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Wood pellet pizza oven?

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    Wood pellet pizza oven?

    I've been doing some research on portable pizza ovens for almost a year now. Uuni seems to be the one getting the most publicity. However, yesterday I stumbled across this oven by accident:



    I actually like the design better. What I really like is that it can use either pellets, charcoal, or wood. This is similar to the Uuni Pro, but $150 cheaper. The company appears to be in Wisconsin, but I don't kniw anything else about them. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this oven or has any experience using it? They claim the oven reaches 900 degrees.



    ​​​

    #2
    Dunno about the above, but the camp chef 14 with the italia pizza oven toper is pretty portable, and it gets hotter than that. only thing is it is propane, might freak out the purists.

    Comment


      #3
      Wow. Looks a lot like the Uuni. Doesn't the new Uuni run on all those fuels though?

      Comment


      • ColonialDawg
        ColonialDawg commented
        Editing a comment
        The Uuni 3 is pellet only and costs $299. The Uuni Pro can use pellets, charcoal, or wood (and has a separate gas burner attachment you can buy separately), and it's a little bigger but it costs around $599.

      #4
      Whooz gonna volunteer to test one of these?

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        #5
        Send it over and I'll test it ​​​​​​

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          #6
          Just saw this in the Ace hardware ad. Was thinking about heading over sometime to see if there is a display model.

          Comment


            #7
            Looks like Ace the Uuni for $299
            Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_1258.PNG Views:	1 Size:	236.8 KB ID:	493296

            Comment


              #8
              I wonder if the Amazingribs gurus can do a comparison/review on these ovens?

              Comment


              • Meathead
                Meathead commented
                Editing a comment
                I am about to give the uuni (ooni) thumbs down.

              • ColonialDawg
                ColonialDawg commented
                Editing a comment
                Wow. Most reviews are largely positive. I do respect your opinion MH (even if you are a Gator), so what are the 3 red flags that make it earn your thumbs down?

              #9
              Interesting, I'm a GMG guy so would probably plump for GMGs own brand.

              I think they are a fab edition.

              Comment


                #10
                Looks interesting. Pizza.....good.

                Comment


                  #11
                  It's an obvious, blatant knock off of Uuni.

                  Comment


                  • ColonialDawg
                    ColonialDawg commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Sorry, Max if I misinterpret your remark. But is that a bad thing? Kamado Joe, Primo, and Akron are are all knock offs of BGE. I think the WPPO has some design elements that appear better than Uuni. My only issue is not knowing anything about the manufacturer.

                  • Max Good
                    Max Good commented
                    Editing a comment
                    The kamado design is hundreds of years old. Uuni came up with a unique design within the past few years.

                  #12
                  I was sent an Uuni 3 portable pizza oven to test. Here is my experience with it. If you have one, I would love to hear your thoughts.

                  Uuni 3 is a small, lightweight clever portable design that looks great on paper but left a lot to be desired in practice. The company, now renamed Ooni, has two models, the Uuni 3 and the Uuni Pro. The Pro is larger and I have not tested it.

                  When I got my Uuni 3 there was only one burner design, pellets. There is now a gas option. I have not tried the gas unit, but I am optimistic because gas should cure the numerous issues I had with the pellet burner. Let's start at the beginning.

                  The manual has few words, just illustrations, and it is a bit unclear on some issues. The best way to learn how to use the Uuni 3 is to watch YouTube videos. But even they are lacking detail. Assembly isn't hard but you need to pay attention to detail. The problem is how to ignite and control it.

                  For optimal operation you should have a propane torch to ignite it although some starter cubes work, but they are slower and might not result in a good fire. You should also have an infrared thermometer gun to read the temperature of the pizza stone. Then again, an IR gun is something any serious pizza maker should have.

                  To fire up, you must insert a small grate in a pellet tray. I had a dickens of a time learning how to insert the grate and whether pellets go on top of the grate or below it. Many videos later I learned how to insert the grate and that the pellets go on top. You then light the starter and insert the pellet tray into the rear of the unit or insert the tray and ignite it with a torch. Ooni recommends the torch and I agree. It works.

                  Close the front door, and in about 5 minutes the stone is 600F or more and flames are licking across the ceiling, just like in a commercial pizza oven.

                  Once you are up to temp, you need to add pellets to a hopper and keep it topped off. Problem is, once the smallish 10" pizza is done, if you take it in, slice it, pour a glass of wine, enjoy your meal, and some conversation, by the time you get back out to the Uuni, the pellet hopper is empty and the tray is burned down and you pretty much need to start over. If you wait til you have finished your first pizza to build your second, a smart move because the longer wet dough sits on the pizza peel (the metal shovel one uses to insert the pie), the more likely it is to stick to the peel, no matter how much flour or corn meal underneath it.

                  Once you get the pie into the oven, things move quickly. The dough bubbles within 30 seconds, and within a minute you need to rotate the pie so the back edge doesn't burn. But within 2 to 4 minutes you can get some excellent golden to slightly charred crust on top, leopard spotting underneath, and melted cheese. But don't load it with a lot of toppings or else the dough will not cook through, a problem we encountered. And now you face the classic pizza problem: Achieving simultaneous pizzagasm, getting the top and bottom done at the same time. And this depends on a LOT of variables: Getting the stone to the right temp, getting the right amount of flame over top, having the right toppings (not too many and sausage must be thin to cook to safe temps). To do this you need the pellets burning optimally and that ain't easy after the first pie.

                  There is another issue: Wood pellets make a lot of billowing white smoke and the pie can get overly smoky. We also had issues with a Roman style dough, with a good amount of oil in it. The simple Neapolitan dough without oil performs well, but Roman dough, which is designed for a crunchy crust, tends to burn on the bottom so you need to open the door and cool the stone first. Thick doughs just don't cook through.

                  Long story short, I have succeeded in making some lovely pies with my Uuni 3, but I have also made several with undercooked dough and burnt edges, unsafe sausage, and too much smoke flavor.

                  My guess is that the gas unit, which has a dial to control the flame, will solve a lot of these problems. I plan to try it.

                  Comment


                  • Attjack
                    Attjack commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Parchment paper should solve the issue with the dough sticking to the peel. You can even build pizzas on parchment (trim all the excess around the pie to a quarter inch) and put them in previously unused pizza boxes and stack them up as many as you like. After the pie is half cooked take it out pull the parchment from underneath and put the pie back in to finish.

                  #13
                  I had a very similar experience as Meathead, particularly with the lighting. But I learned that the dough needed to have a lower hydration level for high temp cooking (I use Ken Forkish's recipe altered for the 900 degree cook) Also discovered that I had to turn the pizza about every 20 seconds, but it was done in 60 - 90 seconds so not really a big deal. If I am doing several pizzas I place the finished one on a rack in my gasser to keep it warm, re-load the hopper if needed, then prepare the next one..
                  There is a bit of learning curve to using the UUNI but I am happy with it now. Just wish my wife could forget that first pizza.

                  Comment


                    #14
                    I would be leery until I saw one. They also have a charcoal/wood oven for $199, but the steel is paper thin. 0.8mm. So I wouldn’t think it will last very long unless you live in the atacama desert. The other cooker doesn’t have many specifications, other than it can fit a 12 inch pizza pan.

                    Comment


                      #15
                      I think Meatheads assessment is spot on to my experience with my Uuni 3. I have an Uuni Pro and like it much better for the fire control using lump charcoal and small kindling size slivers of wood. I also have a Roccbox with the gas attachment and the gas attachment does work well and consistent.
                      Last edited by SMOG MAN; August 13, 2018, 07:22 PM.

                      Comment


                      • SMOG MAN
                        SMOG MAN commented
                        Editing a comment
                        For the fun of managing a working fire I like the Uuni Pro better, makes a better show. If I am cooking lots of pizzas without a lmuch help the Roccbox with the gas burner is easier.

                      • ColonialDawg
                        ColonialDawg commented
                        Editing a comment
                        How do you like the wood burning option in the Roccbox?

                      • SMOG MAN
                        SMOG MAN commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I only tried the Roccbox wood burner a couple of times and maybe was missing a method but it took FOREVER to get hot and hard to keep hot.

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