just a few basic questions...

[Wood]

cooked on Saturday night and the oven took about 2 hours to go completely white, did help getting it up to full temp. Cooked again sunday and only took 1 1/2 hours to heat. Did notice that after about 2 hours of cooking the floor temp dropped to 600 F, pushed some coals over for 10 minutes and it came right back up to 700 F. Would this be normal?
Also in a pinch used the dough from trader Joe's, not bad but the dough made with Caputto is much better...had less of a problem with sticking to the peel but I still have some learning to do on this...considering a wood peel to place in the oven???

[dmun]

I use a wood peel to place pizzas. The sides get a little dented up from collisions with the edge of the opening, but it works fine.

Rather than move your fire around to keep your floor hot, try keeping some small wood burning brightly on the top of your coals when your cooking: this will keep your heat up more predictably. It seems counterintuitive, but most of the heat in the oven comes from the top.

[james]

Originally Posted by dmun

Rather than move your fire around to keep your floor hot, try keeping some small wood burning brightly on the top of your coals when your cooking: this will keep your heat up more predictably. It seems counterintuitive, but most of the heat in the oven comes from the top.

Agreed -- the heat from the flame definitely bounces off the dome and helps keep your cooking floor hot.
James

[Wood]

kept placing a log on the coals every 20 minutes or so but the floor temp just gradualy drops...also found with a fire burning the cheese on tops melts nicely...

[james]

Hey Wood,

If you keep a serious fire going -- the flame lapping past the halfway point (apex) of your dome, the floor should never cool down. You can cook pizza indefinitely, the same way the wood-fired pizzerias work.
James

[Wood]

James,
Will try that this weekend...thanks!
Paul

[james]

Excellent. I am also guessing your oven is still drying out for the season, and will cook better and better as the summer progresses. I think you get more sunshine than we do -- we are fog-central.
Enjoy!
James

[dusty]

Originally Posted by dmun

corn is what's sweetening that cola in your hand.

I don't think that's a cola in Dave's hand.

dusty