should I go wood?

[JOSHUAFINANCIAL]

Re: should I go wood?

This is an old thread, and I know the topic is covered elswhere in the Forum; but...
Heat is heat. It shouldn't make a difference to taste. The only advantage I can imagine with wood - which might impact the product experience - is that the deck of the oven should get hotter, faster, and probably maintains temperature better than gas.

[that is to say, gas burner like the Drago installed through the floor of an FB-type igloo. I am not commenting on commercial stone deck ovens fired with gas. Nor am I commenting on igloo-type ovens designed for gas-only operation. I assume that the engineers have designed those products to address the issues.]

This is a guess : ) I only know for sure that when I've let pizza hit the deck when the deck wasn't hot enough, the product cooks unevenly (topings and crust burning before dough cooks through & cheese not getting a good melt/spread).

In no way do I taste wood (other than ash and the occasional smoldering ember).

[BurntFingers]

Re: should I go wood?

If you lift the peel towards the end of the cooking so that the smoke from the burning wood wafts over it. The pizza will then get the hint of the smokey flavor of the wood. Using Cherry wood vs. Oak you will notice the subtle difference in taste. Yes, the temperature of the hearth makes a significant difference in the cooking of the dough. Also the type of flour used varies the proper temperature. American flour cooks a lower temperature than imported Italian flours due to the sugar content coming from the barley in American flours.

[Jim Bob]

Re: should I go wood?

It's been a while since I posted on the forum. The discussion about wood vs gas will go on for some time, but I can tell you for sure that using wood in fact does impart more flavor from its smoke and definitely is a more moist heat. Heat is heat in my mind is not a legitimate argument. By continually throwing new pieces of oak or hickory or fruit woods on the fire, there is always that smokey flavor absorbed by the pizzas. I did make one big mistake last yr and that was using lump charcoal to start the fire. It was definitely hotter much quicker than wood, but I believe it was what caused the fire brick on the floor to break down and crumble. Oven is a 36" one & is 4 yrs old. I had to replace 12 bricks. First I had to find a friend small enough & willing enough to crawl in that 19" opening do the work. Tricky part was getting that first brick out!. But oven is good as new now and all my friends can't wait for any firings that happen on weekends.