Starting a brick oven typically involves building a fire using kindling and paper or firelighters, allowing it to establish, and then adding larger pieces of wood to build up heat.
Lighting Your Wood-Fired Brick Oven: A Step-by-Step Guide
Getting your brick oven ready for cooking is a straightforward process centered around building and sustaining a hot fire. The heat absorbed by the oven's brick structure is what cooks your food, creating delicious, authentic results.
Gathering Your Materials
Before you begin, ensure you have the necessary supplies:
- Dry Wood: Use seasoned hardwood like oak, ash, or maple. Avoid softwoods (like pine) and treated wood, as they produce more smoke and creosote and don't burn as cleanly or efficiently.
- Kindling: Small, dry pieces of wood that catch fire easily.
- Paper or Firelighters: Used to ignite the kindling.
The Lighting Process
Building the fire correctly ensures it catches quickly and burns efficiently. Based on the provided reference from "How to start a Wood Fired Pizza Oven - YouTube", here are the core steps:
- Build the Base: Place paper or firelighters in the center of the oven hearth.
- Add Kindling: Place small pieces of kindling over the paper or firelighters, arranged to allow airflow.
- Ignite: "And light the fire lighters. And paper and let the wood catch a light." Use a long match or lighter to ignite the paper or firelighters. Watch as the flame spreads to the kindling.
- Build the Fire: As the kindling burns, gradually add slightly larger pieces of wood.
- Sustain the Heat: "Once the fire is going you can add some larger pieces of wood to ensure a longer and hotter burn." Continue adding larger pieces of seasoned wood as the fire grows. Position the fire towards the back or side of the oven to allow space for cooking on the hearth once it's hot.
Tips for Success
- Ensure Airflow: Don't smother the fire with too much wood at once. Allow air to circulate to help the fire breathe and grow.
- Be Patient: It takes time for the oven to reach cooking temperature, often 1-2 hours depending on the oven's size and construction.
- Monitor Temperature: Use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the oven hearth and dome to know when it's ready for different types of cooking.
By following these steps, you can successfully start your brick oven and prepare it for baking, roasting, or grilling.
