Chip's 42 in Minnesota

[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

[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 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

[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

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

[RandyJ]

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

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Going for second pizza attempt tonight.

Wish me luck...

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Haha that first one is an ugly pizza! looks like mine :P

yes I know. First I could not get it off of the board and then I could not get it off of the peel. Then it got stuck on the floor of the oven because of a tear in the middle.

Good thing raking hot coals over a mess burns the mess up in short order.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

The sauce was hand crushed Roma tomatoes that we froze from this summer. I put in a large crushed garlic clove and a little olive oil. Yes I agree it was much to wet.

The dough was 17 oz flour, one cup bread flour two cups al purpose, 11 oz water, 1.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp yeast. I mixed in a bread machine and used same day after 2 rises.

I kept out a ball for today to see if it is different but I did let that ball rise before it went into the fridge. So there may be no hope for that.

On the big upside the new super-insulated door I built seems to be working very well the oven was still 680 this morning in the dome and 620 on the floor.

Chip

[brickie in oz]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Haha that first one is an ugly pizza! looks like mine :P except mine was upside down!

We should have an UGLY pizza comp, no deliberates, just accidentals.

[chidding]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Also, try grating your mozzeralla.. whilst traditionally poeple tend to use it in slices.. i find an even cover of cheese is so much nicer..

[chidding]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Haha that first one is an ugly pizza! looks like mine :P except mine was upside down!

What was your recipe? and what flour did you use?

From the visual side.. what is your sauce?.. looks very watery?

With the 65% hydration dough, i find having a little pile of extra flour on the side to continually dip my hands in when kneading helps alot.. adding a little more each time brings the hydration % down to it feels just right!

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

First and Second Pizza tonight, 65 % hydration.

Are you kidding me the stuff is like goo...

I will be practicing on a much lower hydration until I understand how to handle this stuff.

My wife said "remember when you first learned to do drywall and you thought plaster was the worst thing ever" .... I can now hold my own against pros in drywall and I only own a few rentals.

Well 65% hydration is like VERY VERY VERY wet mud...

First pizza was well done, but flavor was good.

Second pizza was over floured and the burned flour was clearly an issue in the oven.

I need to develop a system that works for me. This was the grand experiment and first time is not always the charm. I am sure glad we did not invite the neighbors for the grand opening.

Chip

[mrchipster]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Why didnt you use aluminium?
Its a lot lighter.

I had the stainless and not much aluminum it is 22 gauge and weighs in at about 4 pounds. the majority of the weight comes from the FB board and about a third from the stainless and aluminum.

The current weight is 17 pounds without handles.

I will only be using it for longer closed sessions and will have another lighter door for active baking and roasting activities.

I will get more aluminum and build the working door out of all aluminum.

Sometimes you need to get rid of that stuff that is just laying around...And that is what makes the social director happy.

Chip

[david s]

Re: Chip's 42 in Minnesota

Why didnt you use aluminium?
Its a lot lighter.

Lighter, but aluminium is a better conductor by a factor of 20 than stainless.