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Pizza Bob's 42" Build

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  • N3kids
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Not sure if this is the right place to ask a question. We have had our brick oven for a few years, but we are ready to add on a work surface near the oven. What is a good material that is not too expensive for the actual work surface?
    I thank you for any input.

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  • Aegis
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Hi Bob,
    Thanks for the invite, we are looking forward to it! I am jealous of the manpower pouring the patio! I had my sites set on finishing the oven completely by July 4th but that I see is becoming a bit of a stretch! Looks like you sneaked the pour before the snow! LOL Great timing!
    John

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  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Originally posted by Aegis View Post
    Hi Bob, I see you have the work light inside your dome to show off that GREAT brick work of the dome! That is just BEAUTIFUL! WOW! No matter how many times I look at your oven (which has been many!) I am always amazed at the fine detail and exqusite craftsmanship that went into your oven.
    I hope I do half as good of a job on mine!
    Enjoy the pies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanks for your compliments John!
    As soon as it warms up I'd like to get you and the Mrs. over for some pizza tasting.
    We decided to do the patio sooner rather than later this year. Here is progress as of yesterday...

    ~Bob

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  • Aegis
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Hi Bob, I see you have the work light inside your dome to show off that GREAT brick work of the dome! That is just BEAUTIFUL! WOW! No matter how many times I look at your oven (which has been many!) I am always amazed at the fine detail and exqusite craftsmanship that went into your oven.
    I hope I do half as good of a job on mine!
    Enjoy the pies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Leave a comment:


  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Originally posted by WoodchuckDad View Post
    That's a hell of an oven. Work is top notch and the setting is amazing. Do you have any trouble with smoke rolling out the front arch? the chimney looks a bit short and bends in a chimney pipe tend to require it to be lengthened.
    Woodchuckdad,

    Thanks for your kind words.

    I have fired the oven about twelve times and you can see there is no soot on the front arch. I don't even get any smoke on start-up. I really think the "upside-down burn" helps too - start the fire with big logs on the bottom and smaller kindling on top.
    The flue has two 30 degree bends which is code for most states. I thought I might have some trouble so I tested the length/height prior to securing everything. It works really well! The oven is 42" diameter and the stainless steel chimney pipe is 8" inside diameter. It's a little deceiving from the pictures but the top of that flue is approximately 60" (five feet) above the top of the dome. I built the oven taller than I initially planned because of this chimney style but I really liked the center flue enclosure style. I also created a tapered entrance to the flue within the vent transition area. The vent transition area is also 1 1/2 bricks deep which is deeper than some I have seen.

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  • WoodchuckDad
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    That's a hell of an oven. Work is top notch and the setting is amazing. Do you have any trouble with smoke rolling out the front arch? the chimney looks a bit short and bends in a chimney pipe tend to require it to be lengthened.

    Leave a comment:


  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    The snow has finally melted here in CT and the mason came out to finish the retaining walls and steps. Here is the progress as of today. We decided to put a 25' x 18' natural stone patio in front of the pizza oven - it will be started this week! The material will be a flagstone called Norwegian Buff - it has a lot of rust colored, grayish, blue tones which will go perfectly with the New England fieldstone oven and walls. After the patio I finally get to start the grass growing process - my wife will be so relieved to have her lawn back!

    Hope all you New Englanders are enjoying this beautiful weather!

    Happy Cooking/Building,
    Bob

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  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Thanks for the compliment and the door info Dino!

    Snow does get "wet" when temperatures start to exceed 32 degrees but we're not there yet. I have had a tarp over the oven during all this snow so it was really dry inside and out. I didn't notice any difference bringing the oven up to temperature. The fire started really easily - using the "top down burn method" - and I brought it up to temperature just as quickly. I don't believe cold weather is a problem and the ovens don't need to be brought to temperature slowly. As you know, the ovens get up to 950 degrees. If your starting temperature is 70 degrees the oven needs to heat up 880 degrees to get to 950. If the starting temperature is 10 degrees then the oven needs to heat up 940 degrees to get to 950. So the 60 degree difference between a cold start-up and a warmer start-up isn't much of a difference when dealing with a temperatue differential of 900+ degrees.
    Let that fire rip!

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  • Dino_Pizza
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Beautiful pictures of your oven in the snow. You're a real trooper Bob. Was it tough to get the fire going with the cold and dampness? Or is snow dry ...don't really know but kadoos and props to you who do.

    When you do get around to making an oven door(s) bbell-Bill made one thats for 'before the vent' with a 3" opening on the bottom to facilitate a furnace affect for starting fires faster in the cold or wet weather. He just posted pics:
    http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/8/bi...n-5927-15.html

    Your oven is a real looker, even more dramatic in the snow. It must have been fun. Warmer weather will be here in no time.

    -Take care, Dino

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  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Thanks Cecelia. This is about my 7th or 8th time firing it up for pizza.
    I have to try the flour - the corn meal works so well to get the pizza off the peel I'm hesitant to change to something else.
    Thanks Dave. The mop kinda' gets any ash that might have settled into the cooking space too. I will try that flour though.
    Thanks Db. We usually do carmelized onions and prosciutto which is really, really good too! Th potato slices sounds great!

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  • dbhansen
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Nice photos, Bob! We've been doing sliced potatoes with bacon, but carmelized onion with bacon sounds delightful as well. Can't go wrong with bacon, as my son would say.

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  • cecilB
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Yes, I agree with Dave - use flour. Heck, I found if it's cold enough out, you hardly have to use any flour at all!

    Cecelia

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  • DaveW
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Looks Great Bob but all that mopping sounds like extra work. Have you tried doing away with the cornmeal?

    Dave

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  • cecilB
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    Bob,
    How exciting - was that your first firing? Your oven looks beautiful!
    We've had horrible cold weather as well, and snow, which didn't start coming till after Christmas. There have been 2 times since Christmas that I've been able to sneak some pizza in!
    But we still have major outdoor stuff to finish - our yard looks pretty...embarrassing! But the one thing about the brick oven...I am DETERMINED to have one in my house!
    Cecelia

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  • pizza_bob
    replied
    Re: Pizza Bob's 42" Build

    The snow has been RELENTLESS here in Connecticut! I have been shoveling out a path to the oven since mid-December in hopes of firing it up. I don't mind the snow too much but the temperature has also been frigid. We finally decided this past Saturday was the day - invited a few friends over, fired-up the oven and cooked ten pizzas. I don't have a door for the oven yet so I kept it tarped all winter. It really kept the oven - inside and out - completely dry which helped make the oven stand out with the snow in the background. I ended-up starting to cook the first pizza when it got dark so I got some cool pictures of the red embers spread out over the floor before I pushed them to one side - the left side is my preference. Once I brush the embers over, I clean the floor with a damp mop which really works well! The floor temperature drops slightly to about 700F but then comes back to 750F-775F. I let the oven heat up for about two hours and I can easily get ten pizzas without raking coals over the hearth. I mop in between pizzas too to remove burnt corn meal. I also always keep a small fire licking up the dome - I really think I'm getting this process down! You can see the set-up below and the bacon and carmelized onion pizza cooking. Sometimes I've noticed if the pizza has to many toppings the bottom will cook quicker than the toppings. So I lift the pizza up close to the dome and it acts like a broiler - the toppings come out nice and crisp while the bottom pretty much stops cooking.

    ~Bob

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