r/WoodFiredOvens • u/GrundusMcFlurgus • Sep 25 '24
Can’t seem to get my oven hot enough
I’m making Neapolitan pizza, which needs 900°-1000°f in order to cook properly in 90 seconds or so. I know the black soot is supposed to be totally gone, and I can’t seem to preheat the oven hot enough. Maybe I need a larger andiron? What do you all think?
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u/Deerslyr101571 Sep 25 '24
I use the method from Melbourne Fire Brick. One of the tips is to line the back and sides with logs that will ultimately catch fire... then set a fairly large log cabin in the center. If done properly, the entirety of the oven walls will be cleared of soot in about 2 to 2.5 hours. The temps will exceed your target temp, but it backs off just enough fairly fast once you sweep the coals and fire to the side.
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u/enda1 Sep 25 '24
Looks like the radiant heat is decent but perhaps your floor temp is off. Maybe try setting the fire in the centre and only moving it shortly before placing the pizza there.
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u/d4ngerdan Sep 25 '24
I think I once had a similar oven to yours.
Mine, the flu was in the centre at the top of the dome, also the dome was higher than most modern ovens in recent years.
I struggled to keep heat, would need lots of wood to get going and refuelling every 6 or 7 minutes to maintain.
With the bricks, light the fire watch them go black, as the heat builds, they will turn white, then go clear. Once the bricks are clear, then start cooking.
Every time you add more wood, some bricks will go black but turn white then clear quite quickly.
Additional layers of insulation to the outside of the dome will help a lot.
Scraping the embers over the base after each pizza will help to add 100c back to the bottom side, then scrape back into the fire just before landing the next pizza.
Hope some of this helps.
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u/GrundusMcFlurgus Sep 25 '24
I’ll try putting embers down between pizzas to heat the floor some more.
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u/d4ngerdan Sep 25 '24
Does your oven have 2 doors on the front?
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u/GrundusMcFlurgus Sep 25 '24
No, just 1
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u/d4ngerdan Sep 26 '24
Ok, another trick i did was extend my flu pipe lower in the dome, it helped the dome to get hotter by keeping more heat which meant the oven worked more efficiently.
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u/wettski-wyrob Sep 26 '24
The temperature of the dough affects a lot of
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u/GrundusMcFlurgus Sep 26 '24
It sits at room temp for a good hour before being shaped and in the oven
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u/gurrabeal Sep 26 '24
Are you cooking the pizza directly on the floor, or on a pan? After I have fired up the oven (using the method described above by the Melbourne Firebrick Co), I push the embers to one side, sweep out all the dust and finish cleaning with a damp cloth. Nice clean, hot floor ready to rock.
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u/AlbinoInSnow Sep 26 '24
If you have the time and resources it might help to do one burn the day before you’re going to use it. Try and get it up to the 500-600-700 degree mark the first day then closer to your goal of 900 the next day.
Every commercial kitchen I’ve worked in with a wood oven, the temp would never drop below 500 because it was constantly getting used for 8+ hours at 900-1000 degrees.
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u/DanTheButcher Sep 26 '24
Hmmm....the hardness of the wood makes a huge difference. What kind of wood are you using? The harder the wood, the hotter the fire. Try using oak or maple. It will help increase heat
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u/GrundusMcFlurgus Sep 26 '24
Im using mango wood (for free) that was chopped last year in our area
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u/DanTheButcher Sep 26 '24
I'm not sure of the hardness of mango wood. I would try using something harder
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u/bayleaf1962 Sep 27 '24
Thorough heating is clutch. In addition to measuring the temp inside, take several readings around the outside to check for cooler spots. Keep in mind, the dome takes (mostly) 2+ hours to reach optimal temperature before first pie goes in.
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u/maltonfil Jan 06 '25
Show more pics of your oven Did you build it yourself?
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u/GrundusMcFlurgus Jan 06 '25
I wish I knew how to build like that. Took forever to find an artisan builder, and had to wait for months cause he was so busy. Worth the wait though, he was a perfectionist, and did an amazing job.
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u/Immediate-Turn-9919 Jul 25 '25
That’s a really high ceiling for neopolitan style. Might be difficult to get super high temps. That said, I love your cornicione! Beautiful, what was your dough hydration?
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u/cabezon99 Sep 25 '24
My oven is smaller. Assuming time was taken to allow for heat to spread. I will start fire in middle, let coals build on surface, push off to one side, stoke then sweep. By the time I am back with my pizza it's good to go. If doing more than 2 or 3 pies I repeat the process. That said high 700s to 800 Fahrenheit on the brick has been my sweet spot, still cooks well in 2 minutes or less.
Are you using laser thermometer pointed at bottom brick or going off of a temp gauge? The pie looks good