So, you wanna make one of them brick pizza ovens, huh? Well, I gotta tell ya, it ain’t as easy as pie, but it sure is worth it. My old man, bless his soul, he built one years ago, and we had some good eatin’ from that thing. Let me tell ya what I remember about building a brick pizza oven.
Gettin’ Started on Your Pizza Oven
First thing’s first, you gotta figure out where you’re gonna put this thing. It’s gonna be heavy, and you ain’t gonna be movin’ it once it’s built. So pick a good spot, maybe outta the wind a bit. We put ours in the backyard, near the old oak tree. But not too close! No one wants a tree on fire, that ain’t good at all. You need space around it too, for all the pizza makin’ business. You know, a table for rollin’ out the dough, and your wood for the fire.
Now, about the size. You don’t want no tiny thing that only fits one pizza at a time. And trust me, when you get cookin’ everyone will want one at once. But you also don’t want some giant monster that takes forever to heat up. Ours, it was just right. You gotta decide how big a pizza oven is best for you. Think about how many folks you usually feed. That will tell you how big of a brick pizza oven you need for your plans.
Gatherin’ Your Stuff for the Oven
Alright, next up, you gotta get all your stuff together. This ain’t like makin’ a cake, you need more than just flour and sugar. You’re gonna need bricks, and lots of ’em. Not just any old bricks, mind you. You need them firebricks, the kind that can handle the heat. They are special for building a brick pizza oven, you see. Regular bricks will crack, and that is no good.
- Firebricks – lots of ’em!
- Mortar – that’s the sticky stuff that holds the bricks together
- Sand
- Cement
- Some kinda base – we used an old metal table frame, but you can use concrete blocks too
- A door – you gotta keep the heat in! We used an old piece of metal, but you can get fancy if you want
- Tools – you’ll need a trowel, a level, a shovel, a hammer, maybe a saw for cuttin’ bricks, just a whole bunch of stuff
You gotta get special mortar too, the kind that can stand up to the fire. It ain’t cheap, but it’s important. Don’t want your oven fallin’ apart, do ya? Building a brick pizza oven ain’t cheap, but you can get these things from those big stores that sell everythin’ for buildin’ stuff. You know the kind I’m talkin’ about.
Puttin’ It All Together
Now comes the fun part – puttin’ it all together! First, you gotta make a good, solid base. Like I said, we used an old metal table frame, but you can pour concrete if you’re feelin’ fancy. Just make sure it’s level. You don’t want no lopsided oven, that’s for sure. A good base is important for building a brick pizza oven the right way.
Then, you start layin’ the bricks. This is where it gets tricky. You gotta make sure they’re all lined up nice and straight, and that you use enough mortar to hold ’em together. But not too much! It’s a real art, I tell ya. This here is the hardest part of building a brick pizza oven. We started with a circle on the base, then just kept buildin’ up, makin’ it kinda like a dome shape. The dome is important. That’s what makes the heat go all around and cook your pizza just right. It’s the best way for cookin’
Makin’ the Dome
Now, the dome, that’s the tricky part. You gotta angle the bricks just right, so they don’t all fall in. My old man, he was real good at that. He made a kinda form outta wood to help hold the bricks in place while the mortar dried. You might need to do somethin’ like that too. This is what makes building a brick pizza oven so hard, that dome part.
Once you get the dome done, you gotta let it all dry. This takes time, so be patient. You don’t want to rush it and have the whole thing collapse on ya. After it’s all dry, you can build a little fire inside to kinda cure the mortar. Start small, then gradually make it bigger. You are almost done building a brick pizza oven! You want that mortar good and strong.
The First Pizza!
And then, finally, you can make your first pizza! It’s a real treat, I tell ya. Nothin’ tastes better than a pizza cooked in your own brick pizza oven. Just watch out for the heat. That thing gets hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July! You will want to make sure you have the right tools for gettin’ the pizza in and out of the oven without burnin’ yourself. And don’t forget the toppings! We always used fresh tomatoes from the garden, and some good cheese. Mmm, mmm, good! It will all be worth it when you are eatin’ that pizza.
Anyways, hope this helps you some. Building a brick pizza oven is a big job. Building a brick pizza oven, well it is no easy thing, but it’s sure worth it in the end. Good luck with your oven!
