Has anyone here built an outdoor wood fired oven?

[CATman]

This is something I'm interested in doing, but have zero masonry background. How feasible would it be for me to try to DIY this? The only reason I ask is I'm dealing with fire and that can get out of hand quickly if not handled right. However I am planning on this being an

The SO and I both enjoy making pizza. We used to do it every Friday and now do it when I'm home from traveling for work. She also loves baking bread from scratch. The issue is that we live in AZ and using the oven in the late spring/early summer can make the kitchen pretty miserable plus it kicks the AC into overdrive. My thinking is that having an outside oven would allow us to do the baking outside and allow us the benefit of being able to cook multiple loaves at once saving time.

I've been doing some research online, but at this point I don't even know what I don't know and would love to get some advice on obstacles I might come across that I haven't anticipated.

[greaper007]

There's seem to be a lot of options.   I've seen kits that dont look particularly difficult, but they can be ecpensive.   You could also do an earthenware type oven, I believe they're called earth ovens.   Those can be basically free but not very aesthetically pleasing.

Another option is an insert that sits on your weber kettle grill, pricey but still probably less than a quarter of the cost of a masonry unit.

[CATman]

There's seem to be a lot of options.   I've seen kits that dont look particularly difficult, but they can be ecpensive.   You could also do an earthenware type oven, I believe they're called earth ovens.   Those can be basically free but not very aesthetically pleasing.

Another option is an insert that sits on your weber kettle grill, pricey but still probably less than a quarter of the cost of a masonry unit.

Those are all good options to look at. I was seriously thinking it over last night and something like a grill top might work better. I forgot that in the summer we have temporary bans on fires when it gets too dry, but I don't think that includes grills.

[lthenderson]

I've never built one but have attended parties where they have been in use. In my opinion, they probably aren't worth the effort or expense. They have to be fired up and preheated for a long time in advance with the fire being maintained so it isn't too hot or too cold. Then after you have used it, it has to be cooled down, cleaned out and then sealed up to prevent birds and other vermin from making it a home. A grill seems like a much more attractive option.

[AlanStache]

I sort of dream of this too :-)

Depending on what you want it looks to be fairly simple:
http://imgur.com/gallery/n3mne
http://imgur.com/gallery/fl8xz
http://imgur.com/gallery/12zM3
http://imgur.com/gallery/vCjEo

But yeah pre-heat time and clean up work might make it less fun in practice than it first sounds.

[CATman]

I've never built one but have attended parties where they have been in use. In my opinion, they probably aren't worth the effort or expense. They have to be fired up and preheated for a long time in advance with the fire being maintained so it isn't too hot or too cold. Then after you have used it, it has to be cooled down, cleaned out and then sealed up to prevent birds and other vermin from making it a home. A grill seems like a much more attractive option.

These are all really good points I haven't considered. Let's be honest, this is just an excuse for me to have a reason to own a pizza peel. However you bring up some good points. Maybe I can look finding a more efficient way to cool the kitchen which is probably easier and has a better ROI as I don't think a wood fired would go a long way in adding value to a home in the neighborhood we are in.

[Spork]

Mostly posting to follow...  My intent was always to build some combo wood oven, smoker, grill, fire pit -- but maybe that's over shooting the goal.

It mostly just sounds like a fun project.

[CATman]

Mostly posting to follow...  My intent was always to build some combo wood oven, smoker, grill, fire pit -- but maybe that's over shooting the goal.

It mostly just sounds like a fun project.

I saw an episode of Alaskan Bush People where they built a smoker out of what is basically a large, think wardrobe size, plywood box with space at the top for venting. They put rails on the inside to slide racks on. They then had a wood burning stove with a piece of ductwork that vented the smoke into the bottom of the smoker box. I think this would be easily replicated and modified for what you're after. Although I'm not sure how I'd get enough heat transfer to make it an effective oven. Maybe line it with foil and open the top for a modified solar oven.

[Heywood57]

A gas grill and a large pizza stone is way less hassle for the same result.

[Spork]

A gas grill and a large pizza stone is way less hassle for the same result.

Empty the grease trap first!  ;)   (The flames were 5 feet high and we had to buy a new pizza stone and new grill innards.)

[CATman]

A gas grill and a large pizza stone is way less hassle for the same result.

Too logical, next please.

Actually this is a great idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it. If only I had the giant webber we had in college. This thing was about 3 feet in diameter. Then I could really do some pizzas.

[bognish]

I do pizza on a straight on the gas grill grate - no pizza stone. Personal pizza size is easiest to handle. I cooks really quick and potentially catches fire is you get distracted.

[Capsu78]

I heavily researched building an outdoor wood fired oven but in the end I ended up going the professional route because I live in a harsh weather area and I wanted a long term piece of "yard art" that wouldn't be ugly... and believe me there are some ugly home builts out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwHbaIThRc

Pizza, ironically, is not even in my top 5 favorite meals- important to remember that it is an outdoor oven that I cook basically "anything that roasts" on.  Some of the negatives stated above are actually positives in my book.  I enjoy cooking, futzing with the fire, being around an open flame... it compliments my outdoor kitchen and it is the center of attention in my outdoor space.  Yes, it was very non mustashian but a skill set I wanted to master ever since I saw my first outdoor oven in Italy a decade earlier.

For holidays, it becomes the extra oven where I make most of my sides etc.  From prime rib to stuffed pork chops to planked fish everything that comes out of the oven just tastes better.   

[jacksonvasey]

I've thought about doing this many times, but I'm not going to do it.  I had found some plans for a barrel oven, which is more like a wood fired oven than a regular pizza oven, but the benefit to that was you didn't have to preheat for nearly as long.

There's a fancy kit for kettle grills that turns it into a pizza oven; I think there are lots of DIY instructions online how to do it; think, put a stone in the middle of the grill, and snip the grill lid here and there to make a door way large enough to get your pizza/peel through:
http://www.kettlepizza.com/Serious-Eats-KettlePizza-Special-Edition-Kit-p/kpse-22.htm

I got a pellet-fired grill last year, which lets me dial the temperature I want, and it takes care of the rest.  So I just bake pizza on a cookie sheet in the pellet grill in the summer, easy peasy.  It also has a smoke setting, for stupid-lazy bbq ribs/pulled pork/brisket.

[CATman]

I've thought about doing this many times, but I'm not going to do it.  I had found some plans for a barrel oven, which is more like a wood fired oven than a regular pizza oven, but the benefit to that was you didn't have to preheat for nearly as long.

There's a fancy kit for kettle grills that turns it into a pizza oven; I think there are lots of DIY instructions online how to do it; think, put a stone in the middle of the grill, and snip the grill lid here and there to make a door way large enough to get your pizza/peel through:
http://www.kettlepizza.com/Serious-Eats-KettlePizza-Special-Edition-Kit-p/kpse-22.htm

I got a pellet-fired grill last year, which lets me dial the temperature I want, and it takes care of the rest.  So I just bake pizza on a cookie sheet in the pellet grill in the summer, easy peasy.  It also has a smoke setting, for stupid-lazy bbq ribs/pulled pork/brisket.

My dad got a pellet grill a couple years ago and absolutely loves it. I like the idea of a barrel grill. There's all kinds of good ideas coming out of this thread. We should end up throwing a big mustachian BBQ.

[Capsu78]

Between my outdoor oven, BBQ grill, my open campfire pit for Dutch ovens and clam baking and my versatile Ronco "set it and forget it" oven I run in the garage, I can and have served over 125 people at my house... What I have in cooking horsepower, however is offset by lack of enough bathroom capacity.

Actually if I had the storage space, I would like to try a La Caja China Roaster sometime:

http://blog.lacajachina.com/la-caja-china-roasters/

[CATman]

Between my outdoor oven, BBQ grill, my open campfire pit for Dutch ovens and clam baking and my versatile Ronco "set it and forget it" oven I run in the garage, I can and have served over 125 people at my house... What I have in cooking horsepower, however is offset by lack of enough bathroom capacity.

Actually if I had the storage space, I would like to try a La Caja China Roaster sometime:

http://blog.lacajachina.com/la-caja-china-roasters/

You have quite the collection there my friend. However if I'm going to roast something like a whole pig I prefer the island method of digging a pit, throwing in hot coals/rocks and either burying it or covering with banana leaves. This also works amazing for just about anything you can roast like veggies.