Jamie's build

[cynon767]

Originally Posted by Les

I wouldn't go with white. You are going to have a fair amount of carbon building up around the vent exit. Your build is looking great.

Les...

That's a very good point. I'll have to think about that... there's already a bit of soot, so you're definitely right.

[cynon767]

Since it's been a while since I've posted, here's an update on the current state of the oven:

It has been working great. I'm finally in the swing of using it, and have really gotten the hang of pizza. It's the other aspects of wood-fired cooking that have really got me going, though. We've been roasting and baking at least as much as we've been doing pizza, and it's been more useful than I would have imagined.

We've been doing our thanksgiving (and other holiday) meals with it, and it's been great. 15 pound turkey plus 20-plus pound ham plus several other dishes and casseroles all at once, without batting an eye... and without overcrowding the indoor kitchen.

It really proved it's worth, though, when we had a freezer mishap and ended up with about 70 pounds of thawed beef. My wife went in on a deal with some of her co-workers and bought a quarter of a locally raised and butchered grass-fed steer. A great deal for some excellent meat... half of which was almost lost. I went out to the garage to pull out a roast for dinner, and found that the plug has fallen out and everything that was out there completely thawed, still cool to the touch but no longer even a little frozen. All the steaks were in the freezer in the kitchen, but there were about 25 pounds of hamburger, 7 or 8 roasts of several varieties, short ribs, and a few various other cuts all in the garage. We knew we had to act fast to save it... it was too thawed to refreeze, but we could cook it and freeze the prepared meals. So, I fired up the oven and we got to cooking. My wife cooked up the ground beef into taco meat and spaghetti sauce while I prepped the roasts. After a full day of cooking, we put the last two chuck roasts in the oven for an overnight slow cook. It all came out great, and now we have a ready stock of meals to defrost and reheat.

The garden and outdoor kitchen have really come together, and thanks to this forum we have a beautiful and functional centerpiece.

[aceves]

Hi Jamie,

Congrats on your completion! I like the stucco & brick design. And I love the corner build & "L" layout!

We also have a freezer full of grassfed beef, so lots of roasting in our future once the WFO is done. I liked your story of how you "saved" your beef by cooking it in the oven. Good to know in case that happens to us.

Good cookin' and keep the food & pizza pics coming.

aceves

P.S. I explained my key placement in my thread. Have a look when you get a chance.

aceves