Need opinions on a pizza oven

[Brian_M]

Was passing through the local Menard's hardware store tonight and saw this:



It's a Pit Boss brand charcoal pizza oven. Original price (according to the sign) of $349.00. On clearance for $189.00. Menard's is currently running one of their 11% rebates so the final price would be $168.21 plus tax.

I know nothing about pizza ovens. I know next to nothing about grilling pizza. (these aren't the only things I know nothing about...)

I guess I have three questions for the knowledgeable people here:

1. Does anyone know if this is a good oven?

2. Is this a good price for this oven?

3. Are there good options for gluten-free pizza crust?

Thanks in advance for all the advice.

[RonB]

It's $299 on the Pit Boss site, but over 1/3 off is a good price. I didn't see any reviews on google.

[Willy]

I am convinced that a pizza oven is a waste of money unless your palate is very sophisticated--which mine ain't. I recommend you buy a copy of Ken Forkish's "Elements of Pizza" and find out how good a pizza from your home oven can be. Pay attention to the first parts of the book--and not so much to the recipes except for the dough recipes. Spend $20-ish for the book and learn about the "fundamentals" of pizza. Make some of Forkish's dough; bake some pizzas in your oven. Then, if you need to go further, well, consider spending the big bucks for a dedicated pizza oven. Given that you're a pizza making rookie--go slow.

Best wishes!

[Attjack]

Pizza ovens are fun imo. Mine is one of my favorite cookers. Good for dinner for 2 or for a party. I could pump out 6-10 in a half hour. Next thing you'll tell me I shouldn't have 6 charcoal grills either

[Fire Art]

I can Make good pizza on my weber kettle on my Akorn on my pellet on my gasser. Don’t think my ugly drum smoker would be very good but 4 out of five not bad🤓

[Attjack]

Looks cool and the price seems reasonable. I use a Blackstone pizza oven and have nothing but good things to say about, however, as Fire Art says you can make great pizza on a kettle which is also charcoal. You don't need the attachments either but they can be fun. Gluten free crust is never as good but if you have to I know there are options out there.

[Attjack]

Brian_M or Max Good should get their hands on this and give us a proper review.

[Santamarina]

I’ve had a few gluten free pizzas that are actually pretty good. They’ve all been commercial pizzas, so I don’t know about recipes, but I know it’s possible!

[Skip]

I do pizza on a Lg BGE quite a bit. It's always a lot of fun. There are lots of recipes out there so you should be able to find one that's gluten free that you like. IMO $189 for having several years of great entertainment isn't a bad investment. Have fun!

[JamieBBQ]

The cool thing on a real pizza oven is the stone cooks the crust but it is the fire from the wood cascading over the dome ceiling that cooks the top. This is where the magic happens in my opinion. Not sure if that oven or any grill can do this.

[EdF]

Yeah, my impression of the organization of this one had me in the same mind. With the fire at the bottom, I'd be concerned about burning the bottom before the toppings got cooked. But that may be accounted for in the design, so it's a matter of checking out how the heat/air flow inside.

[sryoder]

I love cooking pizza on my cheap-o Walmart 5-burner gasser. I preheat with all 5 burners roaring and then turn off the center 3 to cook. Takes 10 minutes to heat up and 12 minutes to cook. Our inside (gas) oven takes almost 1/2 hour just to preheat to my preferred 550° pizza-cooking temp. In the summer it's really important to keep that heat outside. But, that said, I'm never one to discourage someone from buying a new toy if they can afford it.

[Attjack]

The cool thing on a real pizza oven is the stone cooks the crust but it is the fire from the wood cascading over the dome ceiling that cooks the top. This is where the magic happens in my opinion. Not sure if that oven or any grill can do this.

You get that with this configuration on a kettle.

[JamieBBQ]

That kettle attachment looks good. If I build the fire bigger the flame will almost wrap around

[Attjack]

I like your wood holder. You keep a very clean oven.

[Spinaker]

Great picture!

[Max Good]

I also have reservations about this design. The only way to get a bubbly top without burning the crust is by applying the same heat from top and bottom. Placing a warming rack above the pizza makes me say "WHHHAAAAT?" Meathead is the real pizza expert. Did you read this: https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...-grilled-pizza

[Brian_M]

Thanks for all the information and thoughts.

I've made it through this round of sudden-onset MCS without purchasing...

Grilling/baking/cooking pizza outdoors is something I never really looked at, and when I saw this on clearance price I nearly broke a promise I made to my wife.

I'll be learning about the pizza world now. This may be the next craze at our house.

Again, thanks to all. The amount of accumulated knowledge here is incredible.

[Attjack]

If you see a Blackstone for a good deal (I bought mine used for $50) buy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qnbwb1Gm0I

[RonB]

As you can see, there are many ways to skin this cat. The important thing is that you need the ambient air at approximately the same temp as the cooking surface - be it stone, ceramic, or steel. And if the bottom is cooking too fast, use a peel to lift the pie off the surface high enough to finish cooking the top.