New Member here

[Richie]

Great site everyone. Thanks to all for everything I have learned so far just reading past posts. I am in the finishing stages of completing a "pre-fab" oven that competes with this site so I won't mention the maker out of courtesy.

I need tips on building the actual fire, where to find good cooking tools and dishes at reasonable prices, and where to find recipes for other stuff to cook in my oven besides pizza.

thanks to all

[CanuckJim]

Re: New Member here

Richie,

Your timing is excellent. Go to the main Forno Bravo site and download the free e-Book PDF, Wood-Fired Cooking. You'll find it under the Books and Manuals heading in the left hand column. It's just been released, and it covers everything from oven management and firing to recipes for all kinds of dishes you can make in your oven.

I don't think you'll find anybody here that will object to your having an oven made by a competitor. The point of this forum is to share knowledge about building, cooking, and, most importantly, eating .

Cheers,
Jim

[maver]

Re: New Member here

I need tips on building the actual fire, where to find good cooking tools and dishes at reasonable prices.

thanks to all

For the tools, dishes, look at the online store. Hard to imagine finding a better resource for peels (I love the turning peel, I don't know how I made pizza without it).

Fire management - there's a whole section of this forum related to that. Start there, especially the stickies. Be sure you cure your oven properly, then start building scary big fires for the firing phase, you end up learning the cooking fire by experience but look in the forum for descriptions of how big a cooking fire you need, it's very helpful.

[james]

Re: New Member here

Welcome aboard Richie,

Make sure to send us a photo of your oven. That's always fun. There is also a section in the new e-Book on fire starting and fire management, and also tons of info on-line at FB.com. We also have nice bakeware and lots of tools and gadgets on the FB Store.

As a general note, we just added a commercial-grade pizza cutter and a few new pizza serving tools to the store.

Mavier is right on taking your time curing the oven. Don't push it, and it will get there.
James

[Richie]

Re: New Member here

Thanks Jim, maver and James, appreciate the help.

I have looked all over for the links to the E-books, can you send me a link to them. Many thanks.

Also, for the Texas group out there, Oak, Pecan, Mesquite or a combination of all?

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: New Member here

You have to "order" the books from the store.

Here is the link to the store and books:
Instruction Manuals and eBooks :: Forno Bravo Store

They are free...

Hope that helps!

Drake

[Chris]

Re: New Member here

I prefer oak for smoking BBQ, but for grilling or oven use any or all of those woods will be great.

[Richard]

Re: New Member here

Would not recommned mesquite in wood buring oven.

I use Oak and occasionally almond. Almond has a tendency to "pop"

[Richie]

Woods of Choice from Texas

What a helpful group, thanks everyone.

Now another anal question for the Texas members. I was at a buddies place over the weekend, the big storm Friday night rolls through and wake up to huge trees down in the morning. We cut all morning on a Water Oak. In a couple of weeks we will tackle a Pin Oak. These were awesome trees, multiple cords out of each.

Ramble on.... Much more bark on a Pin Oak than a Water Oak. Does it matter which Oak to use?

[Chris]

Re: New Member here

I guess you can answer your "which kind of wood" question. The best kind of wood is free wood!

If you split and season the wood, I wouldn't expect much difference.

I've only had a few fires in my oven so far, but the well-seasoned (cut more than two years ago) oak split to less than 3 inches thick lit just about instantly when tossed on the coals. A 2-inch branch that was cut last fall did nothing but smolder for hours.

I picked up a moisture meter from Harbor Freight last week. If I ever run out of free wood, I'm going to make sure to check any wood I buy before they unload it. I don't have the space or the patience to season a cord of wood all summer.

[Xabia Jim]

Re: New Member here

No doubt about it, the best wood is free wood!

Richie, if you find that one of the oaks burns differently then just save it for a different purpose....like heating up the oven as opposed to using it while cooking.

I like to use old pallets for generating heat as they burn great and are well seasoned (dry), then I use other woods like oak and olive for the burning fire while making pizza or baking.

A touch of any other smoking woods can be nice for flavor when grilling. I used to save my pruned branches from an apple tree but more recently I have purchased the wood chips and soaked them for use on the BBQ (Apple, Alder, Hickory, Mesquite, etc.) and using branches with your fire will add flavor when you want it for grilling meats, etc.

Enjoy....