Combo smoker pizza oven?

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

MattGJ

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 24, 2024
2
0
Hi all,
I’m new to the forum. Having once built a vertical smoker and accompanying Argentine-style brick grill, I’m trying it again but wanting to make the smoker an offset and thinking about whether it could double as a pizza oven. Here’s my progress so far. Ignore the right side that’s where the Argentine style grill will be and I know where I’m going there. But the left side is what I want help thinking through. The left most chamber is going to be the fire box. I’ll line the inside with fire brick. Then I originally planned to do a reverse offset and basically have a clay pipe take the smoke under the base of the smoker, release the smoke into a rectangle brick smoker on the right side when facing it, and have the exit chimney on the left side midway down to basically imitate the air flow of most commercially available metal offset reverse flow smokers. But then I got to thinking, what if the smoke leaves out the back of the fire box and travels over and up the back of the smoker and I make the smoker a dome pizza oven shape complete with the full insulation and everything else including having the smoke exit through the top via an air outlet close to the door like on most pizza ovens. Then when I want to use it as a pizza oven I could cover up the smoke inlet from the fire box with something and use it as a pizza oven with a fire in the oven as normal and when I want to smoke I uncover it and of course use the firebox for the fire. Is there anything thermodynamically wrong with that? Is it bad for a smoker to retain heat the way a pizza oven does? Would the extra insulation and done shape hurt the ability to go slow and low when smoking?
Here’s some diagrams (not proportional just to give the idea) and the photos of the actual in progress build. Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4103.jpeg
    IMG_4103.jpeg
    60.4 KB · Views: 88
  • IMG_4104.jpeg
    IMG_4104.jpeg
    54.5 KB · Views: 84
  • IMG_3445.jpeg
    IMG_3445.jpeg
    290.7 KB · Views: 78
  • IMG_3446.jpeg
    IMG_3446.jpeg
    249.3 KB · Views: 95
Biggest problem is the height, shape and the door.
A pizza oven is a low dome so the top of the pizza cooks at the same time as the base. This might not be a problem, depending on what you want to smoke and the quantity.
The oven shape and small door means no rack, and so you will need to smoke on a trivet in a pan, also to keep the stones clean.
A pompeii dome oven is round because it is easier for space management and using a paddle, its difficult to cook a pizza in a corner.

The firebox flue would become another air intake at the back of the oven so a reasonably airtight damper would be required when in pizza mode.
Insulation will increase heat buildup in the oven so will affect firebox management and you will need a way to vent the heat. Fast venting will increase air flow and create uneven temps but the ovens smaller size and dome shape might well mitigate this.

Personally I think your idea would suit a vaulted oven, like a Russian oven, rather than a dome which would solve the door and rack issue. This is more suitable for roasting and bread baking, but pizzas could be done in there with a decent design and not too tall..
 
this might be my next project. The smoker runs super hot, and ive learned how to bring it down a bit. I think if i replace the smoker grates with a custom piece of steel that has its own dome, i can get the job done. I'll post pics as the idea comes into form!
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Hot Threads

Clicky