# Pizza Oven Progress with New Pics 3/6/2012 Finally Done



## scarbelly

Well they finally got started on installing my new wood fired pizza oven. Here are a few progress pics of the base of the unit. They will pour the 4" table section tomorrow and will be assembling the oven on the weekend - can't wait to get this going (I have to wait 4 weeks for it to cure )  

Day 1 




















Day 2 

We were gone most of the day so this is all I got - the cavity at the front is for wood storage - the top will be a solid 4" table to set the oven on


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## roller

Well now thats going to be real nice....


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## brian

cover that rebar with a min of 2 inches of mud and dont add any water that is not needed.  Use a set accelerator to bang it in to geat and cover it with plastic and some old blankets and you will have 90% strength in 3 days.  Just some FYI


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## cdldriver

way to go can't weight to see done.


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## miamirick

looks good so far

make sure they put some more reinforcing on that top so it holds the weight and doesnt crack


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## scarbelly

Thanks guys. The guy who is building it is my neighbor and a mason for 30+ years. He is really going the extra mile for me to make sure it comes out nice. He showed me pics of 20 he has built and they all look quite good.


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## ronrude

What a great project.  Are you going to use it for breads too, or strictly pizza?


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## alblancher

Way cool!  I'm looking forward to the next qview.    You are so going to enjoy this oven!


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## venture

The first couple pics looked like an old incinerator from the 50's.  Nobody but us old farts will remember those. Of course most of those were made from brick.

I bet that will be a great unit when you get it done, Gary!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## chef jimmyj

It's moving along nicely!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...JJ


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## scarbelly

miamirick said:


> looks good so far
> 
> make sure they put some more reinforcing on that top so it holds the weight and doesnt crack


Thanks Brian and  Rick 

There is already a 3x3 wire screen under the rebar with more being tied in tomorrow and the top will be 4" thick. Today they filled all the verticals not just the ones with rebar. 30 bags worth


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## bmudd14474

Looking good so far Gary.


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## scrappynadds

WOW.......can't wait to see it complete............Second favorite thing to eat is pizza first is anything smoked........


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## pineywoods

It's looking good Gary can't wait to see it done


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## daveomak

Fascinating.... never seen the inside of a pizza oven from scratch.....


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## SmokinAl

WOW Gary that's going to be a great addition to your backyard.

Very cool!


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## becky3086

I definitely want to make a pizza oven but I think I will be going with an earth oven since I can't make anything quite this big--by myself and I don't get a lot of help. I think yours will be lovely and look forward to seeing it when it is all done.


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## big twig

Man that thing is gonna be sweet!


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## mballi3011

Now he doing you a fine job so far. The work looks really clean and thats a good sign of good contractor.


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## sprky

so far. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	









  the completion of it and of course the Q-view.


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## scarbelly

becky3086 said:


> I definitely want to make a pizza oven but I think I will be going with an earth oven since I can't make anything quite this big--by myself and I don't get a lot of help. I think yours will be lovely and look forward to seeing it when it is all done.




Send me a PM when you are ready - I did 6 months of research and may have a solution for you that will work.  My oven is nearly the size of a commercial oven at 39" cooking floor but there are a lot of others out there that will work for one or two pizzas at a time.


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## hoity toit

I guess its safe to say you arent going to be moving anytime soon either..the oven will be a nice addition and focal point for lots of enjoyment. looks wonderful. !!

DG


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## africanmeat

Hi Gary Congratulations  looks it will be ready next week wow that will be fun . i wish i could be there for the first pizza .


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## scarbelly

africanmeat said:


> Hi Gary Congratulations  looks it will be ready next week wow that will be fun . i wish i could be there for the first pizza .




You know that your family always has a place here at our house and I wish you were here too. You could teach me your tricks. Hugs to the family


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## sound1

Nice addition to the yard, I'm in for the duration of this one


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## moikel

I was stubborn enough to build one of these about 10 tears ago,from a set of plans by the late Alan Scott who built a lot of ovens for bread bakers,pizza  etc. Mine has an internal cooking space of 1mx1.2m. Turns out lovely suckling pig,capretto,lamb as well as pizza. I did a lot of research on the masonry on websites in the US.My wife lost MY camera,so Im I  phone only.I will send you a pic shortly.

Im contemplating another build at the weekender but Im going to need the big young neighbours  to do some heavy lifting.


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## moikel

Bit hard to get size with frangipani tree overhanging. I used old reclaimed pre 1900 bricks for the outside same as my house.And matched the roof pitch & roof tile to house. Still had to deal with local  authorities over the fact that I  neglected to get aproval,but I fought the law & I won.Good luck with your build.


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## chefrob

lookin' good gary..........man this is going to be a lot of fun to play with!


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## rosiepug

Looking good!!!


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## rosiepug

Looking good!!!


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## scarbelly

Moikel said:


> Bit hard to get size with frangipani tree overhanging. I used old reclaimed pre 1900 bricks for the outside same as my house.And matched the roof pitch & roof tile to house. Still had to deal with local  authorities over the fact that I  neglected to get aproval,but I fought the law & I won.Good luck with your build.


That is quite a build - Mine will allow me to do a porchetta - 6 loaves of bread or 5 pizza's at a time so this will be fun


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## moikel

5 pizza is fair size oven.If I  was doing another one I would make the door wider,lose a bit of heat but worth it when your moving pans around. Mine is based on a bread oven so has a big cube of refractory concrete poured over a steel cage over the oven itself. Heavy duty al foil x3 layers so concrete doesnt touch the brick.I over did it,it will out last me easy. It takes 80 mins to get to running heat but then 12 hours later would still be 180c if you put door on,after you finish cooking.Good luck with yours.Your mason is sure neat & tidy.


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## scrappynadds

I have never seen a outdoor pizza oven so please excuse the dumb question, What do you cook on? Is there a shelf above where the wood is stacked??


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## scarbelly

Scrappynadds said:


> I have never seen a outdoor pizza oven so please excuse the dumb question, What do you cook on? Is there a shelf above where the wood is stacked??


What you are looking at is only the base. There will be a big oven sitting on top of it - Here is what the inner shell looks like 







There will be a structure build over this as well


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## justpassingthru

Wow bro,

Lookin' good so far, ...99% of the pizza here is cooked in a oven like that, we love the wood smoke taste, ... I've always toyed with the idea of building one, but held off because they were too big (actually I have a space about 3'x3' where I imagined it would go, but Mrs. JPT just removed a shrub next to it today so I have about 3'x7' if I claim it quickly), ...now, you say you have plans for a 2 pizza oven????????

Gene


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## scarbelly

Gene I dont have plans but here is what I was talking about for about $2400 







Or this one


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## justpassingthru

That's neat, I have looked at some builds online and they seem way to complicated, overbuild in my opinion, but I confess I don't know diddly about a pizza oven, hey, they can't be that heavy they have then in Roulottes, ...that would be an interesting thread, pics of wood pizza stoves here, ...anyway, what you have shown doesn't look that complicated, ....this idea has been upgraded to possible.

Thanks,

Gene


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## solaryellow

I am officially jealous. Can't wait to see the first pizza to come off of it Gary.


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## moikel

JustPassingThru said:


> That's neat, I have looked at some builds online and they seem way to complicated, overbuild in my opinion, but I confess I don't know diddly about a pizza oven, hey, they can't be that heavy they have then in Roulottes, ...that would be an interesting thread, pics of wood pizza stoves here, ...anyway, what you have shown doesn't look that complicated, ....this idea has been upgraded to possible.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Gene


I did a stack of research before I  built mine including looking at home builds around me here.Yes people get carried away building them,me included,they get way over engineered .I reckon mine is earthquake proof.BUT THERE ARE TWO THINGS, use refractory cement & fire clay in your mortar & whatever you use over the outside of the bricks,cement render etc put heavy duty foil over it first.That way the expansion & different cooling rates  wont tear the joints in your bricks.Once it tears thats it sand in your food,heat leakage crack gets bigger 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.You cut the risk of cracking if your mortar has the same fire properties as your brick. You can buy a fire tile about 9'' x9''x 1'' for the hearth that will keep the weight down.

Several companies do precast that have a keystone at the top ,like segments of an orange in terracotta,that you mortar up but theres still a lot of work in the base etc.

I still have my plans but they are for a general purpose french style village oven(pity I dont have a village to feed ) & a set that is in my Italian preserving book for the beehive style.Do you have access to volcanic rock? If you need or want some tips PM  me .I reckon you could knock one out using firetile for hearth ,volcanic rock for the sides & dome & good old mud over the top.Sorry
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I dont mean to hijack this thread .


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## scarbelly

No problem friend. The importance of using refractory cement on the shell and a 3 week cure is not lost here. The base is done (pics tomorrow) and the shell will start Tuesday. We will do this right. The total cost for the oven and installation is about $4500 so I am not going to blow this by not following all the recommended practices. The 3 week cure is the hard part but will be done without question


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## teeznuts

If you can make through 2 weeks for smoked cheese you can wait 3 for pizza. Looks good! Cant wait to see pizza Q-view.


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## africanmeat

Gary be patient and stick to the Instructions it will be worth it .


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## moikel

Scarbelly said:


> No problem friend. The importance of using refractory cement on the shell and a 3 week cure is not lost here. The base is done (pics tomorrow) and the shell will start Tuesday. We will do this right. The total cost for the oven and installation is about $4500 so I am not going to blow this by not following all the recommended practices. The 3 week cure is the hard part but will be done without question


Im sure you are all over it,all my knowledge came from the USA ,I thought my South Pacific fellow smoker Justpassingthru might appreciate a bit of help.Im sure stuff I  take for granted is hard to get in French Polynesia . Poor guy cant get Aussie wine & we are in the region. Bloody french protectionism.I saw some built out of volcanic rock in Italy might be easier for him than imported bricks. The 3 week cure was a real  test for me too. Good luck looking forward to more pictures.


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## ac45acp

wow! looks like it will be a lot of fun. do you offer free delivery? I'll take anchovies on mine.


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## justpassingthru

Thanks Moikel,

That's interesting, I live on an extinct volcano (at least for now) I think I can find some volcanic rock, we do have refractory bricks and mortar but it's very expensive, the rock would cut the cost considerable.

Thank you Gary for allowing this conversation, out of board courtesy I responded to Moikel's post, but I'll take it to the PMs now.

Gene


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## venture

No doubt this will be one to follow!

Thanks for sharing Gary.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## scarbelly

JustPassingThru said:


> Thanks Moikel,
> 
> That's interesting, I live on an extinct volcano (at least for now) I think I can find some volcanic rock, we do have refractory bricks and mortar but it's very expensive, the rock would cut the cost considerable.
> 
> Thank you Gary for allowing this conversation, out of board courtesy I responded to Moikel's post, but I'll take it to the PMs now.
> 
> Gene


Hey guys I can learn from the thread too so keep it here and I will love every comment


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## moikel

Im talking to Gene,I might be able to help him get a version built at a saving.Materials where he is are going to be really $$$ . I need to work on this volcanic rock idea that I  shot my mouth off about. A hell of a lot of woodfired ovens were built before we had refractory bricks.By the way your mason is incredibly tidy,the complete opposite of my masonry .I get mortar everywhere except up my....my levels vary & there is a lot of cussing. Why Im not a building contractor.Didnt affect the taste of the food,thankfully!


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## scarbelly

The top was poured on Thursday and the wood shelf installed on Saturday they will be back on Tuesday to start the oven assembly 
	

		
			
		

		
	








There is only color in the front where the oven will not be sitting - the whole rest of the top will be covered

with the oven and the structure


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## bmudd14474

Looking Good


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## big twig

It's coming along nicely, can't wait to see it all complete (I am sure not as much as you) thanks for showing us the stages that go into building one of these, it's a lot more then I would've imagined.


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## moikel

Is that top the hearth where your fire bricks or tiles get laid or are you sitting a whole new hearth on top? I am only asking because my top was almost black when it cured but I  used a brand of refractory cement called La Farge.I  then laid firebricks on their narrow side on a bed of sand & fire clay. Would do tile next time.I know I  already said this but Man your contracter is neat.


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## africanmeat

It is great progress looks good.


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## chefrob

this is going to be nice gary!


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## chef jimmyj

Do we have a 5 day E-course on Pizza? You gonna have a great new toy soon!...JJ


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## bluebombersfan

Awesome!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Edit:  My wife and I have found a place that cooks pizza in an oven like that and it is amazing. 

http://www.pizzeriagusto.com/index.html


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## moikel

BlueBombersfan said:


> Awesome!
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> Edit:  My wife and I have found a place that cooks pizza in an oven like that and it is amazing.
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> http://www.pizzeriagusto.com/index.html


Theres a few outfits making ovens in Europe then shipping them either whole or ready to assemble.La Planol is a French version. In the right hands they turn out lovely roasts but at those high temps you dont get much margin for error.


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## SmokinAl

Boy it's really coming along nicely!


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## sound1

Looking great. The wait is going to be a tough one!!


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## alelover

Looking good Gary. Can't wait to see some food out of that beast. Yours looks really cool too Mick. Love that old brick.


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## scarbelly

Moikel said:


> Is that top the hearth where your fire bricks or tiles get laid or are you sitting a whole new hearth on top? I am only asking because my top was almost black when it cured but I  used a brand of refractory cement called La Farge.I  then laid firebricks on their narrow side on a bed of sand & fire clay. Would do tile next time.I know I  already said this but Man your contracter is neat.


We just finished a layer of fire bricks and are discussing with the manufacturer about a second layer. We want to bake bread too and I have read that the second layer of firebrick gives you a lot better heat control on the floor of the oven and for $60 that is cheap insurance. I will post the next pics in a few minutes


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## scarbelly

Here is the latest update with the fire brick first layer installed 

This is the front complete and the back being dry fitted then the bricks get soaked for 30 minutes and the refractory cement is put down and the bricks are relayed and the mortar is applied 








Here is the first layer complete and a sample of the terra cotta tile to check for color for the trim work


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## sprky

Coming along nicley


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## sunman76

very very nice...


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## africanmeat

wow they work clean and nice. another step


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## alelover

Sweet. Anyone mention how neat your mason is?


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## scarbelly

alelover said:


> Sweet. Anyone mention how neat your mason is?




He is incredibly neat. Every day the entire site it cleaned and hosed down - all materials stacked in one place.  It is good having a neighbor do this - his wife come over to check it out so he has to be neat or hear from her


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## venture

That is going to be a thing of beauty!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel

Scarbelly said:


> We just finished a layer of fire bricks and are discussing with the manufacturer about a second layer. We want to bake bread too and I have read that the second layer of firebrick gives you a lot better heat control on the floor of the oven and for $60 that is cheap insurance. I will post the next pics in a few minutes


That sounds right mine is originally a bread oven,4 inch refractory concrete floor,then brick 4 inch again. Weights not an issue with a base like yours so for $60 it is cheap insurance .The floor will retain heat so you can take it to the temp you want,pull the fire out,swab it, put your bread in shut/block the door & bread will bake clean with heat from every direction.  The guy who created my model came from Petaluma but originally Australia.He built bread ovens for artisan breadmakers,al over the states but starting at Point Reyes Station with the Bay Village bakery.


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## scrappynadds

I've never seen one before but i got the feeling i'm looking at a top of the line one...............When is the pizza party


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## coacher72

Looks great!! Pretty envious. Can't wait to see the pizzas and such that will be out of the oven in the future.


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## pineywoods

It is looking great Gary


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## graystratcat

I agree with everyone else here....that it one impressive looking project, Gary!  I'm sure you're going to love that thing when it's done.

I've wanted a wood fired pizza oven forever....I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread.  Thanks for posting this one up....great thread and great project!

-Salt


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## BGKYSmoker

That my friend is freaking

AWESOME


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## bmudd14474

Looking good Gary


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## scarbelly

Today was an awesome day. So much progress 

Here is the second layer of fire brick installed early this morning







Here is the oven floor going in. We had to do some grinding to get it to lay flat but it is now snug







This is the smoke chamber and the door stop 







Here are the first two pieces of the oven shell in place 







Here we are with all the shell pieces in place. They kind of link together with flanges on one side and an inset on the next piece







Final piece of the oven is the dome cover in place - these joints all get sealed with refractory cement 







Here it is assembled - next step is the joint sealing and wrapping in insulation and vermiculite. The wood storage

got a coat of plaster today as well


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## papagrizz

Great craftsmanship in this build, you are bless with  marvelous skill and talent.


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## daveomak

Gary,  That is so neat.... The asthetics are awesome...  Can't wait until the BIG "fire her up" day..... I can imagine your restless anticipation is driving you bonkers.....


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## moikel

OK I get it now
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I thought you were going to use all that fire brick floor as your hearth,was going to be a big oven.Must say it has lovely clean lines,very appealing to the eye Very practical doorsize.Is it a particular brand?.That master mason you have should have it mortared together in no time.Way quicker than building the whole deal brick by brick like I did but the only ovens like yours that were available down here 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  back in 2000 were shipped from Italy at great expense.All commercial sizes. I prefer yours.That shelf at the front is also very clever,you wont be reaching behind yourself for stuff. Double firebrick on the base was right decision too.


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## DanMcG

That's an awesome build Gary. You neighbor does excellent work. Keep the Pizza-view coming!!


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## SmokinAl

WOW Gary, that is incredible. So is the view in your backyard!


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## thailandphil

Now see what you did ? I'm jealous. Now I,ll haft to build me another one. See it's full size. Hope you have big family or plan on selling. Looking great. There is a book out by Alan Scott called the Bread Builders. Has lots of recipe for bread and tips on how to use and take care of your oven. Few tips I learned from mine. Don't use any kind of starter fluid to start fire, leaves bad taste in oven. After first hot fire vacuum out top and all with shop vac. Excess cement will break down and get into your pizza. Buy yourself long skinny wood paddle like in this picture on right side. Easy to turn your pizza and bread. Fat one looked good hanging on over but was hard to work with. Enjoy brother, know you will love it. Can't wait till final pictures.


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## sound1

Nice size on the door, Looks much larger than most I have seen.


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## scarbelly

Here are the tools I am ordering - This is based on what my friend who owns a pizza place recommended -

I already have a fireplace shovel I can use for ashes 







This one turns the pizza, bread or what ever I have in the oven 







Here is a grill that goes in the oven for meats, veggies etc













This is for moving the fire around


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## africanmeat

Gary this is a big pizza oven wow .love the tools you got ,the grill is a great idea just put a tray under it so you don't stain the floor and the pizza will not  stick to it.


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## alelover

That is awesome. Truly awesome.


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## moikel

Now Im jealous those tools look great
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.I use a garden rake,& homemade pokers out of rebar.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.I bought the paddles & brush but rest was all improvised .The grill is a great idea,you can also use it to stack up your fire & get some air circulating around the firewood,although at the moment you are likely to have a whole lot more dry wood than me.I  find that wood stacked under my oven dries from the heat or in early stages I relay wood through it.Put some in the oven but not in the fire & cook it a bit so you always have a dry bit to go on next.

Im going to adapt your jerk chicken recipe to baby goat & do it in my oven when the rain stops.

Looking forward to the next pics.


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## alelover

I would think a big rib eye on that grill at 800º would be pretty tasty.


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## daveomak

alelover said:


> I would think a big rib eye on that grill at 800º would be pretty tasty.









   Finally a perfect "Black and Blue" steak.....


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## scarbelly

This is one of the reasons I got this oven - it is not for pizza alone. I love a great steak and this has always been a quest. 

I plan to use this oven for lots of things and the high temp steak is just one of them.  The oven is large enough for a 60# piglet.  

One of my passions is to donate time to making food with some of the chefs supporting Farm to Table and some of the other charities that support food to help disadvantaged - If I can do 5 pizzas in 5 minutes I can crank out a lot of them and 6 -8 loaves of bread at a time can help a lot of people.  I just need to figure out the certification process and I am working on that now. I hope to be able to feed 50 people at a time from my oven


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## venture

This is just looking awesome!

Not only a great cooking tool, but a piece of art just as it stands!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## moikel

Are you building in a temperature probe to give internal readings? Once you get familiar with its properties you can work out how to do several things on the one fire cycle. I love the idea of feeding the disadvantaged, after you do a rib eye,you can pull the fire out bake bread,then maybe bake a lasagne,sausages & beans  or similiar on the run down or refire it to get it back to temp.


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## hoity toit

Scarbelly said:


> Today was an awesome day. So much progress
> 
> Here is the second layer of fire brick installed early this morning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is the oven floor going in. We had to do some grinding to get it to lay flat but it is now snug
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> This is the smoke chamber and the door stop
> 
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> Here are the first two pieces of the oven shell in place
> 
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> Here we are with all the shell pieces in place. They kind of link together with flanges on one side and an inset on the next piece
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> Final piece of the oven is the dome cover in place - these joints all get sealed with refractory cement
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> Here it is assembled - next step is the joint sealing and wrapping in insulation and vermiculite. The wood storage
> 
> got a coat of plaster today as well




Wow , Wow., and Wow...that is a nice job..


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## JckDanls 07

Scar...   My question concerns the fire box...  The cement block you used for the fire box, What protects them from cracking due to excessive heat? Anytime I made fire pits with just plain cement block They ALWAYS crack and break from the heat. 

Maybe the stucco (finish) has some kind of heat barrier ?

Be interesting to see what happens


  It Is SaWEEEEEEEET   tho..  nice build


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## scarbelly

Moikel said:


> Are you building in a temperature probe to give internal readings? Once you get familiar with its properties you can work out how to do several things on the one fire cycle. I love the idea of feeding the disadvantaged, after you do a rib eye,you can pull the fire out bake bread,then maybe bake a lasagne,sausages & beans  or similiar on the run down or refire it to get it back to temp.


I have an infrared point and shoot. I thought about the built in but if they failed it was going to be a pain to fix so I will just use my temp gun and it should be golden. We plan on doing a lot of different things in the oven - I think if I can get a deal on pork tenderloins I can do 15 - 20  at a time. There is a lot of cooking we can do with the oven




JckDanls 07 said:


> Scar... My question concerns the fire box... The cement block you used for the fire box, What protects them from cracking due to excessive heat? Anytime I made fire pits with just plain cement block They ALWAYS crack and break from the heat.
> Maybe the stucco (finish) has some kind of heat barrier ?
> Be interesting to see what happens
> It Is SaWEEEEEEEET tho.. nice build


I think you are looking at the firewood storage in the lower part of the build. The fire goes inside the oven  and  the two layers of firebrick under the oven floor will help hold the temps real well.  I will be posting some more pics in the next day or so that show the insulation blanket and the chicken wire before we do the pearlite and concrete over the oven before the structure is installed


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## moikel

Infra red point & shoot many steps beyond what was available here when I  built in 2000. Sounds like a great thing.


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## supercenterchef

I can't get over your posted price...what a deal on a beautiful project!!!


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## tjohnson

I got 2 tickets to visit!

You makin' Pizza or Steaks?

TJ


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## scarbelly

TJohnson said:


> I got 2 tickets to visit!
> 
> You makin' Pizza or Steaks?
> 
> TJ


For you both - give me a month - it needs to cure


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## mballi3011

Woo Hooo that looks awesome. I want one of those on my back porch. That is too cool


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## justpassingthru

Since Todd is coming from the East that would make it lop sided, we'll have to come from the west and even it out, ...two more won't make any difference since it sooo big, and for desert we can sample some of that Tahitian Vanilla ice cream you're gonna make.   
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Fantastic!!!  I have a bad case of pizza oven envy.

Gene


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## JckDanls 07

Scarbelly said:


> I have an infrared point and shoot. I thought about the built in but if they failed it was going to be a pain to fix so I will just use my temp gun and it should be golden. We plan on doing a lot of different things in the oven - I think if I can get a deal on pork tenderloins I can do 15 - 20  at a time. There is a lot of cooking we can do with the oven
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think you are looking at the firewood storage in the lower part of the build. The fire goes inside the oven  and  the two layers of firebrick under the oven floor will help hold the temps real well.  I will be posting some more pics in the next day or so that show the insulation blanket and the chicken wire before we do the pearlite and concrete over the oven before the structure is installed




Yes..  I believe your right...   that is the wood box..  my bad


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## moikel

The inside of mine which looks rather rough & ready compared to your masterpiece.Food still tastes fine. Just to prove I can lay bricks,slowly & messy, a photo of last project


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## scarbelly

Moikel said:


> The inside of mine which looks rather rough & ready compared to your masterpiece.Food still tastes fine. Just to prove I can lay bricks,slowly & messy, a photo of last project


Man this is not in any way a competition or judgement on anyone 's oven. I just wanted to share my experience with the forum - I am humbled by folks like you that have an oven and what you have accoplished


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## moikel

Scarbelly said:


> Man this is not in any way a competition or judgement on anyone 's oven. I just wanted to share my experience with the forum - I am humbled by folks like you that have an oven and what you have accoplished


Never saw it as a competition,had a plenty of judgement from my contractor friends who tell me if thats how you work sober maybe you should try drinking while you work
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





. I had to call some of them in to dig me out of trouble at different stages. They shut up after I  feed them
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I just thought you might like to see the inside of mine. Realising theres a dip in the floor ,& a skew in the back arch I thought Id show you something I did recently thats a neater job,at least from that angle! I also figured Gene would see the oven floor & get a grasp of what I was talking about in my PM to him.

I quite sincerely see your oven as an example of what true masons build & how far the ovens have come in the last few years.I check this forum several times a day from my timezone just to see where your up to. I love what your doing.


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## sound1

DaveOmak said:


> Finally a perfect "Black and Blue" steak.....


Oh Yea, a big X2 on that idea!!


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## scarbelly

JustPassingThru said:


> Since Todd is coming from the East that would make it lop sided, we'll have to come from the west and even it out, ...two more won't make any difference since it sooo big, and for desert we can sample some of that Tahitian Vanilla ice cream you're gonna make.
> 
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> 
> Fantastic!!!  I have a bad case of pizza oven envy.
> 
> Gene


You know you are always welcome


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## scarbelly

We finally got some more done on the oven. We got hit with a rain delay

Here is the oven getting a coat of refractory cement on all the joints.

This is the start of a 3 week cure







This stuff is like a very thick glue and really sticky 







Installing the insulation blanket - 4 layers on the actual oven shell 







Chicken wire goes on next 







Next we build up the sides so we can pour the pearlite / concrete insulation mix

Here is a top view with the sides mostly done and ready to pour


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## terry colwell

Wow,, what a LOT of work for home made Pizzas, better go into business to recoup some money on this project....Lol


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## roller

Thats really nice Gary ! ! !


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## SmokinAl

It looks great Gary!


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## graystratcat

Looking better and better every time you post pix Gary!  I bet you're getting the itch real bad to fire that bad dog up....I know I would.  Man, this is one killer project!

-Salt


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## solaryellow

Looks great Gary! Will you have delivery service when it is done?


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## DanMcG

Cool Gary, Keep the pic's coming


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## bmudd14474

Great Job Gary


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## bluebombersfan

WOW!!


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## alelover

Awesome.


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## moikel

Very impressive.Insulation blanket very clever,lets hope the 3 weeks passes quickly for you.


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## sprky

Looking real good there. I'll bet ya can hardly wait till its all done and ya get to fire it up.

BTW are them OSHA approved flip flops........lol


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## sound1

Nice!!  Keep the pics coming!!


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## ak1

Wow! What a neat build. I look forward to seeing the pizza's coming out of it.


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## africanmeat

Wow Gary  you getting there my friend i can smell and hear  the wood crackling in the pizza oven.


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## ronrude

I can't wait to see the food that comes out!


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## scarbelly

We had a couple of weeks of rain so my neighbor had to go to another job where he could work inside. Finally got back on the weekend and got a lot done.  We are heading into the home stretch and I can actually light some small fires starting Sunday.

The side walls are all up and the dome is covered in Pearlite and concrete. We are now filling the rest of the cavity wit Pearlite to better insulate the oven and provide a more even heat and installing the chimney 








Installing rebar to support the roof of the oven 







Wire mesh over the rebar for more support 







The top is on and the first coat of plaster has been applied 







Here is the front with a few tiles applied.







We are going to wait until I finish the fire cure to see if there are any cracks before we go any further. More to come in about a week


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## africanmeat

Wow it is a piece of art i am so excited for you


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## alelover

It's like a pizza cathedral.


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## sunman76

alelover said:


> It's like a pizza cathedral.


                                
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   
BEHOLD THY PIZZA THAT COOKETH IN THOU AWSOME OVEN......


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## moikel

alelover said:


> It's like a pizza cathedral.


X2. Lovely clean lines,steel chimney must have saved a lot of time as opposed to masonry.


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## smokinhusker

That is a work of art and should be awesome!


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## capntrip

Wow!!


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## graystratcat

That is just awesome, Gary.... I am totally pumped for you.  That is going to be such a blast to use and so much fun to teach the kids about wood fired oven cooking and cooking in general.  Just too cool....

-Salt


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## venture

Awesome, Gary!

Be sure to leave a space for your epitaph?  This could be your monument!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## chef jimmyj

Very Cool! Best of luck with it...JJ


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## SmokinAl

Can't wait to see it in action!


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## scarbelly

We had some friends over on the weekend and experimented with dough's and sauces - made five different pizza in the house oven and found a new favorite - ementhaller cheese and carmelized onion. That is amazing. Cant wait to try it in the new oven


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## roller

Thats just great ! What a project...my daughter needs one of these she eats Pizza 4 times a week...


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## bluebombersfan

amazing!!  cant wait to see your first qview in that!!!


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## spec

Been following this quietly for a while

Damn Scarbelly...that fooker is way awesome

Nice work

MMMMMMM>>>>>PIZZA


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## tjohnson

And I thought Domino's pizza delivered

Looks Great My Friend!!!

Todd


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## thoseguys26

I'm very jealous my friend. A lot of hard work there and it looks great. I need to buy a house first but when I do I'll be looking you up for advice on building an oven.

You gotta be pretty damn proud so far! And when you take your first bite of your first pizza fresh out of the oven, you might just levitate a few inches. I would definitely give out a victory war cry after my first slice! Awesome job, congrats! Don't leave us hanging and give us some pics of your oven in action.


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## scarbelly

Thanks for all the great comments. I actually get to light the first fire in it tomorrow. LOL - 7 sheets of newspaper and the week long small but increasing temp fire curing gets going. Very excited.


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## sound1

Gets better with every set of pics...Bet ya can't wait.


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## chefrob

Scarbelly said:


> .... made five different pizza in the house oven and found a new favorite - ementhaller cheese and carmelized onion. That is amazing.


i used to make a gruyere and carmelized onion with a bechamel base......people loved it.......the oven is coming along nicely gary!


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## scarbelly

We are in the final stage now - only 2 more curing fires to go and some tile work to finish then we color coat and start cooking. 

Here is the first fire which was 7 pieces of newspaper 








Here is the opening with some of the tile installed but not finished 







Here is one to give you an idea of how big the interior of the oven is


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## thoseguys26

I get more jealous every photo! I wish you were my neighbor!


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## chef jimmyj

chefrob said:


> i used to make a gruyere and carmelized onion with a bechamel base......people loved it.......the oven is coming along nicely gary!


With Shrimp, Clams and Fresh Thyme!....YUM!...Looking Good Gary!


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## scarbelly

Chef JimmyJ said:


> With Shrimp, Clams and Fresh Thyme!....YUM!...Looking Good Gary!







chefrob said:


> i used to make a gruyere and carmelized onion with a bechamel base......people loved it.......the oven is coming along nicely gary!


I think the two of you should come and make some pizza with me


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## alelover

Looking good my friend. Real good.


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## smokeamotive

Is my room ready to move into?


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## scarbelly

Smokeamotive said:


> Is my room ready to move into?


I am installing about 6 bunkbeds in that room next week


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## chefrob

Scarbelly said:


> I think the two of you should come and make some pizza with me


i would love nothing more.........not sure how this summer is going to treat me.


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## chef jimmyj

Scarbelly said:


> I think the two of you should come and make some pizza with me


Let's see what the Fall brings...JJ


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## africanmeat

Looks good Gary the first pizza is around the corner


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## daveomak

Gary, morning...  She is a beauty....  I guess this means you will not be moving in the future... pretty much a permanent address ????? 

Of course iffin you did move... you could keep the place for a permanent SMF gathering clubhouse....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





...

Dave


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## venture

We have fire! 

We have smoke!

Congrats, Gary.

It has been a long wait for all of us.

Now for the QVIEW!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## sprky

Looking better all the time. I know you can hardly wait till ya get to actually cook up a pizza or 2


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## spec

Gary,

*YOUR MY HERO
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	







*


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## scarbelly

Well we are finally done except installing  the flue cap and deciding on leaving it stainless or matching the door painting it black. Mrs Scar is the decorator in the family and has until today to decide what she wants to do LOL 

We got the decorative medallions installed and the final color coat on yesterday - now I need to wait one more day to start using it so the stucco does not dry out too fast. I have waited this long so one more day will not kill me 













Thanks for following me thru this journey - from here on in it will be pics of cooks in the oven


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## alelover

That turned out beautiful. Very impressive. Having pizza tomorrow night Gary?


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## graystratcat

That looks just amazing.  Great job for sure!  I bet you can not wait to fire that thing up for the first cook!  I know you're going to enjoy it for many years to come.

-Salt


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## raptor700

WOW, that turned out nice!!!

Looking forward to the Pizza Qview 2morrow


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## bmudd14474

Not that its done go ahead and package it up and send it my way. Looks great.


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## whittling chip

Congratulations! I've watched the build and am truly amazed with the quality of work and the patience it took to get there.

Looking for a long list of links to "How to do it right".

Can't wait for something to come out of the oven!


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## thin blue smoke

WOW! What a great build. Can't wait to see the first pics of the pizzas it cooks.


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## pineywoods

That is a real work of art 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   can't wait to see it fired up


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## chefrob

that turned out great gary.......congrats!


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## thoseguys26

It's a BEAUT! Very nice job to you and Mrs Scar! Being this is such a popular thread we all expect you to take a picture or TWO of every other pizza you cook in that piece of art work you made there.

You may want to upgrade your fence locks and motion lights because once your neighbors get repeated drifts of that smell!!!... I foresee you becoming a popular neighborhood family even more than you probably are!

Share some recipes with us if you would over time and learning.

Thanks again, 1 of ... jealous people who don't have a bad arse pizza oven in their back yard.


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## scarbelly

I just picked up 1/2 cord of seasoned avocado to burn in the oven and am really excited to give it a run - Mrs Scar is working on dough recipes 

Very excited


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## moikel

Whats avocado wood like to cook with? Oven looks absolutely top shelf,nice big opening at front so you are not cramped & dead level floor just for starters.Good luck with pizza dough recipe, fairly closely guarded secret here. When all the pizza talk eases off maybe some porcetta ?


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## sound1

Awesome build, and what an addition to any yard. So, how are the logistics on the delivery service coming?


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## smokin relaxin steve

This is truly awesome! I would love to do something like this! Great Job! it puts me oven pizza stones to shame LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant wait to see some product coming out of that!~ Looking forward to it!


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## fishwrestler

Gary,

That looks fantastic, I know you  will have many great years using this amazing cooking tool.

Enjoy and post lots of pictures,

Robert


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## alelover

Love your new avatar Scar.


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## solaryellow

Can't wait to see some product from it! Looks great Gary!


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## hoity toit

HOLY MACKERAL ! It really finished out necely. ! Congrats ! Your mason is a talented craftsman as well.   Now for a pizza cookoff picture ok?


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## werdwolf

Man, I'm slip'in.  I just picked up on this thread.

That is a beautiful piece of work. Include me in this list of jealous folks drooling and waiting for picks from that.

Congrats!


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## DanMcG

Man that's one nice looking oven Gary! 
I can only imagine the great pizza's you'll be pulling out of it in the future. I can't wait to see them!!


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## chefrob

Scarbelly said:


> I just picked up 1/2 cord of seasoned avocado to burn in the oven and am really excited to give it a run - Mrs Scar is working on dough recipes
> 
> Very excited


sounds like an interesting wood to use......is it "hot"?


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## jno51

Gary, Totally AMAZING. You all have done a great job and have something to be proud of. This has been a great journey to follow.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Heres to ya bud.


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## graystratcat

Hey Gary, we're all waiting on some P-View!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Throw us a bone and post up some pix of some great looking PIZZA!!!!

-Salt


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## thailandphil

“I’ll have a Super Supreme with no Anchovies please.” 

Really looks good brother. They make a nice addition to your yard and hell of a party place. Know you will enjoy it.


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## hdspringer

Very Very Nice!!!!!


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## alelover

Well. Where's the pizza?


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## scarbelly

Sorry guys - my dad got real sick and passed on the 13th so I have been real busy taking care things.  I do have a couple of pics to post when I get back home


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## alelover

I'm so sorry Gary. Hope you are doing well.


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## boardpuller

Sorry for your loss, take all time you need no hurry.


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## herms

Hey Gary sorry to hear about your dad I'm sure he was a great guy.  Hope you and the family are doing okay.


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## scarbelly

Thanks guys - I finally posted some pics today in this thread

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/120048/finally-some-pizza-oven-pics


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