Hello from Salt Lake City, UT

[Feast]

Hi,
We've just joined the forum as a result of following Peter's Pizza Quest. I am a food blogger and my husband is a custom wood worker. He and I have been lurking here for the past couple of years while building our pizza oven.
(Ok dearest husband built it and I supervised ;p.) We were going to put copper over the dome but found that too expensive so we decided to put an insulated steel onion dome over the top of the cement layer capping the fire brick. So we have that to finish plus some stucco of the base.
We're in the learning curve of firing at the moment with a few respectable pizzas and some that have taken too long to cook.
Suspect the load of Pinon Pine our friend gave us is the wrong wood to use. The vault is pretty black instead of clear.
It's been great to learn from you all and hope to continue. Thanks for providing a great community with lots of helpful information.
Cheers,
Gabi and Rick

[Lburou]

I'm using free scrap wood from home building sites. It burns cleanly, unlike the pinion pine I think.

You may enjoy reading this thread. (Define a "Clear dome" in your oven please) The information there will illuminate you about getting your dome hot enough to burn that black soot.

I flew around the Salt Lake area years ago while stationed in Ogden and getting flight training in Helicopters. I remember landing, one winter day, in a big snow bank on the side of a high mountain.....You live in god's country for sure

Best Regards,

[Feast]

Hi Lee,
Thanks for the thread link. It was very helpful! We will be trying an oak/apricot wood fire next and will definitely be looking for that clear dome. Love the idea that the dome clearing is a good indicator of the proper pizza temp because we have had many perplexing readings with the IF thermometer.
Cheers,
Gabi

[brickie in oz]

Welcome..

We need pics of the oven, the other folks here are too polite to ask.

[Feast]

Originally Posted by brickie in oz

Welcome..

We need pics of the oven, the other folks here are too polite to ask.

Thanks for the welcome. I will try to post some pictures later today. Where is the best place to do that on the site? Thanks for the help and interest.
Gabi

[Lburou]

Originally Posted by Feast

Thanks for the welcome. I will try to post some pictures later today. Where is the best place to do that on the site? Thanks for the help and interest.
Gabi

You will find a thread with a lot of detail about posting pictures here. (Posting photos) It will be trial and error at first, but easy after you learn

[lwood]

What is your entry/dome ht ratio?

[Feast]

Sorry it took me so long to post these. Sort of fell into a hole and never got to it. I just posted a pic of our almost finished oven and some pizzas.
xox
@ Iwood: I don't remember the specific ratio but we used plans off of the site and consulted a book on building wood burning ovens. The finished oven looks alot bigger because we insulated the dome quite a bit and covered it with an outer onion dome of steel.

[Pompeii Nate]

Hello Gabi and Rick,

I just saw your post today and the picture you posted of your Onion dome oven. It is very original and dang cool. I am a few hours north of you in Idaho Falls and thought I would say hello. I am just in the planning and learning stages still but hope to start (and finish) my oven this year.

Great job on the oven build.

Nate

[Feast]

Hey Nate- thanks for your note. It's awesome that you are going to build one this year. We look forward to seeing it. You'll be the most popular person in Idaho Falls! We love coming up there and poking around through the antique stores etc. -it's a great town.
Best to you,
Gabi and Rick