Let's talk pizza ovens

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RacrX

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Looking at portable pizza ovens, there seem to be some good options out there:

Ooni - a top pick on many web sites. About $300 for the most basic one, $100 more for the larger one. Backlogged until August (UGH).

Pyre Pro - A little better value, similar design, available now. Much harder to find reviews on them.

Hayes - A different version of the Pyre Pro, a little cheaper.

Mont Alpi - gas fired, looks like a pizza oven but the heat source comes from the bottom and not the back, I think. Decent price.

There are some others compatible with grills and smokers, but they don't seem to achieve the same temps.


Does anyone have experience with any of these?
 
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My recommendation is to purchase a used kettle grill, cut a hole in the lid, and get a pizza stone. Fuel it with charcoal and some hard wood. BAM
 
I don't think it matters much which one. You need one that will direct the fire over the top of the stone and pie. Heck, you could make one just with cinder blocks, a grate at the appropriate height and a piece of corrugated metal as a lid. The point is that most all of them will work. It may be a question of how quickly a pie gets done and how much fuel you need to get it done.
 
WSM18Lang48 said:
My recommendation is to purchase a used kettle grill, cut a hole in the lid, and get a pizza stone. Fuel it with charcoal and some hard wood. BAM
Click to expand...

halfcocked said:
I don't think it matters much which one. You need one that will direct the fire over the top of the stone and pie. Heck, you could make one just with cinder blocks, a grate at the appropriate height and a piece of corrugated metal as a lid. The point is that most all of them will work. It may be a question of how quickly a pie gets done and how much fuel you need to get it done.
Click to expand...


Doesn't the heat need to come from the back to achieve that? That's why I was thinking the Weber or any other bottom-up heat source wouldn't really work.
 
What kind of pizza do you want to cook? Neo, ny, elite ny, American?


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The fire can be below the grate or even on grate level if you have enough room to segregate the embers and logs sufficiently to not burn the pie.
 
I was in the market a month ago for a pizza oven. If I’m was going to sink a couple hundred into a pizza oven. Might as well sink a few more in an get a vision kamado. Kills 2 birds with one stone. An gets as hot are hotter than those pizza ovens. You only need that high heat for Neo pizzas
 
I haven't messed with the newer oonis but the Roccbox was built exponentially better than the early uuni units. I have a members mark wood burning oven that works surprisingly well for the 400-500 I paid for it.
 
RacrX said:
Preferably Neo.
Click to expand...



The new ooni 16” one looks good. The bigger size would make it a lot easier launching. My pies are usually 12” or so..14” at most. I like the burner on the side and the back


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I got so excited today. Someone posted a never cooked on Blackstone on my local FB Marketplace. Messaged as soon as I saw it and it already sold. I know those may not be top of the line, but I really wanted to try it out to see if getting into making pizza would be something I enjoyed.
 
pharp said:
I got so excited today. Someone posted a never cooked on Blackstone on my local FB Marketplace. Messaged as soon as I saw it and it already sold. I know those may not be top of the line, but I really wanted to try it out to see if getting into making pizza would be something I enjoyed.
Click to expand...



Wow, I had mine for sale on Facebook and Craigslist for a month for $100 obo and nobody wanted it. I ended up taking it to the dump. Weird how regional things are, or just luck of the draw I guess??


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pharp said:
I got so excited today. Someone posted a never cooked on Blackstone on my local FB Marketplace. Messaged as soon as I saw it and it already sold. I know those may not be top of the line, but I really wanted to try it out to see if getting into making pizza would be something I enjoyed.
Click to expand...

I really liked my Blackstone. The burner rusted out after a few seasons and they made it impossible to replace without pretty much destroying the unit. The build quality was average at best, but performance wise I give it an A-. If you can get your hands on one, go for it.
 
Ooni 16 or Roccbox; I have the Roccbox and its fantastic; nothing like them for real pizza.... assuming you want to make Neopolitian or similar style which need that kind of heat. Ive had OK luck in my Kamado, but its still nothing like the dedicated pizza oven, though fine for more 'American' style pizza. The biggest sin is I do use the gas version.. the wood attachment for Roccbox sucks, and nearly every review I've read claims you cant tell the different with such a short cook. There are some good videos of the new Ooni 16 on YouTube; and lots of pop up style pizza shops in Europe use Roccbox and the Roccbox build quality blows Ooni away.

a bit overloaded on toppings.. but you get the idea:

eHktXxXm.jpg


clOBM0im.jpg
 
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WSM18Lang48 said:
My recommendation is to purchase a used kettle grill, cut a hole in the lid, and get a pizza stone. Fuel it with charcoal and some hard wood. BAM
Click to expand...


Or...a kettle grill with the Pizza Kettle kit - DOUBLE BAM!
 
RacrX said:
Or...a kettle grill with the Pizza Kettle kit - DOUBLE BAM!
Click to expand...

I had the deluxe Kettle Pizza with the baking steel and everything. It’s nowhere close to my Ooni Koda in terms of effortlessly turning out great pies.
 
Oh really? Bummer I was hoping it would be close. Were the pizzas decent at least?
 
So I use my hasty bake and several on the FB group have as well. We cook the pizza on a wire mesh rack for around 8 minutes. Then we use the deflector shield and put it below the coals and put the pizza on that. Since the pizza is below the coals it basically broils/chars the pizza. It’s amazing.
 
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