3 Steps to Finding the Best Outdoor Pizza Oven For Your Home
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THERE IS NOTHING LIKE cooking outdoors, no matter what you are making. For some reason, food always tasted better when you cook it outside, including pizza. Wait, did I just say pizza? Yes, you can now make all of your pizzas outside thanks the latest outdoor pizza ovens. And today, we are going to take a look at exactly what makes a great pizza oven.
You Don't Have to Spend Thousands of Dollars
One thing you need to know upfront when shopping for the best outdoor pizza oven for home use is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get one that works well. Of course, if you are going to invest your hard-earned money in an outdoor pizza oven, you need to make sure you are going to be getting the most bang for your buck.
Today's outdoor pizza ovens come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors. They are electric powered, gas fired, and wood fired. They can be portable or a permanent structure added to your backyard patio or deck. There is a lot more to think about than most people realize when they start shopping for the best outdoor pizza over for their home. Let's start by taking a quick look at things you need to be thinking about.
Things to Consider when Shopping for the Best Outdoor Pizza Oven for Home Use
There are essentially three different fuels being used in outdoor pizza ovens, wood, gas, and electricity. Each has their advantages and disadvantages you should consider carefully before you spend your money.
Type of Fuel
- Wood – Considered to be the ultimate fuel for cooking pizzas, bread, baked pasta dishes and much more. However, you do have to wait for the bricks to reach proper cooking temperature, it takes a long time to cool down, and there is always ashes to clean up. Yet despite this, wood fired ovens make the best pizza.
- Gas – Much easier to use than wood, simply light the burners and wait for the oven to reach the right temperature. These ovens take less time to heat up but maintain a relatively steady temperature. The only real disadvantage is that with these outdoor pizza ovens you need to make sure you have enough gas before you get started.
- Electric – Turn these pizza ovens on at the flick of a switch and be ready to go in minutes. However, there is very little difference in using an electric outdoor pizza oven and baking your pizzas in the kitchen oven. Temperatures are more easily adjusted and you never have to worry about running out of gas or waiting for hours as the wood brings the oven up to temp.
Location
In the world of Hollywood real estate, it's all about location, location, location. As you start your search for the best outdoor pizza oven for home use, consider carefully where you plan to put the oven you buy. Do you plan to have a permanent installation or do you need an oven that can be easily moved when the weather gets bad or you want to go tailgating?
One thing you can count on is that if you choose to go with a wood-fired outdoor pizza oven, once you have it built in place, you are not likely to be moving it around. So be sure you know exactly where you want your oven before you build it or have one built for you.
Kit-Built, Ready to Go, Brick/Clay, Steel, Which Is Best?
There are several options when it comes to choosing the best outdoor pizza oven for home use. You can pay a company to come to your home and built a brick over for you, order a modular kit, or by any one of several types of steel ovens. Each of these is perfectly capable of cooking delicious pizzas for your family and friends.
The Modular Kit
Typically, these wood-fired ovens are shipped in kit form requiring you to provide the final materials to put them together. They can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to assemble from the day the kit arrives until you are ready to bake your first pizza. They are very expensive but are considered to the best outdoor pizza ovens for the money. Prices can reach as high as $15,000 or more. They are also the largest outdoor pizza ovens available. Average completed weight is in the neighborhood of 1200 pounds.
The Ready to Go Brick/clay Oven
Slightly smaller than a modular kit pizza oven, most will only accommodate pizzas up to 32″ in diameter in comparison to 40″ in diameter. But at the same time, they tend to be significantly less expensive starting at around $1,500. They still weigh in the neighborhood of 1200 pounds and are not easily moved around. They are wood fired and need nothing more than a solid level base to sit on and plenty of your favorite wood to bake your favorite pizza pies and other goodies.
Steel Outdoor Pizza Ovens
Over the last few years, the market for steel pizza ovens has exploded. Not only are they easier to use, they reach operating temperature in no more than 30 minutes. They are much lighter and can be moved around with ease. However, the steel outer casing sheds heat very quickly, making it much harder to keep the temperature hot enough to bake your pizza in 90 seconds or less as you would in a brick oven. However, you can take one of these to your next tailgate party with a generator and serve your friends pizza instead of the usual burgers and dogs.
Let's Take a Look at 7 of the Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens for Home Use
With outdoor pizza ovens rapidly gaining in popularity, it's no wonder there are so many on the market today. Here we look at 7 of the best outdoor pizza ovens for home use, hopefully, this information will help you find exactly what you are looking for.
Wood Fired Ovens
Wood is not only the traditional way to bake a pizza, it adds so much flavor that you simply cannot get from any other type of pizza oven. Here we take a look at two of the most popular outdoor wood-fired pizza ovens.
PRC Outdoor Pizza Oven, Wood Fired, Insulated, w/Brick Arch & Chimney
The next generation of Portuguese brick pizza ovens
This outdoor pizza oven is hand-built in Portugal and is big enough to fit a 30″ pizza with a 31.5″ cooking surface. The entire oven is made completely from oven bricks, including the floor to ensure more even cooking. This design ensures that while the outside is hot to the touch at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the inside sits at a perfect 900 degrees Fahrenheit. At 1200 pounds, you need to know exactly where you want to install it as you won't be moving around very much.
| Pros | Cons |
| Brick liner and floor | Learning curve for getting temp right |
| Large 31.5″ cooking surface | You have to keep rotating the pizza |
| Fits a standard 6″ U.S. chimney | Quite expensive |
ilFornino Basic Wood Fired Pizza Oven- High-Grade Stainless Steel
Wood and steel come together to bake amazing pizzas
The interior of this 100% stainless steel domed outdoor pizza oven is insulated with a light-weight insulation blanket that offers superior heat retention. The cooking surface is made from 6 pieces of heat resistant tile sitting on top of 1-inch thick medium density firebricks. There is a built-in thermometer to help you keep the temperature where it needs to be for the best possible results. Inside you will find 980 square inches of cooking surface with room for at least two pizzas to be cooked at the same time.
| Pros | Cons |
| Thermometer built-in for monitoring temps | Oven floor tiles do not lay even making it hard to slide a pizza peel in if you don't lay them right |
| Brick lining helps keep temps even | Overall build quality looks rough even for an oven that is hand-made |
| Easy to assemble | Welds seem to be poor quality |
Gas Fired Ovens
It all started with gas grills and now has moved on to gas fired outdoor pizza ovens. These ovens are faster to heat, make no mess and are portable. They have become increasingly popular, not only for use in the back yard but also at tailgate parties.
Pizzacraft Pizzeria Pronto Outdoor Pizza Oven
Comes up to temp in only 10 minutes and bakes pizza in 5 minutes
Reaching a maximum temperature of 700 degrees Fahrenheit, this outdoor pizza oven can bake your favorite pizza pie in 5 minutes. It is easily portable and perfect for use in the backyard, when camping, or going to the big game. The interlocking cordierite pizza stone features a hollow heat diffusing core to help ensure your pizzas turn out perfectly baked every time. It is instantly ready for a second pizza as soon as the first one is done.
| Pros | Cons |
| Ten-minute preheat time | Only fits pizzas up to 12-inches in diameter |
| Five-minute cook time | Pizza dough sticks to cooking stones |
| Easily portable | Igniter doesn't always work |
Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven
Ready to go in 15 minutes
Countertop cooking is one way to make the most of an outdoor kitchen. This gas fired outdoor pizza oven features a double-layered ceiling from improved heating dynamics. It actually bakes like a brick oven without the fuss and bother. Goes from cold to ready to bake your pizzas in only 15 minutes. It features a built-in thermometer to help ensure your pizzas are always cooked to perfection. Burners provide 17,000 BTU and can raise the oven temperature to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use 1 lb. propane canisters or larger tanks such as you use for your gas grill.
| Pros | Cons |
| Lightweight and easy to move | Max capacity two 10″ pizzas |
| Performs like a brick oven | Rusts easily |
| Can run on any size propane tank | Poorly organized assembly manual – hard to follow |
Blackstone Outdoor Pizza Oven for Outdoor Cooking
Power rotating pizza stone for more even baking
This outdoor pizza oven is perfect for those who hate having to turn their pizzas to get an even bake. The battery powered motor is powered by a pair of “D” cells. The stone is big enough to handle pizzas up to 16-inches in diameter. The convection heat helps to heat your pizza evenly and ensure it is perfectly cooked in 2 to 3 minutes every time. Features push button ignition and adjustable temperatures for optimal cooking.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easily portable | Thrust bearing collar comes loose |
| Push button ignition | Electric motor weak |
| 60,000 BTU | Assembly instructions poor |
Mr. Pizza GOT1509M Pizza Oven and Grill
Hot color, hot pizza, cool looks
If you are looking for a multi purpose outdoor pizza oven, this one might be just what you are looking for. Not only can you bake a 14-inch pizza in it, but you can also cook burgers, hot dogs, sausages, and more on the porcelain cooking grid. Features a 14,000 BTU stainless steel burner and integrated ignition for fast easy lighting. Comes with a cordierite pizza stone and a 150-sq. in. warming rack. Fully portable for use at home, on the beach, at the game, or virtually anywhere.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easily Portable | Difficult to assemble |
| Integrated ignition stainless steel burner | May burn crust before toppings are cooked |
| Cooks a 12″ pizza in about 6 to 8 minutes | Does not come with stand |
Lynx 30 in. Napoli Built-In Pizza Oven Counter Top
Outdoor pizza oven can be built in or used as a countertop model
This gas fired outdoor This gas fired outdoor pizza oven can be built into your outdoor kitchen or placed on a convenient countertop. It's made from 16-gauge #304 stainless steel to ensure it gives you years of rust-free service and uses a pair of 20,000 BTU infrared burners to bake your pizzas. You can set the temperature all the way up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit and the reversible chimney lets you vent the exhaust out the front or back. Features internal halogen lights and LED backlit controls.
| Pros | Cons |
| Two 20,000 BTU Infrared Burners | Very Expensive |
| Heavy-Duty Stainless-Steel Construction | Must have a counter or structure to place it in |
| Heats up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit | At $3,999.00 did I mention it was expensive? |
Other Options
If you really don't want to spend the money to buy an outdoor pizza oven, why not convert your current gas grill using a conversion kit like this one:
Kettle Pizza Gas Pro Basic Pizza Oven Kit – KPB-GP
Turn your gas grill into a pizza oven with ease
Not everyone wants to add a single unit outdoor pizza oven to their patio or deck, others simply don't have the room. The is the perfect option and can be used on virtually any gas grill with enough space on the cooking surface. The kit includes a one-piece stainless-steel cover and a 15″ cordierite pizza stone. The cover has a built-in thermometer to help you keep the temperature stable.
| Pros | Cons |
| Can be used on any gas grill | Only accepts 15″ pizza stones |
| Enclosure made of stainless steel | Expensive for what you get |
| Very portable | Cooks quickly – pay attention or burn pizza |
Down to the Last Slice
Trying to figure out which is the best outdoor pizza oven for home use is not an easy job. You need to carefully consider how dedicated you are to baking your pizzas outside before investing in an oven. For those of you who like the idea of a “real wood fired” pizza, then either of the two listed here is ideal. I have the PRC Outdoor Pizza Oven and love making all kinds of pizzas, bread, lasagnas, and more in it. We use it year-round with no problem.
I hope you have learned how to choose the best outdoor pizza oven for home use. If you have any information you would like to see here, please contact me here. Let everyone know you enjoyed reading this on Facebook and Pinterest.
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