QLD Pizza Oven

[bris-pizza-oven]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

well after my oven went for a "swim" in the floods up here i got a heap off pine offcuts from my work and lit a fire that lasted just on 2 days and it finaly dried out the insulation even though i couldnt get it "pizza" hot that time i let the cool and covered it with a tarp.

the next time i lit it which was 4 days later it got hot and kept its heat for while so i guess its a lot drier than it was. my oven was under nearly a metre off water and mud for 2 days and after two weeks its all dried out enough to cook a roast on the weekend just gone

i am realy lucky to have a unlimated supply off wood off cuts as i work in trussplant

keep with it and after you light a small fire and it goes out try putting your door on for the water to be "pushed" out off the insulation

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Cobblerdave,
I've started lighting a little fire in the oven on a friday arvo before a big fire on saturday. This seems to be doing the trick - the dome doesn't get as hot on the outside, and the oven seems to hold heat longer. We've been dry up here for a few weeks now and I'm still bleeding moisture through some of the cracks in the dome (and that's after about 6 good firings). I think my moisture is coming from the vermicement base, I reckon that stuff would suck some water up and moisture would probably run down to the most insulated lower part of the vermicement and take a fair while to work out. When it finaly gets hot, the steam rises into the air gap in the insulation and vents through the cracks. (Year 7 science wasn't a waste of time after all!!) I might/probably am way off track but the explanation impresses the hell out of the mates if you say it with enough conviction.

The solution for me is easy, ignore it. It still cooks a good pizza when wet, and if I want to bake I'll need to stick a fire in it the day before. You may need to build a roof over your oven? I recommend it, nothing better than sitting in the shade with a wee dram on a hot day watching the fire.

Also, do you measure the temp in your oven? My oven was about 400 after my fire (4 o'clock in the arvo), about 275 after cooking a couple of chooks and vegies (8 0'clock) and 180 the next morning (8 o'clock) Temps are rough with a dodgy oven thermometer, but wondering how quick other ovens drop their temps.

(sorry about the novel)

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

my oven was under nearly a metre off water and mud for 2 days and after two weeks its all dried out enough to cook a roast on the weekend just gone

Bris pizza oven,
Sorry mate, After seeing what you guys have been through I feel guilty for bitching about a bit of rain on my oven. Glad to see you're up and cooking again.

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Toss about half a tsp of semolina flour onto the centre of the floor.If the temp is right it should turn black in 3secs. 2 secs = too hot 4secs = too cold.

Thanks David S, I will give the semolina a crack. I tried it with plain flour but I just ended up with a big fire ball. Good party trick, but not all that informative.

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

[QUOTE=bris-pizza-oven;107072]well after my oven went for a "swim" in the floods
How the house survive? the family? workplace up and running?
Can any of us help with anything?
Guess ya know were here...and concerned

Regards
Cobblerdave

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Dear Worb
Havn't heard from you for a while thought I'd ask after you ..... Its Jas's birthday thought you had better know..He forty (R) FORTY ya can't let that pass without some comment......

Regards cobbler dave

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Love this build. Sorry about the Shite weather you guys have been facing.

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Dear Worb

You've been missing in action for a bit.... hows things....

Regards Cobbler dave

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Gudday Dave, still here, been busy. 'THE LIST' keeps getting longer.

I've been giving the oven a bit of a hammering. I am slowly starting to get the hang of it. I'm a bit over pizza, so we've been having a crack at roasts, vegies, casseroles. I'm still trying to work out the timing vs. temperature. Seems I need to start the fire earlier and pull the fire sooner so I don't stick the tucker in while the oven's still 350 degrees (cooks a bit quick.) I am having some success with throwing a roast in the oven while red hot, but covering the meat with heaps of alfoil to stop the outside burning. I also got on to a wire frame thingo that you put the roast on to get it off the bottom of the pan. This seems to help with burning the bottom of the roast. I'll keep experimenting.

The oven sits at the north side of my entertainment area, and cops the sun all day. Being a bit of a ranga I'm ending up looking like a tomato at the end of a big day in front of the oven, so I've been building a framey trellis type thing out over the oven to grow a grape vine or some other deciduous vine. Hopefully this'll give me a bit of shade in summer, but drop it's leaves in winter so we still get some sun. Photos to come (as soon as I cover up my less than professorial welds!)

I'm starting to feel like a cult leader who's trying to conscript followers. I find myself convincing all the mates that it's not that hard to build a WFO, that they're the ducks nuts and that they should have a crack at one.

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven


Dear Worb
Good ta hear from you again....
Got the water probs sorted I guess. Mines Dry now and sealed the only spot that will allow water in is the hearth bricks.... You can hear the little beggers such the water down. Just put a small tarp over these and probs solved looks a bi ugly but I'll think of something.
Met Jas the other day face to face ...he dropped into the shop... nice bloke like I expected. He's trying to finish of the oven its fully enclosed and he has to finish a perminent roof and a render finish. I had a good laugh when he admitted to showing more people pics of his oven that those of his kids.....sound familar!!!!!
Got a new toy.. an infrared thermometer... grat piece of kit!!!
Just point and wherever the lazer dot lands it will show the temp rated to
540C (1000F) The cat however does get nervoius when the red dot lands on him
Regards Dave

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

[ATTACH]23528[/ATTACH]
The cat however does get nervoius when the red dot lands on him

Have thought about the infra red thermometer but know it would end in tears when I try and take the missus's temperature while she's watching "home and away".

But you've got me curious now, what is the surface temperature of a nervous cat????

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

[ATTACH]23528[/ATTACH]
Got the water probs sorted I guess. Mines Dry now and sealed the only spot that will allow water in is the hearth bricks.... You can hear the little beggers such the water down. Just put a small tarp over these and probs solved looks a bi ugly but I'll think of something.

By the way, the built looks the goods Dave. I am always impressed by a man that can hang a gate/fence/doors straight. As long as my arse points to the ground, that is a feat I will never be able to pull off.

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Dear Worb
There's ya problem your bum points strait to the ground... forget the straight bit.
Use to work for a builder doing renos on old queenslanders ... nothings strait
Rob use to say "Suck it up.. no use complaining "My work is strait" piss the level off stand back and look to see if it looks ...well strait ... if it does Its Straight.
Another great lesson in life was... Not To Throw Rocks At Girls..but that one got me into real trouble.....
Got a great toy/tool for your quest for the perfect roast a.......... meat thermometer. you can pick them up anywere bet ya ca find one in the local supermarket pots and pans section.
You stick um in the roast so the ends basically in the middle when it reachs the perfect temp for the type of meat and what you want rare med etc you pull the roast out. Most are even marked you know Lamb med Beef rare etc.
Bin using one for years ever now and then it get cooked or dropped and you just replace it

Regards Dave

[Worb]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Dave, I have a meat thermometer (somewhere) I'll have to dig 'er out and have a crack. The only thing is the missus is ONE OF THEM that will not eat a roast until the bloody thing is cooked all the way through. I have all but given up on roast cow because it kills me to to ruin a beautiful slab of meat.

The old man and the brother are coming down tomorrow to swap bikes (a 96 suzy bandit for a little sporty, not a bad deal I reckon) Oh well, if I must, I'll have to fire the oven, just to be social mind you.

I'm still tonguing to have a go at salt & pepper squid on the hearth. The only problem is being out in the bush it's tough to buy decent seafood. There's a seafood van doing the rounds but I'm a bit dicey buying anything out the back of a truck, let alone foodstuff with a very narrow shelf life.

Any suggestions for an easy, decent feed I can set and forget (more than likely gonna have a few, and my culinary concentration fades after a few drinks)

[cobblerdave]

Re: QLD Pizza Oven

Dear Worb
Hears a recipe if you like seafood ...its a bit of a favourite with my tribe and best thing you just use frozen fish fillets from the supermarket. He's the base recipe which you'll have to expand on cause it's only for 2

Thai fish cakes...
2 frozen fish fillets chopped
2 teaspoons Green Thai curry paste
12 green beens chopped real small
2 slices of bread break into small pieces
1 egg
put all ingredients in a blender give it a quite wiz to bring it together
Form into patties and grill on BBQ 1 to 2 mins a side

Bean salad
Can of three bean mix ( or any bean for that matter)
largist Tomato take the seeds out and chop
Cucumber wash and chop the lot skin and all
fine chopped onion or spring onion
Dressing tablespoon olive oil. lemon juice say 2 tablespoons, 2 teaspoons seeded mustard salt pepper to taste wisk up and add to mix.

Sorry if the amounts sound strange this is home recipe so its usually done by eye. It tastes good and is easy to knock together quickly and looks and tastes a bit more fancy than the effort and ingredients.

Regards Dave