Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

[dconnolly]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

I too have wood pellets for home heating in the winter (Nebraska), and they are great source of heat. I have thought about trying them, but my concern is that they require some degree of draft or moving air to help them burn. I may give them a go Wednesday evening (Oct 12) and see if they work. If so, I will post back and let you know what happens.

[ja1724]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

I do alot of low & slow meat smoking up here in CT. I love the cowboy lump charcoal. I mix it with red oak, apple & hickory. Mighty tasty BBQ. I just hope my pizzas come out as good as the BBQ.

[Ken524]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Thanks for the tip! I've seen Royal Oak in the stores here in Louisville. I'll give it a try!

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Ken,

We love our pulled pork and brisket cooked low and slow in the smoker too. Don't know about coal content in briquettes, but we are big fans of oak lump in the firebox. My favorite is Royal Oak and Cowboy Lump is another national brand available locally. If you can get hickory lump it goes great mixed in with the oak and an occasional piece of red oak wood doesn't hurt either!

[Ken524]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Nowadays charcoal briquettes are full of "mineral carbon" aka coal.

Maybe this should be a whole new thread... I use my smoker quite a bit; I love smoked pork shoulder, chicken, turkey, etc.

I have been using commercially made Kingston Charcoal Briquettes. I didn't realize they had mineral carbon in them. Should I be smoking with lump (natural) charcoal instead?

[dmun]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Maybe it's the sulfur content. Nowadays charcoal briquettes are full of "mineral carbon" aka coal.

[david s]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Thanks Ken,
That was the kind of answer I was seeking.
In Australia we have a poultice of brown coal which keeps our economy buoyant, but also happens to be the dirtiest kind of coal to burn re emissions.
Unless you blast this stuff with forced air (oxygen) it does not get super hot. I presume experience with floor damage has led FB to adopt the no charcoal/coal policy.
I still feel my remarks about avoiding flame to the crown of the dome still apply as excessive heat there can be damaging to the dome while the base is still way cooler.

[ja1724]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Ken,

That's what I figured also about the charcoal. So I just used small kindling and kept the heat between 200-300 for about three hours. I also tried to use the hardwood pellets once the fire got going a bit, but they just kind of put the fire out so I wouldn't recommend them to anybody for use in curing their oven.

[Ken524]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

I notice in this discussion that the terms "coal" and "charcoal" are being used interchangeably. I also notice that we have members participating from two different countries (separated by a common language) . I wonder if we talking about two different things...

In the US, "coal" refers to the black rocks we dig out of mountains and burn for electricity (and in "coal-fired" pizza ovens).

When we talk about "Charcoal", it is a wood product made from wood chips that are compressed to a square shape and heated to a high temperature in the absence of oxygen.

I took a look at the Casa warranty on the FB website and it mentions that both charcoal AND coal will void the warranty due to uneven heating characteristics and possible excessively high heat.

My own opinion for a Pompeii is that using charcoal briquettes for curing is a waste of money.

So there you go!

[david s]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Can someone please shed some light on this charcoal mystery?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Does anyone know the reason that coal should not be used in a wood oven?

Only to cover your arse.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

If it were a Pompeii kit bought from us, you cannot use charcoal without voiding the warranty.

There must be something in the application of coal heat that compromises the integrity of the specific Forno Bravo cast dome material. It sure would be valuable to share this with the cast oven builders on this site what injurious properties coal presents to their ovens.

[david s]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

I can't think why charcoal would damage the oven. Castable refractories are designed for boilers and furnaces that often use coal fuels. Does anyone know the reason that coal should not be used in a wood oven?

[mrchipster]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Hello Ja1724,

If it were a Pompeii kit bought from us, you cannot use charcoal without voiding the warranty. If you bought the materials and built the oven yourself, it's up to you.

You may want to check with the vendors of the materials, to make sure the coal will not damage your oven.

Thanks,
Heidi

My feeling is heat is heat and if you are concerned about direct heat on the floor put the charcoal on an elevated grate like they do in a Weber grill. if you really want to be safe put a cookie sheet under the grate and catch all of the ash. The coals will never touch the floor and a little ash may fall through but carbon is carbon.

Just my two cents.

Chip

[ja1724]

Re: Ever use wood pellets to cure the oven?

Thanks Heidi. I bought the materials locally. I decided not to use the charcoal and just use small kindling wood just in case. I've had a nice little burner going at between 200-300 degrees for about 3 hours now. Can't wait to do the next one tomorrow...