Acoma's cure

[RTflorida]

Re: Acoma's cure

Anyone have any experience burning almond?
I'm just curious how hot it burns. I know my first fire with an unfamiliar wood (my current load of citrus) I was damn close to being scared...I kept building the fire just like I had with oak and hickory in every previous fire.....got so hot (my IR went nuts registering over 1400 degrees) and I thought every joint was going to fail or something melt...REALLY intense, took almost 2 hrs to cool down enough for pizza.
Guess the point I'm trying to make...be carefull with the really dense hardwoods with high BTU ratings until you get a feel for how hot each additional log will make it.

RT

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

RT, you are correct. That is what I am attempting to learn with this wood too. The almond is near tops. Only a couple Oak varietis beat it. Almond is 32.9. This link shows a previous thread with ratings, and Mahogany is at almost 40. Now that's insane.

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/a...wood-2543.html

That is why I am carefully eyeing the heat and flames as they accumulate during the day. I am now very proud to be doing the new technique. It allows me to see how heat begins to saturate into the bricks, and upon doing so, how the Almond reacts. No messing around with this high BTU wood that keeps going, and going, and going.

[gjbingham]

Re: Acoma's cure

Good point RT,
A cooler burning wood like fir, alder, pallets cut up might be easier to maintain the temps. A well cure hardwood might be dangerous at this point. I'll come down and get rid of that almond for you.

[dusty]

Re: Acoma's cure

Very nice to be trying this revised curing method. To me, having used the old one, it makes much more sense. Logically, the small fire going all day would do much more moisture removal than a dinker little fire for three minutes a day. Plus, as Frances mentioned, the old one was infuriating! You would light a dinky little fire and then have to wait a whole day to light an other dinky lil' fire. No wonder we all have cracks! Patience tended to wear thin and fires tended to get prematurly large - at least that's my excuse.
I'm truly hoping that you will excape this vicious crack trend. I believe that this new method is, logically, FAR better than our old one. Can't wait for the results. Keep us posted daily.

'Cause...., us being oven geeks, or whatever, this is what we want to know.

dusty

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Acoma's cure

Almond is kind of like Olive wood, very dense. They are from arid regions. Almond will live over 100 years, Olive can live 500 years. Citrus woods are from these same areas. I think some woods from southern regions are more dense with less pitch. The spanish pines are dense and burn differently from northern pines found in Michigan.

Then again Oaks and Hornbeam (Ironwood) can be extremely dense too. They don't produce much ash like Maple or Birch does.

My Spanish friend said the best Paella comes from Orange wood fires.
Hope to get some and try that next.

....but for curing I used up my old pallets! (saved the good wood for cooking)

and yeah, I'm the culprit poster....sorry Riley!

[Frances]

Re: Acoma's cure

Well, RobertRobertRobert ... nice to get up this morning and read all about how its comming along! I'm getting more and more jelous of this new curing method, I can tell you.

Apart from that, I'm with Versachi: that big smile on your face says it all. What a lovely photo!

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Thank you everyone.

Yesterday, I had a prestart heat of 53 degrees, ending with 300 degrees.
This morning, the prestart temp was 164 degrees.

I looked over the inside of the oven as best I could at 5:30am this morning as I prepared for the 6am start. All was good, with no cracks to be seen, I feel more confident!

I will have another photo or two this afternoon.

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma's cure

So far so good. Keep it going Robert.!



Seems you are just about ready to cook something..

Or are you going to wait for pizza as your first meal?


Dave(Kenneth)

[asudavew]

Re: Acoma's cure

My next photo is a shot of the scrap on the left that the yard says I can pick up any time. The right side is of old fence that I cut into pieces. I notice that this fence goes up QUICK. Great for getting a flame going, and to manage the low heat, which is needed for the heavy Almond.

The other is of my Almond, and unfortunately the other photo of my larger (60%) stack did not show.

I would love to get my hands on that wood!!

[dalucca2003]

Re: Acoma's cure

Robert,

Where is the place you purchased the almond located? I am thinking next time I come up to Reno I may have to stop by and pick up some of that scrap wood....that is after I have devoured some pizzas from your nice looking oven.

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Dalucca, once you prepare to come in, let me know, and I can introduce you to them. I don't think they want people just getting scrap that have not bought any wood. I am positive that upon introducing you, it will be ok. They said they would just throw it away (mulch it) as the piles build up. Dave, I am sure you hate hearing that

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Dave, my strategy upon completion of cures, and hopefully no cracks, is to hold of pizzas for 5-10 heat ups. I am thinking that I will heat up to 700-800 range for those first 5-10, continue to drive out the moisture, and cook other foods. I think, and could be wrong, that when we finish our cure, go radical with heat, maybe even Plasma, that the mortar still is not done, and gives under the pressure, heat. This is only a guess, and I am documenting each day and step, so we will see. Trust me, I want the pizza, just not the cracks if I can pull it off.

[james]

Re: Acoma's cure

All was good, with no cracks to be seen, I feel more confident!

I will have another photo or two this afternoon.

Way to go Robert!
James

[Acoma]

Re: Acoma's cure

Thank you James.

After 7 hours of curing between 300-350 (rare moments of 375), the oven is starting to saturate a lot. If I put SMALL pieces in, it spikes, like 20 minutes ago when it went 390. I let the wood go down to minin embers and dust. It is not difficult to get new wood going again. I figured that after 30 minutes it will cool to 300 since I just checked it a few minutes ago, only to find it sitting at 352.

[james]

Re: Acoma's cure

This sounds just right. A lot of heat saturation at this very moderate heat will slowly bake all your water out.

Once you have done this cure, I think you will be really pleased with how your oven will quickly come up to cooking temperatures.

James


James