What fire wood should I not use?

[edschmidt]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

If WFO stands for Wood Fired Oven both domes and AS ovens are WFO's and when cooking pizzas, and high temp. flat breads they are fired the same. Many domes have as much or more mass as AS ovens and will cook without fire as long or longer. In the real world the only difference I see is in the rediculous time required to bring the AS ovens to temp. My theory is that this is caused by

#1 The fire having a direct route up the vertical walls to the top of the oven and straight out the chimney

#2 The fact that this heat (being radient) is directional, therefore a parabala or dome has all area radiating to the center. The AS design has about 50% of the mass radiating heat at the other side and above the food.

I think I got off topic, Sorry.

[jwnorris]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

If WFO stands for Wood Fired Oven both domes and AS ovens are WFO's <snip>

I should have said DOME instead of WFO. I guess the point that I was trying to make is that most barrel shaped ovens seem to have more mass that most domes and therefore take more time to saturate with heat.

J W

[charlesaf3]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

I would never burn pine, or any softwood, in anything but a campfire. Your chance of a destructive creosote fire is really high, which would pretty much destroy the oven.

Some dry wood will burn too hot, with possibilities of thermal shock, but I'm less worried about that.

[edschmidt]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

I always burn pine to get my oven up to temp, then switch to hardwood at the end in order to get longer lasting hotter coals. As far as the creosote goes unless you never fully soak your oven beyond the 800 deg. range this shouldnt be a problem. It all gasifies and goes up leaves the oven at that point. I guess I cant make generalizations, but I do not worry about my oven being delicate, Ill toss in a snowball in order to add steam, and fire it soo hot that I cannot get within 3 feet of the thing with no ill effects (unless you count that one little fire, but that was easy to fit (next time will use non combustible roof sheeting)
Eddie

[charlesaf3]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

creosote could offgas. It could also taint the food. I'd think the reasons its a no-no in a fireplace or would stove would apply even stronger to an oven, because of the flavor problem.

Chimney fires are hard on masonry. Granted, if its not attached to your house the risks aren't as risky.

[dmun]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

Creosote isn't a problem with fires run at full blast like in a pizza oven. The volatiles are mostly combusted at the high fire temperatures, and the ovens are only used from time to time. The all night smolders you get from a damped down wood stove, are the problem in flue fires.

The only problem with pine in my book is that it spits and pops. In actual pizza cooking I try to switch to hardwood pieces so I don't get cinders in with the mozzarella.

[charlesaf3]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

Creosote isn't a problem with fires run at full blast like in a pizza oven. The volatiles are mostly combusted at the high fire temperatures, and the ovens are only used from time to time. The all night smolders you get from a damped down wood stove, are the problem in flue fires.

The only problem with pine in my book is that it spits and pops. In actual pizza cooking I try to switch to hardwood pieces so I don't get cinders in with the mozzarella.

While I take your point, and the length of the flue supports you as well, I continue to think burning something with creosote in a masonry oven is a poor idea. Its a bad idea in a fireplace too, even a hot one. And its an awful idea in a wood stove - it didn't cross my mind someone would do that, but yeah, that's really bad. Not just because of the smoldering, but because of the cooling in the smoke column - which again is indeed less of an issue in an oven - and because of the low oxygen combustion, which seems like it would be similar in an oven - an oven is in some respects a ceramic stove.

This is my first oven, but I've been a developer/builder for years. A creosote fire is a great way to wreck a masonry fire appliance. Granted the house is unlikely to burn down too, which is the usual big fear with creosote in a fireplace.

[Neil2]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

If you don't want your pine, send it to me. I'll use it.

[charlesaf3]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

I'd be happy to get rid of it! I've been using pine logs as landscape timbers.

Luckily I just took down an acre of oak, so I've got dried oak coming out of my ears. And poplar, which I use in the fireplace, but won't use to cook with (I've been grilling over wood logs for a while now - the oven got built as an offshoot of finally building a decent sized - 6x2.5 grate - grill.

The whole behemoth is around 16 feet x 4 feet x 12 feet tall or so. I built it into the side of the hill and put wood storage on the first level.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

Hey Charles,
Curious as to why you dont use the poplar to cook with, I have a bunch I've been using in the oven and seems fine ? I dont care to use pine either, 2 x 4's and scraps yes, for startup,

I do have a few red cedar logs, Anyone care to comment ? I was going to save them for the chiminea....

Mark

[mfiore]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

OK, I'm going to have to ask. What about cardboard? I realize you don't get sustained heat, but I have 3 boys. I can pull a ton of cardboard and paper out of the recycle box every week to keep quite a nice fire for a while. Any problems burning those for a while before adding wood?

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

maybe to help light the fire.... I think its probably better off in recycling though

[charlesaf3]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

Poplar - I know of no chemical reason not to burn it. My thought is more along the lines of a) it burns too fast, ie harder to regulate (more of a grill thing) b) if you are going to go to the trouble of using good ingredients like 00 flour etc, why use a wood that doesn't add? Hardwood smoke smells better to me - I use oak, because I have it, but I'm going to plant cherry and apple for that reason, so one day I'll have that.

Cardboard? As long as there isn't anything toxic I don't see any problem, but I don't think you'll get much heat out of it. I wouldn't put colored inks in there. Bear in mind you'll be eating the end product...

Cedar - no way would I do that. Softwood, and I don't think I'd like cedar flavored pizza. Its very aromatic...

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

Cedar - no way would I do that. Softwood, and I don't think I'd like cedar flavored pizza. Its very aromatic...

Then for sure the cedar goes in the chiminea

[edschmidt]

Re: What fire wood should I not use?

The creosote offgassing into the food is not a problem because you only cook long after the creosote is long gone, you dont get any new buildup above 800deg. as far as the coals adding flavor to food I dont buy it. I do smoke in my oven, in fact I just cold smoked a nice confit pork loin which does add flavor, coals on the other hand do not produce smoke, or flavor, when my oven is up to temp there is no smoke to add a flavor to the food, I think this is a misnomer.
Eddie