Chip's 42 in Minnesota

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Hi Chip so how did your 2nd round of pizza making go? Also did you manage to finish the whole thing before the snow fell? I love the way you did the roof, it looks pretty cool.

Randy

Randy,

The 2nd round of pizza making went much better. I allowed the dough to sit in the refrigerator for 2 days and it was much more workable. I don't have any pictures to show but you'll just have to trust me they turned out much better.

The roof is not complete because I just received the flashing for the chimney this week. I'm not worried though because the temporary secondary roof is strong enough to make it through the winter if I don't get the flashing on and the structure is waterproof.

***Heat retention update***

I started a fire on Monday night to bring the oven up to temperature for cooking a turkey the next day.

Tuesday morning temperature 700? F

Wednesday morning temperature 600? F

Thursday morning temperature 500? F

This morning 400? F and right now 4 days after starting the fire I'm sitting at 350? F.

I am extremely happy with my heat retention due to the fact that it has barely gotten above freezing a few times this week most nights it is been in the teens and 20s. For those of you who use centigrade this is -5 to -10 degrees at night, and around 0 during the day.

Thanks for your kind words about my roof design. It has been a little difficult trying to get a flashing that will work with the double slope associated with bringing the chimney out of the center of a sloped peak. Because I'm using a double wall stainless flue; and I have been recording the temperatures on the chimney at times with a high fire I have gone with a silicone boot style flashing. I will post photos of this once it's installed.

Those photos may not arrive until spring as we get getting deeper and deeper into winter here and I will be skiing this next week in Utah (I guess I just can't get enough winter).

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

After taking a week off for a ski class in Utah, I came back to a completely cold oven. This is the 1st time in about a month that the oven has been under 70?. I fired up the oven last night and cooked up some ribs in a vertical rack until they lost most of their fat. Then I took the 6 L cast-iron Dutch oven that I bought at Aldy based on Bricky's recommendation. I cooked them for another 3 hours until nice some tender. slathered them with barbecue sauce and cooked for another hour.

They made a fine dinner last night.

Today, I took the meat off the bones and made a large vat of Chili, it really turned out nice. It was in the oven for 4 hours at about 300?.

No photos, you need to take my word for it it was good eating.

I'll be putting a little more fire in tomorrow and making some bread

While out in Utah in Park City I ran into a Baker named Red Bicycle Breadworks who is leasing space at "The Market" in Park City, Utah. They have a recipe for what they call stick bread which is a nice French baguette with olive oil and sea salt it is absolutely amazing.

If anyone has a recipe for something similar I would really like to try it.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

I went out this morning to start a fire in the oven to bake bread later today and it was 9 F (-13C) the fire was just getting started and I decided to use my blow pipe for get the flames going a little better. Well my blow pipe is a Cross Country ski pole with the hand grip and basket removed and it is made of entirely aluminum. When I put my lips to the aluminum end they stuck to the metal until I blew into the pipe a few times to get it to warm up.

As our friends in Melbourne say it is a little cool-ish this morning.

Chip

[Mike Hettinga]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Thanks Chip, This was exactly the kind of post I needed. I sit here trying to plan out the oven for this spring and I am looking at the snow and the wind and I think I must be nuts to even consider building an outdoor oven.

I still might be nuts but I can revel in knowing I won't be alone in my insanity.

I imagine that you get to enjoy both aspects of the pizza within a few seconds of each other. The first being where it is so hot that it burns your tongue and the roof of the mouth and then next being cold left over pizza.

Mike

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

I must be nuts to even consider building an outdoor oven.

I still might be nuts but I can revel in knowing I won't be alone in my insanity.

Not nuts but insulate well. I have 2.5 inches of Vermicrete 7:1 and 2 inches of FB Ceramic Board under the floor and wish I had added another 2 inches of Vermicrete and made it all 10:1 because I am reading 100 F at the bottom of the 4 inches of reinforced concrete (top of wood bin) even on cold days. I still can cook ribs after 5 days 185-200F but i think most of my heat loss is through the floor.

This last week it was -5 at night and highs of 10.

Still cooking. I did put some electrical tape on the blow pipe for a temporary fix.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

I am starting to turn out some nice breads, Today's feature was french loaves with a poolish starter.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

I found a great new app for the iPad and iPhone called orange camera. I used it to take a picture of my oven this evening. This was taken in very low light so I hop to try out some of the other filters in daylight.

What do you think?

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Pizza last night and this morning oven was 600F, cooked up some bacon and some onions on a cast iron flat for an egg bake breakfast.

2 cups day old foccacia bread cut into 1 inch cubes.
6 eggs whipped into 1/2 cup whole milk
2 oz fresh mozzarella hand broken
2 oz sharp cheddar grated
5 strips of bacon crumbled
1/2 medium onion lightly grilled
coconut oil to lube bowl
Salt and pepper to taste

Cast iron shallow cooking bowl

about 15 minutes in oven. let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Had some left over Pizza dough from last night and decided to put it in the oven with a little olive oil and sea salt.... i guess this is called balloon bread.

The Focaccia did turn out nice though.

Chip

[brickie in oz]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

I like balloon bread..... we do it often when the oven is hot.

[RandyJ]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Wow chip that egg bake looks amazing. I am going to have to try that out sometime.

Randy

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Wow chip that egg bake looks amazing. I am going to have to try that out sometime.

Randy

Very tasty, Say have you started or finished an oven yet? You are very close, I am in Crystal.

Chip

[RandyJ]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Hi Chip, no I have not started an oven yet but I am starting to try to get a plan together. I have been stalling for a little bit now because we have been thinking of moving. For now when it is nice out I use my gas grill and a pizza stone. That works pretty good, but I wish it got a little bit hotter.

I had saw that you were in Crystal, I am in Maple Grove just on the north side of Osseo so pretty near by.

Randy

[Pompeii Nate]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Hey Chip,

This is a pretty random question but now that you have gone through/are in the middle of winter season, have you noticed that your oven gives off some heat through the exterior arch to keep you warm while cooking in the cold temps? I am in Idaho and our winters are harsh as well (maybe not as bad as yours though) and if I am going to be standing in front of an oven I want to make sure I am warm. I have read comments on here about making the vent arch wider on the exterior end to make for more heat coming out. What do you think of this idea? Just curious

Nate

[Aegis]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Hi Nate,
Even though I live in relatively warm Conn. this past fall we had some cold pizza parties and everyone was in front of the oven to "see how it cooked" Although they stood there after all pizzas were finished.
There is a good amount of heat that comes out of the oven without the door on for sure. I do not have a super wide opening, but the heat is more than enough to take the chill off.
The wide opening serves to keep plates of food warm, and someplace to work around.
Hope this helps
John