Pizza with Pieter…how to build a fire in an outdoor pizza oven
Learn how to build the a build fire in the Stadler Made outdoor pizza oven.
What’s the secret to the perfect pizza? In part two of our Pizza with Pieter series we sit down with Pieter Stadler, to learn how to build the a build fire in the Stadler Made outdoor pizza oven.
Want to follow along. Watch our step-by-step tutorial here.
A robust fire has three components. Fuel, heat and oxygen. Let's start with fuel...
Fuel
In our case, hardwood logs are our fuel. Before we get cooking we need to make sure our wood is the right size for optimal burning.
Kindling - small pieces of wood, about 25 cm long and about 2cm in diameter
Other wood - these are the same length (about 25cm), but about 5cm in diameter
Use the wood splitter at the cabin to help you split the wood to the right size.
Heat
Start by building a little tower of kindling wood inside the lower section of the oven
This tower will generate lots of heat for us to continue building a bigger fire.
To ignite this fire, drop a fire lighter in the middle of the and light it.
Once you see some bigger flames, you can add two more logs to bolster the fire.
Oxygen
To truly intensify the fire we need more oxygen.
Therefore we're going to push the fire to the back of the oven.
Stacking two or three more logs against the back plates will ensure that the fire has only one way to go and that is upwards. Creating suction. As a result the fire receives a great influx of oxygen causing it to blaze fiercely.
Reading the smoke signals
A few puffs of white smoke
This is a good sign and will give your pizza those wonderful wood fire aromas. It also means you need to get back to work and get ready to add a few more logs when the time is right.
Continuous white smoke
Something’s not quite right! Loads of white smoke and hardly any flames means your fire has too little oxygen. This can be caused by hard winds or you putting in too much wood at once, suffocating the flames. To fix this, simply remove some logs and rearrange the rest to facilitate better airflow.
Black smoke
Black smoke signals a problem with your fire. You might be using damp or unsuitable wood. If this occurs, stop cooking until the issue is resolved.
No smoke
Congratulations! You have managed to create the perfect balance between fuel, heat and oxygen. You are a true fire master. Next step, get your pizza in the oven!