DANTE - 36" (92cm) Pompei oven - Luxembourg / Italy

[david s]

Here's my recommendation.

Use the seven fires in seven days method.
This process is important
Start with a very small fire in the centre of the oven, using small sticks only. If this first fire has flames touching the top of the oven for too long, then the fire is too big. Repeat this the next day, making the fire a little bigger and of course it will burn for a little longer. Repeat this procedure for seven fires getting progressively bigger and longer.

Heat beads are a good way of getting gentle heat into the oven, so as well as the wood, add one handful on Day1, 2 on Day2, 3on Day3 etc.

(You will probably notice dampness of the insulation layer as you heat the oven. This is normal and indicates that the oven is drying itself out. These damp patches will feel hotter to touch. This is a good indication of how the heat can pass more easily through wet material. Your oven will be far more efficient once it is properly dry. Some 50 litres of water has gone into the construction of the oven and considerable fuel is required to convert it to water vapour .Be careful- don’t be tempted to build up the fire too much, but try to keep those coals burning as long as possible- all night if you can)

This process is a bit laborious and goes through quite a lot of fuel.
By all means use the heat you’ve generated to do some cooking. Maybe a loaf or two of bread, a roast, marshmallows or pastries etc. But don’t attempt to get up to pizza temperature yet. (You can test if moisture is still present by placing some plastic on the outside and seeing if moisture is collecting there.)

Driving off the moisture

Day 1: 1 sheet newspaper and half a dozen small sticks, 1 h’ful of heat beads (about 5 mins of flame)

Day 2: 1 sheet of newspaper and about 10 thicker sticks, 2 h’fuls of heat beads (about 10 mins of flame)

Day 3: Bigger sticks, plus 3 h’fuls of h’beads (about 15 mins of flame)

Day 4: More wood, plus 4 h’fuls of heat beads (30 mins of flame)

Day 5: wood plus 5 hfuls of h’beads (45 mins of flame)

Day 6: wood plus 6 hfuls of h’beads (1 hr of flame)

Day 7: wood plus 7 h’fuls of h’beads (1 ½ hrs of flame)

(The reference to heat beads which are a barbecue fuel used in Australia equivalent to what are sometimes called briquettes.)

[MarkDLxu]

you have some insulation on the outside of the dome. But also, consider using charcoal for the first few days. Charcoal started outside the dome and then placed inside is much safer imo. It allows you to heat up the dome slowly without direct flame impingement on the apex of the dome. An added benefit is that you can also cook with charcoal during this stage of drying the dome..

What would be your ideal curing fire plan?
7 days increasing from charcoal to wood ?

[Gulf]

So do you cook in the oven with just the heat from your stainless chimney starter?

Not at all. I use it in an oven on the decline "to add a little extra heat for certain cooks." If I have an oven on the decline that is about 250F to 275F, and wanted a 350F oven for a 3 hour cook, I will place a full starter in there with the insulated door partially closed until it burns down. Usually about an hour. I then remove the starter and close the insulated door for about 15 to 20 minutes and then check the temp.

For the wings above, the oven was probably about the same temp. I cook chicken hot and fast. I started about half a chimney starter full and placed it in the oven with the wings and the door partially open. I probably rotated the broiler pan a couple of times for an even cook. I have a 44" oven. Your mileage may vary .

[Chach]

In the mean time, you may want to find a charcoal chimney starter. There are commercial types made over here that are easy to find. However, many are made with galvanized steel. The one on the right is the one that I used to place all the charcoal in my oven for it's drying fires. It was galvanized. The galvanize has long burned off. The one on the left is made of Stainless Steel.

Before commercial chimney starters were available, lots of folks made their own out of large bean cans. Back then I then started my charcoal bricquettes in the entry with paper (no liquid starter). Notice the stain on the entry floor. I now use a cheap pizza undeneath and other methods to start the charcoal. I also use the starters inside the oven now with lump charcoal to add a little extra heat for certain cooks.

Elevating the charcoal a little above the floor will increase the heat due to the added air from undeneath. That can be accomplished with a coal grate placed spaced a little above the floor. Switching to lump charcoal after a couple of days can also increase the heat. Lump charcoal burns hotter than briqettes.




.

So do you cook in the oven with just the heat from your stainless chimney starter?

[Gulf]

In the mean time, you may want to find a charcoal chimney starter. There are commercial types made over here that are easy to find. However, many are made with galvanized steel. The one on the right is the one that I used to place all the charcoal in my oven for it's drying fires. It was galvanized. The galvanize has long burned off. The one on the left is made of Stainless Steel.

Before commercial chimney starters were available, lots of folks made their own out of large bean cans. Back then I then started my charcoal bricquettes in the entry with paper (no liquid starter). Notice the stain on the entry floor. I now use a cheap pizza undeneath and other methods to start the charcoal. I also use the starters inside the oven now with lump charcoal to add a little extra heat for certain cooks.

Elevating the charcoal a little above the floor will increase the heat due to the added air from undeneath. That can be accomplished with a coal grate placed spaced a little above the floor. Switching to lump charcoal after a couple of days can also increase the heat. Lump charcoal burns hotter than briqettes.




.

[MarkDLxu]

I finished more than one mont ago the interior but it took a long to do exterior, rendering and the mosaic . I didn’t want to hurry or start fire with wet elements over it .
Thanks for the advice, I’ll go and buy some charcoal and spare ribs

[Gulf]

I'm going to reply to this post and your other thread Cooking In Winter here. It looks like it has be about three weeks since you plugged the dome, so I would say yes if you have some insulation on the outside of the dome. But also, consider using charcoal for the first few days. Charcoal started outside the dome and then placed inside is much safer imo. It allows you to heat up the dome slowly without direct flame impingement on the apex of the dome. An added benefit is that you can also cook with charcoal during this stage of drying the dome..

[MarkDLxu]

I come back after a while and rush the work because winter is coming ..
i stayed almost the whole weekend cleaning the inside dome ...
thanks God I decided to go for a 1 meter diameter , I could barely fit in
looking at the picture, do you think is ok?
Can I go for the first curing fire ?

[MarkDLxu]

Not so a great picture but it means a lot for me !
Keystone ..: done ✅!

[MarkDLxu]

PS. Is it necessary to fill all this back gaps?
Could be done with normal mortar or must be refractory?
Thanks again

[MarkDLxu]

Hi Guys,
Most of my pictures lately are taken at night because that’s the only time I can lay bricks, from 8 to 10 pm.
Yep I know this is not the best time and with the dark I miss some details but otherwise I cannot make any progress during the week.

Now I’m at row #9, i can still lay bricks without any other support, just mortar, but I think I’ll put inside the oven a dome of sand soon.

When did you start , in your experience, to put a row only with 1/3 bricks ?

Thanks and keep mortaring

[MarkDLxu]

My little Colosseo is rising...

[UtahBeehiver]

You are missing the cut back to the ID of the dome as shown by the red line. You do not need to support the entire full brick , in fact the form is in the way to scribe the ID of the dome on the arch bricks.. .

[MarkDLxu]

Thank you UtahBeehiver . I made the form 22cm deep in order to sustain a full length brick and for the moment is aligned to where the door will close the dome.
if i try to translate the picture you sent on mine i think it's more the second solution, the "green bricks".

[UtahBeehiver]

First, the arch form is too far in. The bottom of the form should intersect the inside ID of the oven. Second, you cannot use 1/2 bricks on any of the tapered inner arch, they are just too short. Here is a pic of a tapered inner arch similar to in design to yours.