Fire Placement

[splatgirl]

Masculine/feminine fires...I'm sorry I missed that!

It's funny that you guys are talking about keeping a better eye on the crust with a side fire. One of the things that I liked about the back fire was that it was easier to see what was happening with browning AND I got a much more evenly browned crust with less turning.

[texassourdough]

I have a feeling that a bigger oven may work better with the fire more to the rear for the pie need not be placed really close to the embers/fire. Like I think most of us, I move the pie around after a minute or so to ensure more even browning. I also sometimes lift it up in the dome if the fire is a bit low to add an extra touch of browning to the top. Methinks my next pizza adventure will have the fire about 2/3 back from the front - sort of to the rear side. I have been tending to front side just to make adding wood easier... Will report back later.

[Neil2]

Try both. To the side one time and to the back the next. I think, there are pros and cons to both so in the end it is personal preference.

Incidentally, I seldom add wood after the initial burn and pushing of the coals back. I find my oven retains plenty of heat, sufficient to cook pizzas for an hour, without adding wood.