It is begun

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

124 degrees 96 hours after flame out, outer door at 82, ambient 74 degrees. This door will definitely work.

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

I did the first full range cook last weekend. Pizza on Friday night, Bread Saturday morning, Brisket Saturday afternoon, and drying Jalapenos since. I had to cool the oven Saturday morning to get it down to 500, and some more after the bread to get it down to 250 for the brisket.




Knocked out 6 in 30 minutes. I tried cooking them on the pans to speed up prep, and I think I will continue to do so. They break loose by the first turn anyway if I want to take them off.

The bread was a major fail, I rushed it too much and didn't get enough rise, so I just hollowed a couple out and made some artichoke dip.



The brisket was excellent, though. I dry rubbed it Friday, hit it 15 minutes per side on the grill, then wrapped it tinfoil with some homemade Carolina style BBQ sauce, onions, jalapenos, and garlic, and let it cook for 8 hours. MMMmmmm good!



After I took that out, I just tossed in a pound or so of Japs and doored it up. They should be done when I get home.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: It is begun

The 8 hour brisket looks great! What temp was it at when you put it in?
Also, your bread looks good for a "major fail". Nice color on the crust. A better rise and correct / even oven temp should make them even better than they look now. Isn't it great to cook all weekend long from a single firing?
Cheers, Dino

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

The brisket went in at around 240 and came out at about 220. The crust on the bread was good, I cut it up (with scissors!) into thin strips and used them to dip, but the interior, while full of bubbles, was doughy.

I always find myself hurrying even though I know there is no need. I have to work on that.

[Derkp]

Re: It is begun

Beautiful!!! Tom,

Oven and Food.

I am about to get serious, bought block and steel today.
What are the inside floor dimesions of your oven? I am looking at 27 X 36 actual floor size. Does that sound odd or ok or does it matter that much?

Looking foreward to more bread photos.

Derk

[eprante]

Re: It is begun

Tscar,
Very nice job of using the oven- too bad the bread didn't taste as good as it looks. I hate it when that happens. I hope you have kids at home to eat all that food, or at least hungry friends. I have to make a door!
Eric

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

My youngest daughter (13) sneers at my pizza, but my oldest (17) will eat all I make. My neighbors get their share, and once I get the bread down pat I will be pushing it on people like I do the peppers and tomatoes I grow.

27x36 sounds good, but I would definitely offset the inner arch from the main arch even more than I did. Mine is 22x36, with a 4" offset on the inner arch, if I remember right.

I haven't decided for sure, but I think this weekend will be Pizza on Saturday, baked beans and deer sausage and bread on Sunday.

[Derkp]

Re: It is begun

We have 17 year old boy(the whole thing was his idea, in the beginning), 14-girl, 11-boy, and the one that is the most help 4 Gavin.

By offset do you mean :

Distance between inner and outer arch?
Height difference between inner and outer?
Height difference between oven ceiling and first arch?

Thanks

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

In the pic above showing three pizzas in the oven, you will notice that the inner arch on the right is 1" from the side of the oven vault and on the left it is 4" from the oven side.

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

Here is a better picture:

[John K]

Re: It is begun

Hi Tsarborough.

You should be proud of all the work you have put in and the finally finished oven looks great!! And all that food has been perfectly cooked!! congrats!

I have a quick question around your smoke chamber opening?

Here are some pictures to explain how the smoke chamber will work. The 8x8 flue liner will be at the top with a brick wrap.

What is the measurement from the inner vault arch to the outside arch? 7inches?

I am trying to work out measurements for my chimney design and need all the help I can get.

cheers

[Tscarborough]

Re: It is begun

Thanks, 7" is about right.

[Tscarborough]

Door #2 bites the Dust

Time to go to plan C. All of the thinset simultaneously released on my second door (I dropped the part that broke). I now have castable insulating refractory available, so that will be the next version. This one still works fine (as does Door #1), but it is in even more pieces than Door #1, and takes a couple of seconds to assemble in the opening.

[david s]

Re: It is begun

I didn't think the aerated concrete panel would last long. Mine did exactly the same thing. Cracked down the middle. It is not as good as the manufacturers claim and it uses portland cement in its manufacture. I also tried castable refractory and found that if made strong enough it was too dense and didn't insulate well enough and if too much insulation (perlite) added to the mix it was too brittle. I've now gone back to a wooden door, with an insulation panel, that I can handle with one hand.

[Derkp]

Re: It is begun

Does Castable refractory require a HIGH temp to cure? I purchased my fireclay from a local refractory supply and was left with that impression.