When it comes to pizza, nothing beats a classic brick oven. But, if you don’t have the space for a full sized brick oven, you can buy table top wood fired pizza ovens that are lightweight and ready to cook in 25 minutes.

A wood fired oven is able to reach high temperatures, which helps it cook pizzas quickly and evenly. This means the toppings don’t get soggy and they retain more vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients than other types of pies.

Cooking time

The cooking time for a wood fired bbq pizza depends on several factors. The type of dough you use, the temperature of the barbecue and the types of toppings are all key aspects to consider.

To make your pizza on the grill, first preheat the barbecue to about 425 degrees. This will ensure that the crust gets crispy on both sides.

After a few minutes, put your pizza on the grill. Be sure to check the bottom for browning.

You can top the pizza with any of your favorite ingredients. Typical toppings include pepperoni, sausage, and chicken.

A good fire-proof barbecue is essential to make a quality pizza. You should also use seasoned and dried wood. These types of wood are dense, which gives them the ability to provide the high heat required by a wood-fired oven.

Temperature

Unlike gas or electric ovens, which cook food directly by the heat of the elements, a wood fired bbq pizza oven uses indirect cooking at high temperatures to create a charred crust and a rich, smoky flavor. These wood-fired ovens soar to 800–900 degrees, bringing a smoky, authentic flavor that you can’t achieve with any other method.

To heat your wood fired bbq pizza oven, start by building a fire. This can take hours or even days, depending on the type of oven and how much wood you need to burn to reach the desired temperature.

Once the oven is hot, place a slice or an entire round of pizza dough on the floor near the fire. This ensures that the radiant and convection heat will be able to cook your pizza. While your pizza is baking, keep the fire burning and add more wood if you want to increase the temperature of your wood fired bbq pizza oven.

Flavor

Wood fired pizza ovens burn with radiant and convection heat that create a charred crust and a rustic, smoky flavor you can’t get with gas or electric.

The type of cooking wood you use will affect the flavor of your pizza, so it’s important to choose a wood that’s suitable for your oven. The wrong wood will leave a harsh, bitter taste or produce too much soot and creosote.

A great choice for smoking and cooking is oak, which has an amazing amount of heat output at 28 million BTUs per cord. It also produces a clean, fresh flavor that works well with just about anything, including meats and pizza toppings.

If you’re looking for a more subtle smoke flavor, maple is another good option. Its subtle sweetness works well with pork and chicken, as well as many vegetables. It also provides a light, dark smoky flavor that’s not quite as intense as hickory.

Crust

Typically, pizza crust that works in a wood fired oven is super thin, delivering crisp results with minimal air bubbles. However, not all pizza crust is suitable for a wood fired oven, so it’s important to find the right dough type for your grill.

You can pre-grill your pizza dough ahead of time if you’d like, just make sure to brush it with olive oil before cooking to limit the amount of moisture that enters the crust during grilling. This will help ensure a crisp crust with fewer air bubbles and a light, chewy texture.

To get your BBQ grilling hot, start by adding some lump charcoal (or even a small piece of smoking wood like cherry). Once you’ve got it up to temperature, insert your pizza stone into the oven and close the lid to cook your bbq pizza.