Howdy from Texas

[jacktheknife]

Gentlemen,

I've just found this forum and am truly excited about it!
I have been making Pizza from scratch for 35 years and every Pizza is better than the last. I am learning all the time but lately have made a major culinary break through in that the 'wood Pizza oven' idea is new to me. I have never seen one used and haven't even heard of one till the last few days.
Pizza in a wood fired oven?

I have a grille, a smoker and live on 25 acres of which 15 is wooded. For the last few months I have been cutting 'cook wood' chips and storing it on the 'cooking porch' in net wire barrels. My last outdoor cooking post about Pizza was on an Outdoor Cooking forum but more specifically a BBQ forum.
Pizza was not the main focus and now I have found the correct forum for my Pizza interests. I love Pizza and made one last night the last 3/4 of which is to be my breakfast this morning. I've made Pizzas for 35 years and cooked BBQ for the same amount of time. Why not put the 2 together?


Thank you...


J. Winters von Knife
jacktheknife
{my friends just call me knife}

[Lburou]

Welcome

Knife, there is a lot of information on the forum, you just have to find it.

Take your time to grasp the information here, then make a plan for your own WFO....

[SableSprings]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Welcome Knife! As Lee noted above, there's lots of info available here...and be sure to check out The Pizza Quest by Peter Reinhart in the bottom section of Forum topics. Also, make sure you have a good Internet connection and take some time to sit back and browse through the photo galleries. It's amazing what some folks have built to appease the "pizza itch". The best part to me is that you can cook everything from chicken to cookies in the WFOs...it's just a matter of timing, organization, and a spirit of adventure.

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Hello Knife,

What part of Texas are you from?

Paul

[texassourdough]

Re: Howdy from Texas

It is a different critter and doesn't get much discussion around here but grilled pizza (as discussed in Reinhart's book American Pie) is really good too. Works best with TWO barbecues. One to cook what will be the top of the pie. Turn it over onto a cooler BBQ to make the pie. Then back onto the hotter one to finish (preferably covered to melt the cheese). Takes some practice and experience to do it well IMO. And IMO using a stone is WRONG. Doing it on the grate is what it is about IMO.

If you are ever in San Antonio Dough (near 410 and Blanco) is one of the best WFO pizzarias around!

Good Luck!
Jay

[jacktheknife]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Rockwallpaul,

I live on 'My 25 Acres' in south Dallas county.
Between IH 35 and IH 45, one mile from the Dallas/Ellis county line.
Jack the Knife's World Famous Fifth century forge, Knife shop and Skullery
Have you built a Pizza oven yet?
Jack the Knife

[Paul in Rockwall TX]

Re: Howdy from Texas

I built one - it's functional but not totally finished. Here's a few pics:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/memb...s-my-oven.html

[jacktheknife]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Paul,

All morning I have been checking out the WFO pictures you sent and I am truly inspired. A man could build a wood fired oven for a few bucks but everybody, me included instantly, upon deciding to build one decides to spend a thousand dollars on the oven which will be used to cook their culinary masterpiece's in. A work of art the oven is and rightly so.
I have derailed the carpet cleaning next month in order to get 4.5 yards of gravel to finish and level the place [the Oven] is to be. Yes I am truly inspired and working on it and thanks for the pictures I will give them a good study.


Jack the Knife
Sandymay and Dukedog

[jacktheknife]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Gentlemen,

I downloaded the Pompeii oven plans but I can't ever find PDF files, once downloaded. Where are they downloaded to? There not in documents, desktop, or anywhere else I usually download stuff.
Help!


Thank you...


Jack the Knife

[SableSprings]

Re: Howdy from Texas

If you are using Windows XP and Internet Explorer (or Firefox), the downloaded files by default are placed in a folder called downloads in your "my documents" folder. Go to "My Documents" and look for the download folder, double-click on it and it should show all your downloaded files AND the Forno Bravo pdf plan set. If it's not there, then the default was changed to some other location, download something small from anywhere and watch where it goes when you start the save to disk...your pdf will be in that same place.

[jacktheknife]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Sablesprings,

I found them! Documents - Downloads - right at the top!
I have been trying to figure that one out for years. I got the Pompeii plans but they wouldn't open. At least I found them, one thing at a time.
Thanks...


Jack the Knife...

[SableSprings]

Re: Howdy from Texas

Great! Glad to have helped find the missing plans. Next you need to have a pdf reader to open up the FB plans. Go to Adobe and in the lower right portion of their web page you'll see a download section with Adobe Reader. That's what you need to download and install to read pdf files. The Adobe Reader program is free (Version X 10.0.1 for Windows XP) and pretty useful --when you start looking around, you'll see a lot of documents such as instruction manuals are in the pdf format.

Be aware that the Acrobat Reader X download is 58 MB which can be pretty painful to download if you are on dial-up. Also, double check on the System Requirements (towards the top of the Adobe Reader X download page) to make sure your computer "qualifies". Let me know if you need any more help with this process.