Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

[billgraney]

Typically when I slow roast in my Strada over night the oven temp is down to the outside temperature in the morning (with the door closed) and this is after heating the oven to 900+ degrees for pizza.
I've done brisket once and pork butt several times and typically when I get up in the morning the meat is around 160 and I spend the rest of the day finishing it up on low heat in the kitchen oven. This ends up being about an 18-hour process for meats that are in the 6-8 lb. range. The pulled pork is always awesome and the one time I did brisket it was very good but it could use a little improvement.
When I read the forum posts I see that the ovens that are being used hold the temperature in the 200-300 degree range for quite some time after firing for pizza, several days even by some accounts.
I'm curious why mine would completely wind down over night and I'd be interested in any opinions. Typically I'm putting the meat in when the oven is in the 400-500 degree range depending on how late I can stay awake. I know that probably sounds ridiculously hot for brisket or pulled pork but like I said, I've had good results.
So I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for maintaining the lower oven temperatures for longer periods of time.

[deejayoh]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

Your temperature ramp really depends on how much insulation you have on the build and in your door. That's the key to the long heat retention periods you see thrown around the forum (though I often suspect there's often a touch of braggadocio in there too... )

[Greenman]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

The level of saturation of heat has a lot to do with how long your oven will retain heat. I fire my oven for a couple of hours to saturate the bricks with heat. Like Deejayoh said, the level of insulation is a major factor as well and some stories accumulate as they travel as well.

If I heat for pizza temps I usually close the oven and it is holding good roasting temps the following day but I suspect all ovens behave a little differently.

[Les]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

this is after heating the oven to 900+ degrees for pizza.
I've done brisket once and pork butt several times and typically when I get up in the morning the meat is around 160.

Bill, there is something fundamentally wrong. Did you build your over per the plans? I posted this for the record around 5 years ago and others confirmed that they were in the ballpark as well. There is no reason to BS, we want everyone to succeed and we are doing that by improving the process.

Saturday at 6:30 PM after the fire; hearth=900 deg.
Saturday at 8:00 PM after pizzas; hearth=555 deg.
Sunday at 9:00 AM hearth=447 deg. - cooked a coffee cake
Sunday at 4:30 PM hearth=374 deg. - cooked coconut shrimp
Monday at 6:30 AM hearth=288 deg.
Monday at 4:45 PM hearth=244 deg.
Tuesday at 4:45 PM hearth=170 deg.

As you can see we are way above the temps you are seeing. Just curious as to how much insulation you have on / under your build.

[V-wiz]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

I agree with everyone here, something has to be wrong for your oven to cool down that quickly. How long are you firing your oven? What is your door made out of? How much insulation?

[Gulf]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

Bill,
Is this your oven? If so, you may have to find a way to block the flu after heating. That heat is going to straight up and out. I also read where they come with a "steel door with a thermometer". I didn't catch if the door was insulated or not.

[Les]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

Bill,
Is this your oven?

If that is the case - problem solved. That oven was designed for live fire cooking.

[roknroll]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

I've cooked in my parent's oven for smoking, and it doesn't hold temp as well as my newer Forno Bravo. I fired it and got it primed the night before while cooking dinner and threw one last log on around 10pm before I went to bed. At 5am it was around 220 when I put a pork shoulder in with all fire/coals gone. I threw a half a chimney full of lit charcoal in to the side and a handful of soaked wood chips on top. Threw another handful of wood chips on at 2 hours, then another half full chimney of lit charcoal on at 4 hours (no more smoke tho). After about 8 hours it came out perfect.

There's so much mass in the oven, that the half chimney of lit charcoal had minimal effect on the oven temp. It went from about 215 at start up to a max of about 250 with fresh charcoal in it. Never really dropped below 220 the whole time. I also had a large tin foil pan full of water and apply juice under my pork (on a tuscan grill). You can see pictures of it in another post on this forum.

The new oven I just put in holds heat MUCH better. As a test run I made pizzas at 4pm two weeks ago. Threw the pork on with a few coals left around midnight, but it was way too hot at 325. Took all the coals out but it stayed hot all night. Only smoked 4 hours in there with door mostly open, then moved to oven. When I checked it at 7am it was 250, which would have been perfect for smoking. Left it sealed and when I came home for lunch at noon it was still 225.

[billgraney]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

Didn't realize there had been replies to this until today. Yes, I have a Strada, the one in the link from Gulf. Since the original post I have found if I keep it hotter for longer I get better results (I know, obvious). The last pork butt I did had an internal temp of 195 when I got up in the morning and it was excellent. The thing that is interesting is that the floor temp was around 500 when I put the pork in the night before. I didn't come out dry, it was exactly as you want pulled pork to be.

[pizzaadmin]

Re: Maintaining Low Oven Temperature

I agree with everyone here, something has to be wrong for your oven to cool down that quickly. How long are you firing your oven? What is your door made out of? How much insulation?

Electric oven has limit on its temperature. I can make pizza in electric ovens and set time limit to ready.
Specially Double cheese pizza with extra topping consumes more time to ready because many ingredients use to make it more tastier.