32" Pompeii build Cambridge UK

[CambsPizza]

With the insulation complete and curing I moved onto addressing the landing. I needed to extend the slab to fit my landing on and had some Oak beams so I cut them down and attached them to the front of the slab using concrete anchors and building adhesive

With my new found space I made another form and started dry fitting the entrance, I wanted my entrance to have a thermal break to allow for the movement of the dome so put a 10mm gap in the base, sides and arch. I used fire bricks on the internal face and the same bricks for the 3 arches for the outside with lose vermiculite packed into the space between.

[CambsPizza]

I added a chamfered edge to the front of the fire bricks and followed the line with the decorative brick giving me a good landing area which is long enough to allow for an angled vent leading to the flue. I had to use 1/2 bricks for the sides due to space constraints.

I used 12mm fire rope and squeezed it into my 10mm heat break and another rope to sit onto on my internal arch so my vent bricks has some support.

[CambsPizza]

I cut the vent arch bricks at an angle to hopefully give enough space for the smoke to collect and go up the chimney. The rear vent arch brucks have a cut out so the bricks sit on the top fire rope which sits on top of the inner arch and are pressed against 2 fire ropes that are attached to the outer face of the inner arch which creat a heat break for the vent / landing.

[CambsPizza]

I cut the front vent arch with a notch so the decorative brick arch had somewhere to sit and cut a corresponding notch out of the decorative bricks.

[CambsPizza]

I dry fitted fire bricks over the vent arch and lit my 1st vey small fire to get a feel for how the smoke would go, very happy with the draw even with dry fitted bricks and no chimney in place

[CambsPizza]

Cut two fire bricks to make a 6 inch opening then added firebricks to close the vent arch. I also painted the rendering above the 3 arches and started cutting my decorative bricks for the 2nd arch.

My twin walled flue arrived so sized it up for the flue opening while having another small fire to see the draw, even dry fitted the smoke was taken up the chimney.

[CambsPizza]

Got a massive delivery of hardwood so filled the under arches (and an existing wood store) and covered the fire bricks with the decorative arch bricks, I filled any voids between the bricks with lose vermiculite.

I also started making an external door

[CambsPizza]

Decrotive arch brick finished. I put brjck shims over the top of the firebrick arch and made a lose vermiculite filled cap for the twin walled flue to sit in and covered over with homebrew. Started a slightly larger curing fire than I had done before.

[CambsPizza]

Outer door is made of cement board (hardibacker) then the offcuts of ceramic fibre board sandwiched between another piece of hardibacker with a pine front stained with light oak weatherproof stain. I'll probably change that to oak when I make the internal door but for now it'll do.

The internal door is currently two pieces of thermalite block, they are good insulators but don't know how they will stand up over time but again they work for now.

I added a 'door' to my smoker tunnel made up of a tight fitting piece of thermalite attached to a piece of hardibacker attached to a piece of oak do the oak runs the entire length of the front and side.

I used the low and slow curing method, starting with a very small fire and maintaining it for as long as possible, usually 4-6 hours then letting it die down and fitting my inner 'door to retain the heat then increasing the fires by 50-100 degrees per fire over a period of days. My dome cleared of soot on day 8 or 9 of progressively larger fires.

[MarkJerling]

That looks real good. Well done! I like how you incorporated that hidden smoker channel.

[SableSprings]

Great job on both the build & your process documentation. Obviously you did your homework & followed the best practices advised within/from the forum community. Looks like you'll have many years of fabulous pizza parties & impressive roasts and bakes.

I trust you'll add some pics of the meals you create in this beautiful oven & smoker (and side grill ).

[CambsPizza]

Cooked the 1st pizza today! I can honestly say he whole build was worth every second of time to get to this point. If you're thinking of starting, just do it - best pizza I've ever tasted! Now looking forward to some bakes and to get the smoker on the go.

Thanks for looking!

[Kvanbael]

Congratulations! The pizza looks excellent. Pretty good for a first bake.
I just hope that after yesterday you and your fellow countrymen still are allowed to enjoy pizza ;-).

[Baza]

Wow - that first pie looks brilliant! CONGRATULATIONS!!
you chronicled your build really well..

I'm interested in your success with the inner door - please be sure to update your experiences here for plonkers like me to learn from!

Great job!
Barry

[Sixto]

Congratulations Cambs! Nice looking setup! Would you describe how you plan to use the smoker tunnel? Is it for smoking meats at a lower temp? Would you build a kindling fire right in the tunnel and stoke it? Or is there a larger chamber that you could use to build more embers and route the heat to the dome? Would you place meat in a rack or a pot? Any details of how that works will be greatly appreciated, I'm still digging my foundation and would like to leave an option to use the dome as a smoking chamber... Thanks! Sixto in Minneapolis.