Best way to blast wood fired up to pizza temps

[pizzaPizzap1zza]

I need your best practices for getting my wood-fired oven (it's a Four Grand Mere 950B) screaming hot for pizza night.
My main question is about efficiency (wood use and time). Is it better to let the fire burn down to embers/coals before adding new wood? (Do those embers burn hotter/more efficiently?)

Or should I just keep big flames roaring the entire time until I hit max pizza temp?
Also, after the pizzas are done and the flames are out, when should I seal the door to trap the residual heat? Should I let the embers burn down with the door open, or seal it right away to choke them out?
Help me optimize this burn!

 

[vitasap0ri]

I usually keep the fire going strong for about an hour and a half to get the oven really hot. Once the dome turns white, I let it settle into embers since they’re good for holding heat. After the flames die down I close the door to trap the warmth. By the way, what kind of wood are you burning?

 

[Alan]

You’ll get better efficiency by feeding the fire before it drops to coals. Big flames build heat faster. Once the oven’s clean and hot, seal the door to lock in warmth. Are you baking anything after pizza night?

 

[purplehaze]

My oven is a DIY but similar to yours in shape at 40" interior diameter. Every oven will work differently due to how it was constructed, the mass of the oven, the amount of insulation, thermal breaks etc.

I don't pay attention to the time it takes to get the oven to pizza temps. I rely on the soot being burned off of the dome and sides to know when it's hot enough for pizza.

The way I do things is to stack up a crisscrossed pile of wood near the entrance about four rows high depending on how large the pieces are. Once the fire is going and there is good flow up the chimney I push the entirety of the wood to the middle of the oven. For me one load of wood is sufficient to burn off the carbon. Once this happens you are at pizza temps but you need to keep the flames going. Add too much wood and the top of the pizza will burn before the bottom cooks. When the flames die down add a single piece of wood. When the flames from the added wood die down add another. You will need to continue this until you are finished cooking pizza for the day.

I rarely fire up the oven for one of two pizzas so planning is a must for me. I cook between 15 and 30 pizzas with most being cooled, sealed and placed in the freezer. Once done cooking pizzas I immediately seal the oven with an insulated door. If your door seals tightly it will snuff out the fire and leave you with some great charcoal for your grill. The next day the oven is at baking temps approx. 450F and higher for chicken, baked potatoes etc. Be aware that opening the door will restart the coals and increase temps so keep the door closed as much as possible. The following day the temps are at slow cooking/smoking temps approx. 275F.

TIP: When oven temps are low say the third/fourth day you can add your future batch of wood and close the door. This will dry the heck out of the wood, reduce startup smoke and reduce ignition time.

TIP#2: Don't use a brass or any metal brush to clear ash from the oven floor. Imagine someone ingesting a metal bristle that was cooked into your pizza.

Experience with the nuances of your pizza oven will gain you the best future results.

 

[1m P1zza]

Also, after the pizzas are done and the flames are out, when should I seal the door to trap the residual heat? Should I let the embers burn down with the door open, or seal it right away to choke them out?

After you finish, allow the fire to burn down to glowing embers. Do not immediately seal the door to choke out the fire. Leave the door slightly ajar to let the embers finish burning down and to avoid creating a situation where the embers start smoking.
Once the embers have died down, close the door to trap the residual heat for any other cooking you plan to do

 

[purplehaze]

No disrespect but I have a different opinion than 1mP1zza as there are a lot of variables between ovens. In my opinion letting the coals burn down with the door open is a waste of heat. Why not store that heat and slow down its escape for as long as possible. Possibly for a future cook 1, 2, 3, 4 days later. If you do not like smoke flavor you can always scoop out the coals when you reach cooking temps. Additionally you can save those coals for burgers and dogs on the charcoal grill. They light quickly and easily.

I have to admit that there is nothing worse that cooking chicken on a bed of veggies only to discover that smoked the veggies are somewhat inedible. The upside is that the chicken was great.

Advice is a good starting point. However, every oven is different, and I would suggest trying multiple methods to find out which works best for YOUR oven and cooking style. Who knows you may find a method in between that works best for you.

My oven door has 2" of insulation so I can cook low and slow if I want to. It also allows me to retain heat for multiple days. My very first brisket was slow cooked for 15+ hrs. at 250-225F with excellent results.

Don't just listen to me experience is the best tutor.

Have fun experimenting