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Woodfired Oven Complement to Egg?

NEWB_IN_NOLA
NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
edited May 2017 in EggHead Forum
So it has been a while since I've posted.  I have still been egging, but with 2 kids under 4 and both parents working it has become more difficult particularly during the week to find the time.  So I thought about getting a new cooker to complement  my egg because I love toys.

 I thought about a gas grill, but grilling isn't really an issue as getting the egg going for direct grilling is easy.  I then saw the recent Serious Eats article about backyard pizza ovens and it got me thinking.  Wood fired ovens are great for Neapolitan style pizza (which can be done on the egg, but it is not the best tool for it) and they are also great for cooking whole fish high heat as well as chicken which could be done during the week.  The ones Kenji review were too small.  I then started looking at the Forno Bravo's, but the oven with shipping plus installation would be a significant investment and even with gas assist they seem to take 45-60 minutes to get up to temp.  

Finally I came across the Pizza Party gas/wood combo ovens.  I know that a couple members here have one.  It weighs about 150lbs and can get up to temp in 20 minutes.  The Pizzamaking forums have great reviews, but I wanted opinions from other egg owners specifically on if Wood Fired Ovens (the mobile/portable Pizza PArty style) complements an egg for things other than Pizza (healthier options...chicken/fish) or if they are merely redundant outside of pizza?
"America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams

Comments

  • slovelad
    slovelad Posts: 1,742
    If time is your issue, just get a sous vide if you what a new toy. (I bought one recently) and it does the leg work for you, and you can still light up the egg to finish your cook (or not)

    just my my two cents, but having a pizza oven would be awesome too, just not sure it fixes your time issue.
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    If you are looking for a pizza oven that is quick to heat up for weekday cooks it's hard to beat the Blackstone Pizza Oven.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • slovelad
    slovelad Posts: 1,742
    @SciAggie is that a kit you used?

    also, great looking fence, are the black pieces metal? Or just painted wood?
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    edited May 2017
    slovelad said:
    @SciAggie is that a kit you used?

    also, great looking fence, are the black pieces metal? Or just painted wood?
    It's a Forno Bravo Casa2G90 kit. Instead of "C" purlin I used 2"x4" rectangular metal tubing for the rails and 4"x4" tubing for the posts. The slats are cedar. And... thanks. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • NEWB_IN_NOLA
    NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
    slovelad said:
    If time is your issue, just get a sous vide if you what a new toy. (I bought one recently) and it does the leg work for you, and you can still light up the egg to finish your cook (or not)

    just my my two cents, but having a pizza oven would be awesome too, just not sure it fixes your time issue.
    I've had an Anova set up for 3 years now.  I still use it and like it for certain things, but like to have other options.
    "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams
  • NEWB_IN_NOLA
    NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
    I don't know anything about Pizza Party ovens but I'm putting the finishing touches on my Forno Bravo Casa2G90 wood oven. So to answer the opening question - yes - I think it's a good fit.
    That looks great and something I am contemplating.  Interested to know how it is for non-pizza cooking.  Found some interesting deals on larger used Forno Bravo's, but transport is an issue.

    "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams
  • NEWB_IN_NOLA
    NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
    HeavyG said:
    If you are looking for a pizza oven that is quick to heat up for weekday cooks it's hard to beat the Blackstone Pizza Oven.
    I looked into that, but I am typically looking for non-pizza cooks during the week and have heard the blackstone is not as great with the non-pizza cooks because of the rotation.  I would also like the option to burn wood as I'd only be making pizza on the weekends when I have more time.
    "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams
  • FatTrout
    FatTrout Posts: 23
    edited May 2017
    I could easily sing back up on your song. My buddy has a built-in commercial Mangani oven (see pic). I have been lusting for a pizza oven ever since I had pizza and several other meals he cooked in his oven. I too, looked really hard at the Forno Bravo's very nice ovens but I would have to put in a new gas line and do some concrete work on a table / wood bin. With all that you pretty darn close to $10-12 thousand. The pizza party 's  look like a nice economical oven. Probably going to start looking at those my self.  My buddy cooks almost everything he cooks in his pizza oven, whole chickens, meats of all kinds, veggies, breads, fancy recipes etc.  He uses cast iron pieces to cook steaks, salmon, swordfish, and veggies. He got his cast iron pieces from a resturant supply house. Really a versatile cooking environment.  I talked to him about an Egg, but he says he's happy with the oven and doesn't need anything else. I wonder how long a bottle of propane lasts ?
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Pizza Party is too rich for this ol' boy! Looks like it makes a nice product though.

    I just watched Kenji's pizza oven comparison video. That's the first time I'd ever heard any real negatives about the Blackstone. Starting with how ugly it is. haha. Sounds like there are some design/manufacturing issues though.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGNJbFQIr5g

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • NEWB_IN_NOLA
    NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
    My buddy has a built-in commercial Mangani oven (see pic). I have been lusting for a pizza oven ever since I had pizza at his place.

    That is awesome!  My understanding is that if you use the big hearth ovens frequently, they don't cool down.  They just stay warm constantly and then it doesn't take as much to get them up to baking/roasting temperatures.  Not sure how well it works or what times that translates to in practice.

    Luckily my cabana has a gas line run to a fireplace that we never use.  I was thinking about taking out the fireplace and replacing with a WFO so we would get more use out of the cabana.   It already has a slab on piles, gas line run, and venting.  I actually thought about a used commercial forno bravo on sale relatively close, but it is HUGE and transporting 3500 lbs plus getting it set up in my backyard would be a chore.
    "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    @NEWB_IN_NOLA To go along with what @FatTrout is saying I am installing the oven because there are many things I want to cook in it. Honestly I predict pizzas to be 15-20% or less of what I cook in my WFO. I'll know after a few months; I'll be finished curing it and start cooking within a couple of weeks. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • FatTrout
    FatTrout Posts: 23
    My buddy has a built-in commercial Mangani oven (see pic). I have been lusting for a pizza oven ever since I had pizza at his place.

    That is awesome!  My understanding is that if you use the big hearth ovens frequently, they don't cool down.  They just stay warm constantly and then it doesn't take as much to get them up to baking/roasting temperatures.  Not sure how well it works or what times that translates to in practice.

    Luckily my cabana has a gas line run to a fireplace that we never use.  I was thinking about taking out the fireplace and replacing with a WFO so we would get more use out of the cabana.   It already has a slab on piles, gas line run, and venting.  I actually thought about a used commercial forno bravo on sale relatively close, but it is HUGE and transporting 3500 lbs plus getting it set up in my backyard would be a chore.
    My buddy will cook dinner put the metal door in front of the opening and let the oven set. The next morning he cooks strada for breakfast and pies & breads in the residual heat. If he uses the oven that night, it starts off at 250 to 300 and so on. yeah, if your used oven is fully assembled with the floor etc. your going to need a fork lift or a small crane lift at the very least. 3,500 lbs is not an easy lift. 
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    ...  My understanding is that if you use the big hearth ovens frequently, they don't cool down.  They just stay warm constantly and then it doesn't take as much to get them up to baking/roasting temperatures.  Not sure how well it works or what times that translates to in practice.
    .....
    The more mass in the oven, the longer it takes to cool down and the longer it takes to warm up.  Once the fire is out they will cool down to ambient temperature.  They don't stay warm without some heat input.  Depending on size, WFOs will need an hour or two to warm up to cooking temps.   Not convenient for a mid-week cook of a single chicken or fish.

    "I have still been egging, but with 2 kids under 4 and both parents working it has become more difficult particularly during the week to find the time."  I think you will find that an egg is a time saver compared to a WFO. WFOs are great, just not known as time savers.  
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • NEWB_IN_NOLA
    NEWB_IN_NOLA Posts: 135
    I think you will find that an egg is a time saver compared to a WFO. WFOs are great, just not known as time savers. 

    This is why I was looking at the portable PizzaParty with gas because it can get up to 900 temp in less than 20 minutes and you can still switch to wood on the weekends.
    "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland." -Tennessee Williams
  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    My cousin has a Forno Bravo and I love it.  Will definitely add one to my backyard one day.  

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited May 2017
    There's a guy named Craig Lindberg in Houston who has an Acunto... in his garage!! Sitting right next to his Ferrari! I've seen some of his pies... dude knows what he's doin'!! txcraig1 pizza pics.

    Pic of fork lift install and article... http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/01/pizza-obsessives-craig-lindberg-and-his-neapolitan-garage.html

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    I think you will find that an egg is a time saver compared to a WFO. WFOs are great, just not known as time savers. 

    This is why I was looking at the portable PizzaParty with gas because it can get up to 900 temp in less than 20 minutes and you can still switch to wood on the weekends.
    Air temp yes.  But how long does it take the ceramics/brick to soak up heat and reach equilibrium?  
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Pizza Party is too rich for this ol' boy! Looks like it makes a nice product though.

    I just watched Kenji's pizza oven comparison video. That's the first time I'd ever heard any real negatives about the Blackstone. Starting with how ugly it is. haha. Sounds like there are some design/manufacturing issues though.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGNJbFQIr5g
    I think this clown is full of sh!t, the 2 he rates higher than the blackstone require longer pre-heat times & constant post-launch spinning of the pie to avoid uneven cooking.  As for quality of build, maybe he got a lemon, mine is a couple hundred pies in without any issues.  But yea the blackstone is uglier than the last chick at a frat party, I'll give him that
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • SkySaw
    SkySaw Posts: 656
    If you are not up for a major backyard pizza oven project, have you looked into the Uuni pizza ovens?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sJd7Me1rMA
    https://uuni.net/