Clay cooker technique in 36" Tuscan

[Fudugazi]

Make a first attempt at chicken in a clay cooker last night. Mixed reviews in that the top of the chicken tasted great and browned nicely but the bottom did not cook at the same rate and was a bit pink. I used a good quality German clay cooker with a glazed bottom. Instuctions stated that the cooker has to go in to a cold oven so I put the cooker in, then fired up the oven. No surprise that the top of the clay cooker heated much faster than the bottom.
Is anyone putting clay cookers into a preheated oven? Any words of advice on tried and true techniques.

[james]

A wood-fired oven doesn't heat up the same way a conventional oven does, so I am guessing the heat from the fire cooked the top, but the oven walls and floor weren't hot and didn't cook the bottom.

When you want to cook at regular temperatures (350F-550F), I find that it works best to bring the oven up to pizza heat (750F), then put the fire out and let the oven fall to 550F. At that point you have stored enough heat in the oven to cook just about anything you want.

Terracotta bakeware in a brick oven works great -- but the whole oven (floor and walls/dome) need to be heated.

James