3 Things To Consider When Buying Wood For Your New Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
Wood fired pizza ovens are a popular addition to many Australian backyards. They're a great way to create your own delicious and authentic pizzas in the comfort of your own home. They also make an attractive feature and double up as a cosy outdoor heater during the colder months.
Choosing the right firewood is one of the key elements to ensure that your wood fired pizza oven cooks your pizzas perfectly every time. Here are three things you consider when buying a delivery of firewood for your new pizza oven.
1. The type of wood
There's a huge variety of firewood available to purchase across the country but not all of them will make a good choice for a wood-fired pizza oven. Although softwoods, such as pine, might be cheaper, they'll also burn fast and won't give you the build-up of heat and red-hot coals that a pizza oven relies on for fast and effective cooking.
Instead, opt for a solid, native hardwood such as red gum. These wood varieties are denser and have a good natural oil content that makes them burn for longer and produce hotter coals. The extra initial cost will be mitigated by how much longer a load of hardwood will last in comparison to a similar sized load of softwood.
2. The size of the logs
When you order your delivery of firewood, make sure that you inquire about the size of the logs. Pizza ovens require much smaller pieces of wood than a normal wood burning stove so many regular deliveries might be too large to fit into your pizza oven.
It's certainly possible to split large logs yourself if you have the time, skill and energy to do so. If not, it's worth paying a little extra to have the wood cut to size before delivery for ease of use and convenience.
3. The seasoning level of the wood
Before timber can be used in a wood-fired pizza oven, it needs to properly seasoned. This means that it's had sufficient time to dry out and any extra moisture has been eradicated. Poorly seasoned wood will burn less efficiently and will also produce large amounts of unpleasant smoke.
Unseasoned wood is less expensive than seasoned wood and if you're thinking ahead, it's a good way to save some money on firewood costs. You'll need a dry, covered area to store it in and you'll need to wait for at least twelve months before you can use it.