Barbequing methods have risen to a higher level in recent years with the revived interest in genuine wood fired cooking. In place of using the customary briquette or gas fired grill we are finding much more satisfaction cooking over wood such as cherry, alder, apple, mesquite or whatever good cooking hardwood is available near where we live. Bread has been baked in wood ovens made out of masonry, stone or steel and that is the secret to thick crunchy crust. Most bakers have known that wood fired cooking is and always has been the solution to many cooking secrets. It is no wonder that every chateau in France has a wood cooking system. The flavor, the smoke, and the heat is unrivaled and those of us who love cooking continue to search for a way that will take us back to that excellence.



For years, in the South, a tradition of luscious smoked meats from Texas beef to Carolina's pork has been a part of Americana. Could there be a way of combining the essence of smoking with qualities that would allow us to cook bread in the same system? It is indeed the wood fired pizza oven. We have the cooking process outdoors on those warm summer evenings and we can enjoy great pizza, the way we like it, with the crust of Spain and flavor that takes us and our guests to an experience of the old country. And when we want to cook our favorite meat we can do it slowly with a thick smoke surrounding it forming itself into a savory offering for our guests as we work our way through a memorable dinner reminiscent of a night on the Loire River in the midst of France.

Outdoor pizza ovens are now available in several different forms for advocates of old world cooking. The customary wood fired pizza oven is often built into an outdoor deck or patio system as a gathering place and conversation piece around which great food can be enjoyed in an casual setting. This system, because of the need for fairly sophisticated masonry work, can be expensive and many times the average food lover cannot afford such a system. The other choice is a steel, free standing wood fired pizza oven like ours which requires no special masonry work or installment and can be used right from the box.

Using old fashioned convection styled heating, one simply builds a fire in the firebox and waits for the oven to heat to temperature. All the controls of a wood stove are provided with the unit to control and encourage the fire so that it lights easily and heats to temperature safely and trouble free. When the oven has reached the correct cooking temperature it can be used to roast meat, bake pizza, bake bread, and anything imaginable. Our outdoor pizza oven has a method to divert the smoke from the flavored wood to the oven to enhance the taste. At times, such as bread baking time, the wood smoke needs to be channeled out the chimney so as not to affect the essence of the creation. Not only does it make real wood cooking available to the average person but it provides a very attractive addition to your deck or patio as you entertain.

Outdoor pizza ovens bring back the enjoyment of the process of cooking with wood. Having your own personal pizza oven outside on a beautiful summer evening, in your own intimate setting, with good friends or family, will make for a memorable experience that you and your guests will long remember.