Wood-fired ovens certainly do require a little more practice than electric ones, but it’s definitely worth it for the difference in taste! Let’s find out together how to get the best from this type of cooking. If you don’t yet have a bbq with a wood-burning oven, but you think it would look great in your garden, then have a look through the range of Palazzetti products dedicated to the outdoors: with the Cookie line, you’ll soon be able to build a complete outdoor kitchen!
But for now put on your apron and get ready to prepare some tasty recipes. First though, you’ll have to choose the right wood!
Which type of wood to use
Wood-fired ovens give our food the subtle yet unmistakable scent of wood. Depending on the wood’s origin you’ll be able to obtain different types of aromas for your recipes. The best wood comes from vines and laurel, which will enrich your recipes with even more flavor.
Try to avoid wood from coniferous trees, such as fir or pine: these types are better suited to the fireplace (they will leave a great scent in the room!), but they are very bad for cooking.
Now that we know a bit more about how to choose the right kind of wood, let’s move ono the cooking.Barbecue Palazzetti – Vulcano
How to cook in a wood-fired oven
As mentioned earlier, a wood-fired oven requires a little bit of practice. The first task is to work out if the desired temperature has been reached or not. Compared to an electric oven, a wood-fired oven takes much longer to heat up and produce an even temperature throughout.
But not to worry, with just a little bit of experience you’ll quickly see great results. Here are some useful tips before you get going.
Place a pile of twigs and small pieces of wood in the centre of the oven, light it and let it burn for about 15 minutes. Leaving the oven door open will encourage the flames.
To heat the oven, add pieces of small-medium sized wood at regular intervals of 10-15 minutes with the door only half open. Don’t feed the flames too much or you will overheat the oven.
After about an hour (under normal conditions) push the embers towards the back and close the door almost completely. At this point, the oven will have reached the perfect temperature for cooking.
As far as the final cleaning is concerned, use a wire brush to scrape and clean the oven floor once cold: try to avoid the use of cleaning products!
So what’s the trick to knowing when you can start cooking with your wood-fired stove? Simple: when it’s heating up the oven will appear to get darker. Once this fades you are ready to start cooking!
