Whenever I see a wood-fired pizza oven in someone’s back yard, I immediately come to the conclusion that they are true “foodies”. Being a foodie means you have a passion for delicious food and take great care to find the best places to eat, or take care to prepare perfectly prepared meals for family and friends. But, when someone takes time to build a clay oven in their backyard, that someone is committed to serving delicious wood smoke enriched food to their guests.

History of the Clay Oven

Clay ovens can be traced back to ancient civilizations throughout the world. Traditionally clay ovens were constructed from clay pots that were placed upside down over the hearth and coals. Once heated, dough was placed within for even baking since the heat radiated from the clay pot’s walls all around the dough. Utilizing pots as ovens was very useful for nomadic civilizations, but once permanent societies started coming into existence, more efficient and larger clay ovens were constructed.

The first permanent societies were also based in agriculture. With agriculture came the introduction of grains and seeds as staples for the ancient people’s diet; hence the introduction of the wood-fired clay oven as a bread oven. These permanent clay ovens were often made within the earth either in the ground or into the side of a hill or some kind of natural elevation. The surrounding earth acted as a natural insulator allowing the ancient cooks to economize on fuel (i.e. wood) and cook food at a slow and steady temperatures.

Today the most popular type of clay oven is the pizza oven. No wonder, pizza is one of the most popular food in America today. An average of 350 slices of pizza is eaten each second in the US according to Statistic Brain. Wood burning ovens aren’t just for pizza. Any food item can be cooked, including meats and vegetables.

Benefits of the Pizza Oven

Besides the fact that everyone will want to be invited to your house for an alfresco meal, the wood burning oven in your backyard has 5 significant benefits:

1. Energy Efficient; since the oven is wood burning there is no need for electricity or other fuels (i.e. gas/propane) while the heat is efficiently retained within the confines of the oven walls
2. Food Cooks Quickly; high, steady temperatures can be achieved to sear or thoroughly bake food
3. Enhanced Taste; wood smoke is naturally infused in the food, drawing out natural flavors and providing an additional depth in flavor
4. Food Retains Nutrients and Antioxidants; since the food is cooked quickly at high temperatures (usually between 500-700 degrees fahrenheit), the beneficial elements are not “cooked out”, but rather “locked in”
5. Enables a Variety of Cook Options; since it is an oven, anything that is cooked in a traditional oven can be cooked within a pizza oven including bread and meats

So go ahead and build a wood burning pizza oven in your backyard! Better yet, when remodeling your kitchen, make sure to leave space for a wood burning oven for open hearth cooking as well as added ambiance to your kitchen space. Embrace this “ancient” cooking method and satisfy the need for delicious wood fired cooking in your backyard or home.

Premier Firewood Company™ Has the Wood for Your Pizza Oven

Whatever you decided to do, ensure your wood burning pizza oven is the most efficient, only use the right firewood, kiln dried firewood, for maximum heat output. Order online or call us at 203-866-4252 today. Connecticut and New York homeowners can kick back and relax as we do the stacking for you, and we can even deliver a rack with a Velcro top for hassle-free, safe and dry storage.