Turning a Casa90 into Tuscan style

[JIM E]

Hi Everyone,

I'm excited because I just ordered the Casa90 and it arrived this week. However, I think I may have been a bit foolish because I didn't think to check if the Casa90's dimensions were more similar to the "Tuscan" or the "Neapolitan" style of ovens. Now that it's arrived, I can see that the dimensions definitely fit the Neapolitan style of oven. This is unfortunate because I had a Tuscan style oven in mind (for doing roasts and things like that). The door height on my oven is only 10", so it is going to be hard to fit a turkey through that. I was wondering if there is a way to modify it slightly to make it more Neapolitan in shape. I was thinking that rather than sitting the pre-made dome directly on the floor, I could put one more ring of firebrick around the perimeter, and sit the dome on that. This would essentially raise everything up by about 2" including the door height. Is there any reason why that wouldn't work? Or are there better solutions out there? I would be surprised I am the first person to want to modify it in this way. Thanks for any help!

[SableSprings]

Welcome Jim! I helped install a Casa 2G90 back in 2011, off the grid in British Columbia (HiHium Lake). Every year we have used it to cook roasts, ribs, bread, turkey, pies, cakes, pizza, and even a 15 pound suckling pig without problems. (Although we had to cut the head and feet off the pig...and foil together two half-sheets to get it in the oven .) In addition, I was actually tasked with finding out the height of a 20 pound turkey to address this exact issue you brought up...no problem fitting pretty big turkeys in this oven. We just got back from the lake yesterday and in the 9 days we were there, I baked 12 baguettes, 2 whole wheat loaves, and 2 Cabin CCRAPP (Cinnamon, Craisin, Raisin, Apricot, Pecan, Prune) loaves. Eight molten chocolate cakes, 12 ears of corn (Possum Korn style), corn bread cake in a 10" skillet, two dutch ovens full of potatoes, and several large pots of reheated "complete meals" of Osso Bucco and short ribs. This oven is a real work horse! It cooks differently from my larger (more Tuscan) style oven, but I've been very impressed with how quickly it heats and how long it holds the heat. My only comment here is that you should think about making a second door to supplement the "thinner" pizza door that comes with the oven. I'd recommend that the second door has a reasonably tight fit and that it is well insulated for longer consistent baking times.

I really don't think there is any reason for you to fiddle with modifying the oven you have received...it will cook everything you can think of for a pretty large group of people. The width of the opening is actually more important than the height in my mind, simply because it is the limiting factor of putting a cooking pan/skillet/pot/sheet into the oven. Hope this helps and if you'd like, I'll see if I can find some pics of bigger items we've put in the oven.

[SableSprings]

Jim, here's some pics of the suckling pig and breads out of the HiHium Casa2G90.

[deejayoh]

I saw HiHium Lake mentioned and had to poke my head in! My mom and dad went to HiHium Resort every summer for 25+ years. I've probably been there 4-5 times myself. Dad passed away earlier this year, so the place brings back a lot of good memories. Did the pizza oven went in at one of the cabins on the lake, or in the resort?

[SableSprings]

Sorry to momentarily hijack your thread Jim E.

DeeJayOh, our friends own one of the lots opened for sale years ago on the north side of the lake (just west of Eagle Point). They built a cabin there that is not affiliated with any of the three resort/cabin businesses on the lake shores. I told our friends I had built a pizza oven and they said they had been talking about putting one in at their place...one thing led to another and I ended up helping to choose and place the Casa 2G90 onsite.

The fires last year destroyed several of the cabins that were rental units and the pine beetle killed trees provided a lot of fuel all around the lake for the wildfires. The fire crews came in and set up sprinklers on the roofs of the north side private houses (~12) which ultimately saved all of those homes. Lots of new brush & fire weed growing now and with all the green in the open areas, it's hard too imagine how intense the fire was in the area just last year. Sorry about your Dad, but it sounds like you've got a lot of good memories to replay from your time at HiHium with him and your mom...and I'm sure having you up there with them was something he especially valued.

[SableSprings]

Jim, one weak point for these ovens is the affinity for water absorption by the insulation board and batting. If you are going to pour a concrete slab on which you will place the oven, consider either drilling or placing 1/2" tubes through the slab to allow any moisture to drain down and away from the insulation board. Having something like FoamGlas between the ceramic board and the concrete slab would be optimum, but putting some glass/porcelain mosaic tile sheets underneath the ceramic board would provide an inexpensive air gap and drainage "channels" to the weep holes. Even if you are going to build an enclosure over the oven, weep holes and base air gap/moisture barrier would be worth adding (IMHO ), but they would be essential if the oven would be out in the elements (again, IMHO).

Here's a link to a build in Sandpoint, ID with good pictures of the hearth construction with integrated weep holes and use of tile sheets (and FoamGlas) below the ceramic board insulation.

https://community.fornobravo.com/for...andpoint-idaho

[JIM E]

Thanks for all the help guys. Maybe I won't bother modifying it. As long as I can fit a turkey through the door, that's the biggest thing I will ever cook in it.