Kansas oven progress

[cecilB]

It's been a long time since I've put any updates on here...I have no pictures at the moment - I have to find out which of my kids knows where the pictures are of our graduation party we had here.

We finished the oven in a rather quick way - the outside arch needs some work up near the chimney, but it works. We stuccoed the outside of the whole dome, but when we have time we may enclose it all and give it pretend windows and clay tile roof. We'll see. The main thing is is that we got it going in time for a few practice runs and then the big party.

We did about 60 pizzas! I started out but then a couple of my girls took over. And then later in the evening we did more.
The challenging thing was and still is, is the fire. Getting the fire going.
We seem to be taking too much time to get it up to heat, so it becomes kind of overwhelming, when the dinner hour gets delayed.

So a friend of ours and my son, Tim, who graduated from highschool, tended the fire the whole time. It was a lot of work! And Tim did the moving around of the pizzas and coals. Periodically we had to move the coals over the surface to get it back up to heat. And we really couldn't get more than two pizzas in at a time - but considering the speed at which they cook, it's still so fast!

It was a huge success and the next day I put 4 pork butts and shoulders which I had prepared the day before, in the oven, closed it up (no door yet, just bricks) and later in the day had THEE BESTcuban style pork ever! So easy! No mess....wow!
So the next weekend we did pizza on a much smaller scale....about 16. Mainly so I could do the pork again the next day. But the pizza was even better - probably because I wasn't under the stress of the party!

Now we are concentrating on firewood supply and storage, and learning how to start the fires and keep them going in an efficient way.
I did invest in a laser thermometer. It's fun!

And I should add, that since then, our 11th child was born- on the birthday of our first child! She is now almost 2 weeks old and I'm just waiting for a bit of recovery before I get into the oven stuff full swing! But my first 3 girls and my oldest son, Tim, can do it all without me! And, yes, my husband does help, but usually he's at work by the time the fire is started!

But let me say this about the pizza: there is NOTHING like it around here. I might even be so bold to say that it's better than this restaurant in Wichita - a wood fired oven pizza place.
I'm so excited and I am very grateful to all of everyone's advice and to the guys who started this website and supply any info anyone would ever need to carry through a project like this! I have recommended it to all I have talked to about the WFO!

Thanks again...and as soon as I locate the right picts, I'll post 'em....

Cecelia

[fxpose]

Congratulations on your successful party and to your new baby! That's a big family and many mouths to feed. Your new oven will be working overtime, I'm sure.

George