Lighting interior while cooking?

[pfennigthecat]

I saw a thread a while back where someone included a light of some sort embedded in a brick in their vent arch so that it would illuminate the interior of the oven while cooking. I can't find that thread now as any search for "light" returns lots of info about brick weight and the like.

Does anyone know if there are good techniques to light the interior? Special light sources that can deal with the intense heat better, even if installed in the vent arch and pointing in rather than in the dome itself? Mounting tips so that a light can still point into the dome area without interfering with a door?

In case anyone else is attempting a similar search, here are some keywords for the search engine:
lighting shine bulb illuminate LED halogen cooklight
... can't think of any others yet. I will continue searching and will post back if I finally find the one thread I did recall seeing....

[pfennigthecat]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

Lol, 5 minutes after posting, I tried google instead of the forum search. Search term "lamp site:fornobravo.com" found this as the first result, though, searching for "lighting" in FB forum search didn't find it:
"Lighting the oven chamber"
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/l...ber-17445.html


Any other interested parties should go there for more info.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

Keep a log burning.

[C5dad]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

If you want a lighted interior - look at windage - he has a sweet low tech/high tech setup!! Check out the commercial section.

CW

[Lburou]

Your worries will pass....

I remember concern during my planning and building phases about seeing that pizza while it cooks. Like Tscarborough said, some fresh wood on the coals makes a nice light. I ended up with a light over the oven entrance. behind my head and five feet up. It just hits the floor of the entrance. But, again, the light from the fire is plenty adequate to see out to the beginning of the entrance.

[mrchipster]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

I like the idea of lights inside the arch but alas to late for me... I came up with a light on a gooseneck that works well and it is a requirement to have light when baking bread at night or anything at night without a live fire.

I know the photos are poor but you can get the idea.

Chip

[Lburou]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

I understand now why you need a light. It looks like you have it figured out....I like the window in the door!

[Les]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

I like the idea of lights inside the arch but alas to late for me...

Ditto - After looking into it, it seems like you could place a couple of quarts glass planes on each side of the dome and shine a light through. Sacrifice a little heat retention for night time use. I think that would be a good trade...

[mrchipster]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

I understand now why you need a light. It looks like you have it figured out....I like the window in the door!

Glass for the door is a Pyrex or pyrex like fry pan lid that is high temp soliconed to a lightly insulated door, I only use the window door at the end of baking after the 5 minute steaming of the oven or at the end of a roasting cycle for chicken or something I need to keep an eye on. The big insulated door is on at all other times for heat retention at times of no fire.

It seems to work well. Steams up when there is a temperature differential but once the door and glass get warm the steam goes away.

Chip

[ATK406]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

Very creative solution, well done. I might borrow that idea someday (along with the design of your roof/enclosure). Actually I had already started to design the roof when I saw yours and said "that's what I'm talking about!".

We mostly cook pizzas and slow cook/smoke meats (ribs, brisket, pork etc.). I havn't constructed a real door yet (currently just using a peice of cement board that has been cut to shape). I've been wondering if a window or glass door would get too sooted up to see when we're smoking. Since you're cooking with retained heat that should not be a concern for you.

I know there's a posting on here somewhere with a door that is made of tempered glass (I think that is what it is). I have to look it up and see if he's got some insight on my soot concerns.

Thanks for sharing so much information here always interesting to see how other people get things done.

Regards,
AT

[mrchipster]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

I've been wondering if a window or glass door would get too sooted up to see when we're smoking. Since you're cooking with retained heat that should not be a concern for you.

I know there's a posting on here somewhere with a door that is made of tempered glass (I think that is what it is). I have to look it up and see if he's got some insight on my soot concerns.

Soot is easily removed by taking a paste of water and ash from the remains of the previous fire, rubs right off. We have used this technique on our glass fireplace doors for years. No soot on the Oven door because I have not used it with a live fire.

What is your process for smoking I am just getting into it.

Chip

[ATK406]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

We’re still relatively new at this. I started my build in April and we just had our first pizza party in mid September. We’ve probably had 8-10 parties since then so we’re learning fast.

We usually smoke the day after we cook pizza. I don’t heat my oven as much as some people do. I usually start with the floor at around 700 with a good 15-20” fire rolling up the wall. When I’m done cooking pizza the floor has dropped to 580 and the walls are still around 650 - 700. If we aren’t cooking anything else that night, I leave the door off for 4 or 5 hours to allow some of the heat to dissipate. The next day our oven is around 250 on the floor and 350 on the walls (I should have used more insulation under my hearth – too late now). Sometimes there aren’t enough hot coals left from the night before so I have to light another small fire. I’m not trying to reheat my oven so much as to build up a fresh bed of coals to smolder the wood that I am going to use for smoking. If you have larger pieces of charcoal left over in your ash bucket from previous fires, these reheat very quickly and are great for building up a fresh bed of coals without creating a lot of heat. I wrap them in newspaper (roll ‘em up like a burrito) and light them on fire with a few pieces of fresh wood tinder/kindling to sustain the fire. I generally heat my oven with Red Oak or Ash, but when I smoke I use Apple, Cherry or Mesquite (I’m on the hunt for some Hickory). With a bed of coals about 10”-12” inches around and 2”-3” tall I am ready.

My wife will prepare the meat the night before (usually a spice rub then wrapped in plastic). We put a few cups of water with some concentrated apple juice and some sliced apples in the bottom of a tray. We unwrap the meat and put it on a rack to hold it out of the water. If my oven is still too hot (above 250) I will wipe the floor down with a damp sponge. This usually knocks the temperature down by 15-20 degrees (I’m targeting just over 200 on the floor). Before I put the tray in the oven, I put a handful of wood (Apple, Cherry whatever) that has been soaking in water for 20 – 30 minutes onto my bed of coals. If I don’t get smoke right away, I use my bellows to pump some air over the coals just to be sure I have enough heat to get the wood smoldering. When I’ve got smoke, I put the tray in the oven and close the door leaving just a crack to allow in some air. The trick to smoking is keeping the wood smoldering without letting it get too hot and bursting into flames. You have to keep an eye on it and keep feeding it with small pieces of wood (I alternate between wet and dry wood to manage the heat in my coal bed).

We leave the meat in the oven for 2-3 hrs before taking it out and rotating it on the rack. If the water has evaporated you should add some more water to the tray at this point. Another 2-3 hours with the smoke and then we wrap it in foil (to retain the heat and keep it from drying out) and let it sit until we’re ready to eat. I’ve heard of people smoking ribs for 8-12 hours. My oven is probably still too hot for that, and besides, we don’t get up that early on a Sunday after a Pizza party on Saturday night.

Sorry for the long winded story, just trying to relay what I know. Anyway the ribs, beef brisket and pulled pork we’ve cooked so far have been terrific. I’m going to try jerky over the holidays. Beer Can Chicken and Turkey are great too but that is a different story.

Regards,
AT

[ATK406]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

BTW..I lost about 10 lbs building my oven this Summer, but I've gained it all back (and some) since I finished. I think building an oven is great for the soul but not so good for your health.

The finish on my outdoor kitchen is going to have to be HUGE if I'm ever going to get back to where I started.

[mrchipster]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

Fantastic write up. My only question is why the oven off the door waste of great heat for other foods and you could smoke after the 3rd or 4th day?

Ok so I have another question, do you chip the apple or use small sticks. Or some other shape?

Chip

[ATK406]

Re: Lighting interior while cooking?

Tell you what, I'll create a new thread under one of the other forum categories as I'm afraid that I have strayed WAY off the subject line of this thread.