Starting your fire

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Starting your fire

Welcome Woodrow

I'm a pyro from way back. Heated with wood only in upper Michigan and in Minneapolis too! Burned many a open fire...nothing like a fire, every one is different!

Crumpled up paper, small pieces of wood, larger pieces of wood. Light with match and let 'er burn. Log cabin style or teepee, if it starts small and gets air, it's going to burn as you add larger pieces of wood.

Bad fire, wet wood? The small propane torch is great! I've used it regularly to get my paella pit fires going. (Green wood?, switch to the indoor oven)

I tend to use a lot of junk wood to get a fire burning. I kind of get ready for the fire....Sticks picked up in the yard, pieces of pallets, paper and wood trash, bark...whatever, if it burns I'll use it! (Okay, I have not tried tires! and I stay away from hazardous waste) But, save your pinecones or pick some up when you pass some conifers....they make a great fire starter.

My philosophy is to get the fire burning and hot...save the better woods for cooking once the fire is hot. I do use pine here but it's a dense southern style pine that has been well dried. It actually provides a nice flavor. I also use designer chips (hickory, mesquite, apple...in Michigan) soaked in water and put on or near the fire when you want a nice smoke flavor.

And the best fire aroma? Yes, some rosemary branches near the fire while you're cooking whatever with your friends...natural air freshener.

[woodrow]

Re: Starting your fire

I'm new to the forum but have been cooking on my pizza oven for about 3 years. I start the fire with Weber Fire starting cubes, available at almost all BBQ stores, BBQ Galore here in Sacramento. Build a log cabin of hardwood kindling, or dead branches from fruit or other hardwood around 3 cubes to start the fire. I do not use pine in the oven as it leaves to much resin and a bad flavor. Oak and almond are availabe for the 1/4, 1/2 and full cord around here. The fire starting cubes, about 1 inch square, leave no residue and burn long enough to start the kindling. After that its pretty standard. Put on 3-4 logs, burn down and push to the side, put on more wood and let the flame burn the soot of the dome. Push some coals to center to help heat the floor. I can get my floor temp to 700 and interior to est 850 to 900 in an hour.

[jayjay]

Rosin (like the stuff they put on the bows of violins)

We have a small package that comes wrapped in leaves here. It is called rosin, we open the leave, and spread a small amt on the stick, light the stick and then
put the stick in the bottom of the kindleing. The stuff is cheap. It is sticky, so one would need to avoid getting the stuff on your hands. Here in the Philippines many natives use rosin on a stick to start a fire to cook their daily meals. The rosin on the stick, light with a wooden match and put the stick on the hearth, then add other sticks or in the case of an oven, put the burning stick under tha kindling, works very quickly, cheaply and almost fool proof. No need for newspapers which are used to wrap fish in. The same newspaper may be used 50 times before it becomes starter for the evening meal.
JJ
Philippines

[CanuckJim]

Firelogs

Christo,

I've used wax, sawdust logs in my fireplace, too, but only when there was a thick bed of ash on the hearth. I'd stay away from them in your pizza oven, because the wax will penetrate the brick and the taste will be unpleasant.

Jim

[christo]

Any concerns about using the wax/sawdust starters?

Any concerns about using the wax/sawdust starters? They are basically mini wax firelogs. They work great in my fireplace, but maybe they should stay there.

Does the floor of the oven get hot enough to get rid of any parafin/wax residue? If I used them, I don't think I'd want to place them on the side to keep them away from pizza cooking surface.

I love the weedburner thing, but have way too many toys already....

Thanks!!!

[firepie]

Robert, after seeing your demo video, I had to order one of those. After all, any tool that gets the spouse to say "holy crap", is pretty impressive indeed.

My weed dragon arrived saturday just in time to start up the oven. I knew what to expect, and even I was saying "holy crap".

Thanks for demo, you should get a commission on these things.

Tom

[DrakeRemoray]

another flamethrower

I ran across this:
Weed Burner on Amazon.com
A little smaller than Musa's flame thrower and less expensive....not sure if I will get one yet, just FYI.
Drake

[stuart]

While not nearly as impressive as Robert's weed burner, I use a MAPP Gas cylinder with the torch on a flexible hose found as a kit in the Home Depot plumbing section. The 48" hose/handle gives you more flexibility and you aren't sticking the fuel source inside your oven. MAPP is a hotter burning gas than Propane and I find the cylinder last longer as I don't need to fire the torch as long with the hotter flame.

[redbricknick]

Fornowood.

Euacalyptus, or Gum as we Aussies call it is full of natural, pungent oils. Hence the name gum. Fire is imperative to the Gum trees life cycle, as very high temperatures are needed to pop open their seed pods. Those of you who have smelled Euacalyptus oil know what a distinct and pungent flavor that is. Not the type of flavor you want in your food. It has a tendency to pop and shoot as well which kicks up dust in an oven, and all over whatever you are cooking. Gum also creates a lot of creosote which is the condensation of unburned flammable particles in smoke. It will stick to your flue, and over time gunk it up. Chimneysweeps aren't as prevalent as in the old days, and finding one small enough to clean an oven flue would most probably be a nightmare. Also a firehazard.

Corrrectly seasoning any firewood is a must. Most softwoods season in one year, two years for hardwoods is normal. Seasoned wood should be white on the inside. Hardwoods are a lot denser, as they take longer to grow.

Incorrect seasoning causes wood to smolder and produce a colder fire. Colder fire, more smoke, less draw on your chimney, a lot of coughing guests... Try this.. Split your unseasoned hardwoods, and before you go to sleep after a night of oven cooking, clear your oven of ashes and hot embers, and season your firewood overnight with the remaining heat... It should work as a kiln. Great if you live in a colder place.

The best firewood is Madrone. It is a very dense hardwood which burns long and hot. The thinner you split your firewood, and the more air you feed your fire, the hotter your fire will be. I'm thinking of installing an air line to hook up to a little compresser so I can feed air to my fire. Bellows are great too. The ladies love a man who knows how to work the bellows... The worst firewood is white oak. It doesn't burn all the way, and smokes.

Sawmills, orchards, vineyards... There are so many great sources for firewood. Frank Ostini of the Hitching post restaurant in Buellton cooks with red wine barrel staves on special occasions. I have been lucky enough to have been there on my share of them, and the flavor they impart is definitely noticeable.. Big wineries have scads of old barrels, and if you can stand to see them burned, it's worth it. Perhaps driftwood imparts a salty flavor... Try burning dried herbs in your fire... If nothing else, it will add to the vibe of your evening, and make everyone think you are some kind of alchemist.

Of course, this was all a guess, so don't sue me if you spontaneously combust... Before burning any fruit wood, be sure and make certain the trees haven't been sprayed with pesticides and such. Poison makes pizza taste bad. And it kills you.

[CanuckJim]

Flamethrower

Robert,

Thanks for the flamethrower demo. I MUST have one of these things to light fires and incinerate the gators (aka monster mosquitoes) that we have here this time of year. Would also be useful for removing paint from cars. What a fine invention.

Jim

[james]

Nick,

What is the deal with Eucalyptus? I've never used it, but have heard that the oils are a problem. What does it do in an oven? I've fired with Chestnut, and it shot (with warning from the firewood company) sparks 6'-10' out of the mouth of the oven.

As you say, fruit woods are nice in an oven....

Can you say more on Eucalyptus?
James

[redbricknick]

wood

Uh, Musa.. I don't think "weed burner" was supposed to be taken literally... Eucalyptus no bueno.. Too much oil... L.A guy, here's what I would do. Go to a sawmill that specialises in hardwoods and talk to the operator about his offcuts. There are piles of them at a sawmill I've ben to on San Fernando Road Just don't take them all, because I'm going to be needing some in about a month or so. Then find the nearest orchard, and talk to the farmer about when he prunes his trees.. Take him a twelver, and return in the fall with a chainsaw and a truck and get all that wonderfully aromatic apple, almond and citrus wood everyone talks about... Fire your oven to heat with the hardwood offcuts, then cook with the fruit tree wood.

[Fio]

You're such a MAN

have posted a short (and poor quality) windows movie (.wmv file) at this location for your viewing pleasure and amusement. i purchased the 100,000 btu "weed dragon". what amazes me is that THIS IS THE SMALL ONE.

I like the way your wife showed restraint when she said "Holy CRAP!" I was thinking of another 4-letter word.

Pretty neat.

[dmun]

Wow

When I was a potter in high school, we used something VERY much like that to fire a raku kiln up to orange heat. Them's serious burners.

[Robert Musa]

i bought a flame thrower ...

have posted a short (and poor quality) windows movie (.wmv file) at this location for your viewing pleasure and amusement. i purchased the 100,000 btu "weed dragon". what amazes me is that THIS IS THE SMALL ONE. they also sell a 500,000 btu version. i already set one palm tree on fire requiring 4 buckets of water to extinguish (those little hairs on the trunk burn great). the unit is also outstanding for lighting charcoal. my charcoal chimney is now retired. buy one while they're still legal in california and be a hero to your (male) children. weed dragon website is here.