Pizza Placement in Oven

[ultrasport]

All the photos I see while cooking pizza show the wood/fire off to the left or right of dome. Wouldn't it make more sense to place the wood/fire towards the back of the dome so the front of the oven is clear making it easier to handle muliple pizza cooking for turning rather than trying to go over the tops of other pizza's during the cooking process? I have not finished my oven yet so I can't say what's best at this point of advantages and disadvantages.

[hillscp]

The heat is in the back of the oven. Putting the fire to the back/side lets the flames loop over the top/back of the oven keeping it hot. Give it a try though. I put the fire in back when I'm cooking steak because the back is too hot! Experiment it's fun.

[hillscp]

Here is an awesome channel for WFO users.

(473) The Wood Fired Oven Chef - YouTube

[MarkJerling]

All the photos I see while cooking pizza show the wood/fire off to the left or right of dome. Wouldn't it make more sense to place the wood/fire towards the back of the dome so the front of the oven is clear making it easier to handle muliple pizza cooking for turning rather than trying to go over the tops of other pizza's during the cooking process? I have not finished my oven yet so I can't say what's best at this point of advantages and disadvantages.

The reason for firing left or right is that it gives you a better space to make pizzas and the ability to vary the temperature by working shallower or deeper into the oven. Also, you can shift the fire from one side to the other, after cooking some pizzas, and that allows you to "recharge" the floor heat.
When you have the fire at the rear, you run the risk of pushing the pizza back into the coals when you push your peel in underneath to bring the pizza out or move it around. For the most part, having the fire to one or other side seems to offer more advantages than having the fire at the rear.

[mongota]

I think once you start cooking you'll find a method that works best for you depending on what you are cooking. And how much of it and for how long you are cooking it.

I've settled on heating the oven with the fire in the center of the floor. When I'm ready to cook I generically move the fire to the left side of the oven. I'm left-handed, so standing on front of the oven my peel naturally reaches the center and right side of the oven. With the fire on the left, I can reach in and add a stick if needed without having to reach over the food. That's handy on long cooks.

My oven is 42".

For short cooks like pizza, in general I don't cook more than three pizzas at a time, I can rotate two in the center (center front and center rear) and one on the right.

Some days I'm only going to cook two pies, I might split the fire, a bank on the left and a bank of coals on the right, then I'll cook in the middle.

Having the fire deep in the back of the oven is a logical and sensible location. The flames wash up the back wall, the heat is carried across the apex of the dome and out the front, washing the entire top of the dome. For fire management though, it's my least favorite place to have the fire on a long cook with open food as I have to reach across the food to get to the fire.

I also like the fire being on the left so visually it's sort of "around the corner" from me when I'm standing in front of the oven. I can watch the food and with the active fire "around the corner" the radiant heat is not searing my eyeballs.

If I'm doing several heavy cast iron pots or dishes in the oven at once, I do like the fire in the back. That way I can have my three or four heavy pots in the middle and front of the oven, more easily accessible.

Try different methods with different types of cooks. You'll settle on something logical and effective for your work flow. Or you might find the fire deep in the back of the oven works best for you for everything.
My opinion, that's all.

[JRPizza]

I have found the side nearest to to the live fire always is the hottest - I cooked my first pizza with the fire to the rear - burned the back side black as I could not easily see what was going on. I always push the fire to the side now and have a good visual indicator of when it is time to rotate the pie.