapters in both. Hopefully uuni gets its production dome in time for me to do some tailgate party pizza cooks in Oct and Nov around here.

But portabililty and ease of use once you go through learning curve really make the uuni my go to option when minimal is too much to lug around

@westernbbq thanks.

I am considering the Uuni 3. At the moment I'm thinking it might be one of those gadgets that I try a couple of times and think "meh, I can do pizza like this in the LBGE for the same amount of tim and hassle". There are two of us (plus 3 cats) and this is the sort of pizza I can cook on the LBGE:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ny/cz7ieghfb5nt.jpg

If you think the Uuni can beat that, we have ourselves a purchase.

Are you running the gas adapter to get it up to temp quicker? If I understand your OP correctly, it can take 30 mins for the pizza stone to get to temp.

westernbbq · August 2017

I am REALLY into pizza making and the uuni really looked like it would fill the bill. If you ever had a party and needed to make 5 or more za's in compressed time, uuni hands down. Beats the. Bge It is a rapid fire pizza producer. Bge is great for za but takes a lot longer to heat up and it is harder on bge to take temperature down. Not so on uuni. Uuni temp drops fast. Be sure to keep hopper full

I will get gas adapters as cards and asu games only allow propane and we will have a pizza party this fall at the games

I have uuni 2 and just got the 3 for $299 with free shipping so now I have two uunis amd can easily habe mobile pizza applications...and I say go for it because it has caused me to make za more often as firing it up is quick and painless. Sometimes bge warm-up can be a process that takes too much time

PLUS if you only make za for 2 or 3 people uuni facilitates this every time. Fast start, easy heat up great results.

Making za more often the to uuni has given me practice with dough making, sausage and of course home grown basil and buffalo mozzerella making....

If you are interested in za at home and get into it, get the uuni
I'd prefer roccbox but for price of 1 I habe 2 uunis!

Stormbringer · August 2017

@westernbbq thanks for your help, bud!

westernbbq · August 2017

YOU BET Brothaman! I BUY a lot of extra gadgets and uuni seems to get a lot more use than my French fry cutter, bge rotisserie, etc etc

That za you posted looks incredible

The gas adapter is supposed to heat up the stone after 20 or so mins but I know if I am making home made zas at a college tailgate two at a time a lot of when coeds will want to meet the chef
...

Canugghead · August 2017

I have the uuni 2s, gave up on using pellets after 1 or 2 tries, probably user error/incompetence. Much easier with a gas burner from a turkey fryer. Really want a Roccbox though but too bad they don't ship to the GWN.
Check out uuni and Roccbox groups in FB for user reviews. Many uuni users wish they bought the Roccbox instead.

Fired up the uuni, first impressions and comparison to bge

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