Video tutorial: How to make pizza in a wood-fired cob oven

Last Updated on November 11, 2020 by Aaron von Frank

Learn how to make pizza in a wood-fired cob oven (plus tri-tip steak) in this simple, step-by-step video tutorial.

Previously, we’ve written about:

• how to make your own wood-fired cob oven, and
• a general overview of how to cook in a wood-fired cob oven. 

Now we want to help you take things to the next level… 

New video tutorials: how to cook in a wood-fired cob oven 

Sometimes with new and more technically difficult skills, it’s helpful to go beyond words and photos to get a better sense of how to do something. Such is the case with cooking in a wood-fired oven, which can seem daunting and even a bit dangerous for the uninitiated. 

Our wood-fired cob oven is about 10 years old and weather beaten, but still works great despite not being as efficient at storing heat as it once was.

Thus, we’re creating a video series in which we walk you step-by-step through the how-to’s of actual wood-fired oven meals we make in our cob oven. In the process, we hope you’ll learn exactly how to make your own unforgettable wood-fired meals — the ultimate “slow food” experience.  

Disclaimer: These aren’t super-polished videos. We don’t have a professional videographer and we’re not experts at video production. Plus, there’s often a screaming baby and/or a gaggle of loud-mouthed quacking ducks vying for our attention as we go.

That’s our life, and we’ll share the unedited version of it with you as well as everything we’ve learned over the years about wood-fired cooking! Hopefully, the quality of the information makes up for any production shortcomings.      

What’s for dinner in this video? 

In our first video, we make three whole wheat crust pizzas (recipes coming soon!):

• butternut squash, garlic, caramelized red onions, roasted Brussel’s sprouts, blue cheese, mozzarella, and fresh herbs;
• pan-roasted maitake mushrooms, arugula, caramelized red onions, black garlic, and fresh garden herbs; 
• classic cheese pizza with turkey pepperoni and fresh herbs.

Homemade wood-fired pizzas fresh out of the cob oven.

Once the pizzas are out of the oven, we show you how to roast tri-tip steaks over open coals, imbuing them with delicious smoky flavor. 

Tri-tip steak cooked over coals in a wood-fired cob oven adds wonderful smoky flavor to the meat.

This fun, slow-cooked meal provided our family with dinner for many days. 

The art and science of heating a wood-fired oven

Seems simple: start a fire then start cooking, right? Nope. 

As you’ll see in our video tutorial, there’s a lot that goes into creating and maintaining the perfect fire for your cob oven, long before you ever start cooking. In the video, we also use an Etekcity infrared laser thermometer throughout the cooking process to show you exactly what the internal oven temperatures are.  

After 10 years of wood-fired cooking experience, we usually cook by intuition. However, the laser thermometer we use during this tutorial helps give you a more precise idea of the ideal cooking temperatures throughout the wood-fired cooking process.

So, before the cooking begins, you’ll learn about:

1. basic tools you need to cook in a wood-fired oven; 
2. how to start and maintain a fire in a wood-fired cob oven;
3. when you know it’s time to start cooking;
4. how to prep the oven floor for baked goods and meats;
5. how to safely put foods in and out of the oven without burning yourself. 

Now let’s get started! 

Video 1: How to make pizza and tri-tip steak in a wood-fired cob oven

Note: If you run ad blocking software, you may not be able to see the above video. Ads help us keep the lights on and make these video tutorials free, so thanks for your support! 

We hope this video tutorial was helpful and gives you confidence in making your own wood-fired pizzas at home! 

KIGI,

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