Hearth to dome heat ratio? Heat Management Discuss Hearth to dome heat ratio? in the Oven Management forums; Still haven't built anything substantial so I'm still messing around with my pizza weber with hit or miss results (usually ...

[TDVT]

Still haven't built anything substantial so I'm still messing around with my pizza weber with hit or miss results (usually good). But the usual issue is the top & bottom cooking unevenly.
My little unit tends to cook the bottom too quickly.

I am wondering if anyone has numbers for their WFO dome temp/hearth temp at your optimal pizza temp?

[wlively]

On my oven the hearth center of mass temps are always less than the side wall and dome top. Makes sense, by the way the bricks are "heated".

Haven't recorded surface temps.

[TDVT]

Thanks, makes sense with what I measured with my IF thermometer.

Last night, which was the first time I had fired it up in a while, I had 750F for the hearth & 640F on the stone mounted in the lid. Enough of a differential to create a problem I guess.

[RTflorida]

I usually like to cook my pizzas with a hearth surface temp of around 825-850F. The wall away from the fire will usually be 850-875F, top of dome around 950F. It may seem kind of hot, but I keep my crust thin (cornice really springs up) and have learned not to go overboard with the toppings. For thicker crust I usually wait for the temps to drop 50-100 degrees. In all cases the hearth is always cooler than the dome top, except for the area directly under the fire or within a couple of inches of the coals/fire.

RT

[TDVT]

Maybe I should cook my pies upside down.

[wlively]

Just a WAG, but if you are adventurous.....

And if you have an extra stone you could heat both then suspend the hotter one from the lid so it would be above your pizza. Now you a "poor man's" approximation of our oven.

Then again, just "give in to the brick side" and build a real one.

[RTflorida]

I'm with Wade, just jump into the shallow end (head first of course) and get the real deal built
I can say that I have always been intrigued with your Weber alternative. I planned to make it an inexpensive project for this winter...just have not gotten there yet. With the cooler weather we've had so far, I have been focused on the cold smoker I built last winter and only was able to use once.

Is the Weber really a decent idea for those days I don't feel like firing the oven for one or two pizzas? I'd like to cover all the bases and have an alternative for my pizza cravings when the weather sucks or I just need to make 1 or 2 pies as simply as possible.

RT

[TDVT]

I have no aversion to the "brick side" just that, unfortunately, a big oven is still a bit down the list of projects more pressing.

The Weber thing happened as it was a quick fix, with all the parts on hand.

I CAN get really good pizza from it but in is still rather inconsistent. The temps of the upper & lower masonry need to be reversed. Maybe a piece of FB board under the hearth brick is all it would take to lower the hearth relative to the lid stone?

But I have been fabricating things my whole life & lately have been thinking about a quick design, something in between the Weber & a real "console" model that would be a suitable interim oven until some of the other big project are completed. I might get to start that on after the new year, indoors!