Can You Make A Pizza Oven Out Of Cob?

Armed with hands-on experience we went home and built our first cob pizza oven. We have since built a second cob pizza oven at another property we moved to and also one for friends. You can cook not just pizzas in these ovens, but amazing roast meats, and even bake loaves of bread.

What is a cob pizza oven?

It’s a “cob” oven made from natural materials that are ubiquitous virtually anywhere in the world: clay, stone, sand and straw. And we want to teach you how to make a wood-fired oven so you can enjoy the best food and dining experience you’ve ever had without even having to leave home!

Can you use any wood in a pizza oven?

The best woods for pizza ovens are seasoned and dried hardwoods. Hardwoods, which usually contain broad leaves as trees, are a better option than softwoods, which usually have needles and cones. One reason hardwoods are better for cooking in a pizza oven is because they are cleaner and last longer than softwoods.

What can I use if I don’t have a pizza oven?

The simplest and most accessible baking surface you can use for cooking pizza in a home oven is a preheated half sheet pan.

How hot can cob oven be?

Cob ovens can get up to 700 degrees in temperature–perfect for baking pizzas in minutes. As they cool down to the 300-400 degree range, they are great for baking bread.

How long do cob ovens last?

Cob should hold up for a couple of years of steady use. Eventually it will begin to break down, but they’re so easy to build, replacing the dome will take you one whole day every two to four years.

Can you cook pizza on a Cobb?

Pizza can be baked on the Cobb in 8-15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pizza.

What kind of wood should I use for a pizza oven?

If you are unsure about which type of wood to start with in your wood fire pizza oven, go for oak wood and you won’t be disappointed. Oak is very heavy and dense wood, ideally best for high temperatures needed by pizza ovens. Red oak has a more pronounced flavor with more intense smoke.

What wood should you not cook with?

Type of Wood
Dried hardwoods, fruitwoods, and nut woods, are the best for cooking. Softwoods such as pine, redwood, fir, cedar and cypress are not ideal for cooking because they contain terpenes and sap. This gives the meat a bad flavor. Each wood produces a different flavor.

What is the best material to make a pizza oven?

People use many different types of clay and materials for building a clay pizza oven. Probably any fire clay would be fine. We recommend Hawthorn Fire Clay because of it’s workability and affordability.

Is it worth building a pizza oven?

They’re great value for money
These pizza ovens are able to make thousands of pizzas, tasting just as good as restaurant quality without the hefty price tag. Soon enough, you’ll have saved enough money simply by eating homemade pizza, that the pizza oven will have paid for itself! Pizza ovens are so worth it.

How do you simulate a pizza oven at home?

How to Turn Your Home Oven into a Pizza Oven

1. Arrange a rack on the top third of the oven.
2. Place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on rack.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 to 550°F.
4. Assemble your pizza on parchment paper.
5. Turn on the broiler.
6. Carefully remove the baking sheet, slide your pizza on, and put it back in the oven.

Can you build a pizza oven with normal bricks?

The short answer to the question is you can use traditional clay bricks to build a pizza oven. They’ll do the job and if you’re only going to be using it a few times a year, it makes sense to go down this route. You could even use reclaimed bricks or bricks you’ve taken from a structure you’re demolishing.

Can you fire cob bricks?

The contents of subsoil vary, and if it does not contain the right mixture, it can be modified with sand or clay. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and uses low-cost materials, although it is very labour intensive.

How thick should be walls of cob oven?

The wall thickness of a cob oven should be 100mm or 4 inches at a hard minimum but a cob oven is far more efficient at 6 to 8 inches thick (150-200mm). This can be enhanced further with thermally helpful materials added to the thicker cob mix.

What kind of clay do you use for a cob oven?

We recommend Hawthorn Fire Clay Mix because of it’s workability and affordability. This dry clay is much less expensive than a “potter’s clay” which is usually a moist clay with fluxes and glass formers which are not needed for a clay oven.

Do cob ovens need to be covered?

Because the oven is made from a clay mixture, it must remain covered with a small roof or covering. It can stand up to minimal rainfall and spray, but direct rainfall over time would eventually break the oven down.

Does a cob oven need a chimney?

If you need to control smoke, then yes, a chimney is best. I changed my mind after experimenting with a cross-draft oven, which burned well, but used lots of wood. It illustrated a basic fact that I understood, but didn’t quite accept; that is, no matter where you put it, a chimney sucks heat out of the fire.

Can Cobb pizza stone go in oven?

The Pizza Stone prevents burning and distributes heat evenly for perfect browning. It can be used in a regular oven too. The new COBB Grill Pizza Stone is large enough to bake a 10” pizza or flatbread.

How long do Cobb stones last?

They are environment-friendly too, being made from coconut shells. Each stone burns for up to 2hrs (smoke-free after the first three minutes), with very little residue.

How many briquettes does a Cobb have?

6-10 briquettes
The COBB cooker uses about 6-10 briquettes or around 300g of charcoal depending on what you want to cook.