Old Brick smoker/oven repair help needed!

[Ray09]

I am looking to turn this into an oven to bake & cook pizza’s.



How can I make the top of the smoker the best way for keeping heat in.

 

[smokerjim]

personally I think I would get a steel plate. then you could cook on top too.

 

[thirdeye]

What a great project. You already have draft out the chimney. You just need to figure out how to build up fire brick for a cooking surface. I can share a photo of one of the nicest brick ovens I've seen. The split wood burning is directly below the exhaust vent. and the fire brick dome and floor absorb the heat. They start a fire in the morning and measure cooking temp with an IR thermometer. Usually the floor is 500° to 700°. A pizza takes less than 2 minutes, and a T-bone takes maybe 3 minutes. The oven is deeper than it appears in the picture. And because it drafts so well, no smoke comes out the front. They do have a half round steel plate they can set in front when the oven is not in use.

 

[Ray09]

What a great project. You already have draft out the chimney. You just need to figure out how to build up fire brick for a cooking surface. I can share a photo of one of the nicest brick ovens I've seen. The split wood burning is directly below the exhaust vent. and the fire brick dome and floor absorb the heat. They start a fire in the morning and measure cooking temp with an IR thermometer. Usually the floor is 500° to 700°. A pizza takes less than 2 minutes, and a T-bone takes maybe 3 minutes. The oven is deeper than it appears in the picture. And because it drafts so well, no smoke comes out the front. They do have a half round steel plate they can set in front when the oven is not in use.

Think I have an idea what your saying, but I cannot see the bottom on the oven in the photo..

 

[Ray09]

personally I think I would get a steel plate. then you could cook on top too.

That’s what I was thinking, in fact, I found some 3/16 sheet metal. Cut it to rough size and layed some of fire brick on top. Turned it on last night for a couple hours to test out the fire, those bricks were hot!! I just wasn’t sure if I should put fire bricks over half of the top and the other half sheet metal!?

 

[smokerjim]

I think I would try and use thicker metal if possible, especially if your putting that kind of weight on it, it might warp. other then that your plan sounds good to me.

 

[thirdeye]

Think I have an idea what your saying, but I cannot see the bottom on the oven in the photo..

Here you go, the hearth is about waist high and their pizza peels have maybe a 30" handle, and the meat handlers look like a supersized pigtail flipper.