URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

[Puy de Dome]

ok, pizza day tomorrow, Saturday.

So I have dug out all my wood store, and this is it:



I know it's a poor photo, but is this enough for a regular pizza party for 25 people?

I got myself into this situation by getting to the back of my stack before I had realised what was going on.

I need to know urgently if I can get away with this amount of logs.

Please advise.

Tim

PdeD

[egalecki]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

I think so. I'm sure I didn't use that much for my big party last month. I'd say I used a stack about 3 feet tall by 3 feet high- but mine is split smaller than yours too, so I had more pieces. That shouldn't matter, though, especially for getting up to temp. You might want some smaller pieces to feed the fire while you're cooking- I don't like big pieces then.

[texassourdough]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Hi PdeD!

Looks like enough. Use the lumber for heating. I think you will use about 2/3 of it but??? depends on how long you fire...

It would be nice to have some longish pieces to put in while cooking. Can you buy a few sticks of oak?

Good luck!
Jay

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Great to hear from you guys, especially as it's so late here in the uk, nearly 11pm.

As it happens, Jay, I do have some oak - some unwanted skirting boards and some spindles from a stair case too.

You suggesting them for a particular reason?

I guess everything will be ok, by the sound of it. I just never got the back of my woodpile in the lat two years (I only fire about twice a year, due to local conditions: nearby neighbours).

P de D.

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

added... Jay, what do you mean by 'lumber'?

[texassourdough]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Hi PdeD!

By lumber I was referring to the boards. My reason for oak was that it burns longer and having a longer piece gives you more of a "curtain" of fire going up the side. You can achieve the same thing with chunks but it is a lot harder to control/move the pieces and organize the flames.

Hopefully your oven is dry!

If you have any friends in the group that you think have firewood, tell them it is a BYOW party (bring your own wood!)
Jay

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Thanks Jay.

P de D

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Well it all went really well, everyone!

I had enough wood and quite a bit over for this occasion.

Thanks for the help and reassurance.

Here are a couple of photos of a few things I did int he oven today, not the pizzas, I mean, they're ssoooooo easy, !!! LOL! Not easy at first, and the dough just right. That's 60% hydration, BTW.

Anyway, here's some garlic I put in an old tin can of vegetable oil and let simmer for an hour or so. I was a bit worried about the smoke point, or the point where it would burst into flames (maybe that IS the smoke point?)!



And in the process of eating:


... and





I did some carrots and leeks with garlic in a Le Creseut pot as well, but that'll have to go in another post.

I've got some regular bread to go in this second as I type, and will post that too. I've never done bread in the wfo before now! Oh, and I also did chicken thighs today, took about 25 minutes. Man, they went down a storm! And it was meant to be a children's birthday pizza party!

I can't help myself.

Cheers guys, you're the best.

Puy de Dome

ps, you shoulda seen my 'ommlette' done in a skillet

[texassourdough]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

The garlic is a good idea. Look forward to additional details!

Glad it went well!
Jay

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

HI Jay,

I couldn't post more than five pictures in that post, so didn't do th carrot ones. I'll try now.



Ah yes, there they are. Only tried them earlier to check; seemed nicely done.

Oh, yeah, here's the other pic I took. My sheet for the day where I kept a thermometer in two places in the oven. I don't have any thermocouples.



I'm planning on putting my cherished lamb in the oven int he morning, as a bit of a test for next year's half lamb.

I have closed the oven now, and the temp inside is basically 190c, so I'll see what it is doing in the morning to judge whether it's worth the risk of putting in my lamb pieces or not, or putting them in our regular house oven.

I have got some leg, shoulder, rack and one other cut I cannot remember the name of to try out. Gonna shield the tender cuts with foil, and roast for at least 5 hours, depending on what I find in the morning.

Have to say, I'm a bit knackered now, having done all that and some loaves of bread too, today.

Night night.


P de D

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Jay, for the garlic, I just left it in the can with the oil, and if I heard it start to bubble I'd move it away from the heat. I saw some cooks on a Spanish beach with garlic in a pot like this and that gave me the idea.

I thought the smell might waft over all, but it didn't really, but was nice to nibble now and then. And the cloves, quite large, extremely soft and sweet. Damn, at one point I pulled a clove off the main stalk and it left behind the very centre of the clove on the main 'bit' of the bulb. Of course, that was the best part of all!

I did roast some garlic bulbs, of course, and a very similar experience was had. I'm a garlic fan, btw. I also love anchovies, and very surprised than some, if not all ,of our guests today did not partake.

Oh, and while it's in my mind, has anyone tried pasta vongole? It's spaghetti (fresh ones hopes) with those tiny clams, and salt and pepper.

Better go.

P de D

[texassourdough]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Hi PdeD!

I am a garlic lover also. I try to always have roast garlic frozen for emergencies! I often "simmer" peeled cloves in oil also (makes not only great, creamy garlic but seriously great garlic oil for warding off vampires!).

I love pasta vognole! But I am a sucker for clams, garlic and almost anything else (and probably including cardboard but I haven't actually tried that!).

Good luck with the lamb! Look forward to seeing the results!
Jay

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

PdeD,

What a great idea the garlic is! Thanks for sharing.

John

[Puy de Dome]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Jay, the lamb was fine.

The oven temp the next morning was around 170 or so, and I thought it would take longer than a couple of hours to cook, but it was medium done when I went back 2.5 hours later.

I have another thread about cooking lamb, so I'll ask my questions about that over there.

Tim

[texassourdough]

Re: URGENT. Is this enough wood for a pizza firing?

Glad it worked! By 170 I assume you mean degrees C. That would be plenty hot enough to cook it.

Bravo!
Jay