What is a good pizza oven to buy that is modestly priced????

Can't help you with the oven. But i will say mentally prepare yourself that your first couple pizzas aren't going to be nice and round. Mine still look like the shape of PA. I first got mad first couple now i am use to it.

I would look at the members mark pizza oven. It’s about $400-450. Another member here has one and posted pics of it

I have the Blackstone pizza oven and really like it. My only complaint is no wood smoke flavor. I've been using foil pellet pouches to try to obtain the flavor I want.
Like Matt, some of my pizzas come out looking like Louisiana but they're tasty! :grin:

If I were you I would get a stone or steel, and go through the process to make a few rounds in your oven first. That way you can see if you like the process first before adding any equipment.

Also, depending on what kind of pizza you like, a home oven can do just fine. American styles with alot of cheese benefit from that extra time it takes in a normal oven. Detroit and Chicago style are just fine in the oven too. Unless you want a super specific type, you may not need anything else.

The Blackstone would be my recommendation for a beginner. It's easy to use, and consistent. I am the one with the members mark oven as well. I really like it, but it would be more of a learning curve than the Blackstone if you have never made pizza or dough before.

Have fun

Shirley Fabrication warmers make great pizza ovens... Not sure if you can get your hands on one of those or not. I hear the wait is really long now!

I saw one of these at the Dot's Texarkana EggFest. The Papa Murphy guy was cooking some amazing pies! He used the propane option, but I have a few buds that have the wood / charcoal option and love it. I think it is a Uuni3, but the Pro looks like it can do a larger pie and more room for cast iron cooking. :mrgreen:

Take a look here:


https://ooni.com/

Free Mr. Tony said:

If I were you I would get a stone or steel, and go through the process to make a few rounds in your oven first. That way you can see if you like the process first before adding any equipment.

Have fun

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^^^THIS! I'll add:

1 - Skip the stone, and get a baking steel. Works way better in a home oven IMO. With a stone my toppings were burning before I got the bottom of the crust cooked enough. With the steel and it's faster heat transfer, both the toppings and bottom are done at the same time. I had a local grill/smoker fabricator 'make' me one. He just cut me out a piece of 1/8" thick plate, I cleaned and seasoned it myself, and it was waaaay cheaper than buying the actual name brand Baking Steel.

2 - Buy the Elements of Pizza by Ken Forkish. Lots of great info on how to make dough sauces, etc.

3 - If you really want a dedicated pizza oven, read this before buying anything. It's a little old now, there's some other options available, but it's a good starting point IMO. https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/05/best-backyard-pizza-ovens-review.html

Here's some of my home made pies.

Here's my baking steel, after cleaning, but before seasoning.


Here's the bottom of a pie cooked on a stone. A bit pale:


And the top, notice a decent amount of overcooked cheese ::


And here's the bottom of a pie cooked on the steel ::


And here's the top, cooked enough, but not too much::


And this is what happens when the dough sticks to the peel while trying to load it into the oven.


I use the 'cheater' method now. I know it's cheating, but it's a lot easier, and not nearly as messy. Build the pie on a piece of parchment paper. Cut the paper so it fits the pie pretty close with a 'ear' sticking out that you can use as a handle. Load it onto the peel and into the oven on the parchment paper. Let it cook for a few minutes, then pull the paper out and it finish directly on the steel.

And a few more random shots because I love pizza!

Shagdog said:

Shirley Fabrication warmers make great pizza ovens... Not sure if you can get your hands on one of those or not. I hear the wait is really long now!

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Ha! You beat me to it! Love my pizzas made in the warmer!

Blackstone! Love it. & the pies.

It appears that Blackstone has discontinued their pizza oven. Seems a little odd because everyone who has them seems to love them. Anyone know what happened or if Blackstone is going to offer an updated model?

Ron_L said:

I specialize in amoeba shaped pizzas :-D

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#metoo

Best pizza I have ever eaten came out of a Ooni; https://ooni.com and it's only $299 with free delivery. My friend also cooked some amazing Wagyu rump steak with a sizzling plate heated in the oven.

I wonder if it would be possible to build one of concrete blocks? I've seen smokers made from them. Not that I need to, I've got a Big Green Egg that can do the job.

Tannhauser42 said:

I wonder if it would be possible to build one of concrete blocks? I've seen smokers made from them. Not that I need to, I've got a Big Green Egg that can do the job.

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Concrete won't hold up to the high temperatures. Should make a great base, though. Building one from scratch could be a fun project.

Depends on definition of modestly priced. I've been doing a lot of research and you can get the Uuni 3 + gas conversion for around $400, $425 for a bundle that includes the gas converter, a cover and skillet as well. I've also read a lot that managing the pellet hopper on that model is annoying, hence the push for gas.

If you go to $600, the Roccbox and Uuni Pro are tempting. Roccbox comes with wood and gas options, the Uuni pro is charcoal/wood fired and you can buy pellet or gas conversion for extra, so it's really about $700 if you want gas.

It's a tough decision. I'm not sure what will put me over the edge here. Best I can tell there are no other worthy competitors until you get up near $1k

On the left hand, I don't really need another grill, smoker, griddle or pizza machine, (14+ last count). But.....on the right hand, I really enjoy food cooked in wood fired ovens. Given my right hand dominance, I have been contemplating pulling the trigger on a Members Mark pizza oven all summer. However, when I last looked a few short weeks ago, the only color option available was orange.....something far too flamboyant for my current collection of cold stainless steel and basic black! I decided to wait until new stocks of black arrived.
Fast forward to this weekend when after weeks of sensitive lectures from my pizza loving bride, she decided I could accept a warm orange representative in our exclusive cold stainless and black outdoor cooking collection. OK, "permission" secured and sensitivity training completed, I pounced into action, pullng up the interweb, fully prepared to order and pay for a shiny new Members Mark wood fired oven.
Imagine my dismay when I did a search for "wood fired oven" and nothing came up.... Undeterred by such a minor setback, I did some form surfing and bingo, found a link to the item ...only to discover the dreaded "/" in all color options (including orange)!
Sold out..not available?
How can this be? Don't Mr. Walton's heirs know I am sitting here with wood fired pizza drool already dripping down my chin ready to order their marvelous machine?
Undeterred I pulled up the suppliers web site (NXR Dro Corp.) only to discover while they have sold direct to the public in the past, there is currently no pricing listed and the shopping cart capability seems to be disabled.
Crap, now here it is Monday, and I am back to square UNO....hording a modest collection of cold stainless and black fire breathing machines, but still no capacity to cook in a wood fired oven with orange accents :sad:

I do mine in my oven with a stone but plan to make a wood fired one some day. Like others have said, I would test it in the oven first and see how you like it, then decide which direction to go from there.

If you are really serious, then go ahead and check out this site, but don't blame me for lost time and money spent like this site seems to do to you.:mrgreen:

https://www.pizzamaking.com

I have a buddy that owns a Roccbox and he loves it (uses it w/ gas). It's on my xmas list.

He did mention that it takes 35 min to heat up to 900F but once it's at temp it can cook pizzas fast (< 2 min).