Wood Burning Oven

Trelas is equipped with an outdoor wood-burning oven. We hope you have great fun baking pizzas and cooking other delicious meals in it.

But before you do we have to bring to your attention...

FIRE AND SAFETY NOTICE

Failure to follow these instructions and Health and Saftey instructions may result in oven damage, cause damage to property, cause bodily injuries or in some cases even cause death.

If you choose to use the oven, it is done so at your own risk. No liability is accepted by the owners for any injury, damage or loss incurred.

  • DO NOT burn flammable liquids or similar at any time in the oven, including but not limited to; firelighter fluid, petrol, diesel, lantern oil or kerosene.
  • DO NOT artificially attempt to induce airflow through the oven, e.g. using a fan.
  • ONLY USE untreated dry hardwood as a fuel and DO NOT burn any refuse, plastics, treated wood including laminates, charcoal, chipped wood, pressure treated lumber, sappy wood (for example, pine) or fossil fuels.
  • ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: We strongly recommend gloves for use during oven operation.
  • ALWAYS keep children, groups of people, and pets a safe distance from the oven whilst in operation and whilst cooling.
  • ENSURE all tools and materials used in the oven are appropriate for high temperatures and take care whilst handling. No liability is accepted for any injury, damage or loss that occurs because non-approved tools have been used.
  • BEWARE of high temperatures achieved on the inside of the oven and be cautious of flying sparks. Ensure wood storage is covered by a non- combustable material.
  • DO NOT keep any combustible materials, near or within range of the oven at any time. This includes clothing, furniture, electrics, nearby shrubs or trees, flammable materials, liquids or the like.
  • DO NOT touch the oven and flue, or artificially block or cover the oven entrance at any time during and after operation.
  • DISPOSE of ashes in a safe way once they are cold.

FIRE PRECAUTION

Ensure a fire extinguisher and a bucket of sand are positioned within easy reach. Although the manufacturer has tested the use of fire extinguishers on the oven with no adverse affect, in case of an emergency, they recommend only sand is used to knock down a fire within the oven. In order to satisfy UK Fire Safety Legislation the manufacturer strongly suggests that anyone who may tackle a fire should be adequately trained by a fire safety professional.

Cooking with the wood-fired oven

Just in case you overlooked it above:

  • DO NOT use flammable liquids or sappy wood
  • DO NOT use treated wood or non-organic firelighters
  • DO NOT cover entrance of oven
  • DO NOT place combustible materials within oven clearances
  • DO NOT overfill the oven
  • DO NOT use coals in the oven
  • DO NOT touch hot surfaces with naked skin

What wood to use

Kiln dried wood (20% moisture content) is suitable for using in the oven. Seasoned wood, green wood or any wood with moisture content above 20% will cause the oven to smoke and it will struggle to reach high temperatures.

Pine is unsuitable for burning in the oven.

Note

TOP TIP: To ‘kiln dry’ your own wood, simply place a stack in the oven after a cooking one evening and fit the door. The retained heat will dry your logs. Be sure to remove all embers first. Please note, this tip only applies to natural hardwood.

How to make a fire

Step 1: Using your kiln dried, non treated wood, chop into chunky kindling lengths of around 10 inches and about 3 inches thick.

Note

Shop bought ready cut kindling can often be too small and will not last in the oven.

Using a natural fire lighter, place it in centre of the oven floor and make a small cross sectioned structure around it, using your cut kindling. Light the natural fire lighter, as illustrated below.

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Step 2: Leave the fire stack to burn in the centre of the oven. This ensures the oven dome and base is saturated with heat evenly. Add to the burning kindling stack. You will start to approach optimum cooking temperatures 450+ degrees celcius. You can tell this when the sooty deposits on the roof of the oven diminish.

Step 3: Once you have reached optimum cooking temperatures (450 + degrees celcius), you are ready to start the cooking process. Move the embers of the fire to the back or side of the oven, exposing an area to place food. You can do this using the metal pizza peel and can clear the oven floor using the oven brush. You will find these under the side of the bench in the kitchen.

Note

TOP TIP: Always bring the oven up to optimum cooking temperature first, whether you are cooking pizza in a hot oven or roasting and baking in a cooler oven. This ensures the oven is saturated with heat and will stay hotter for longer.

Note

TOP TIP: Remember to rotate your items to ensure even cooking, also remember to alternate embers on each side of the oven when cooking over long periods to ensure even distribution of heat.

How to cook

You can cook virtually anything in a wood fired oven and achieve a range of different cooking techiques. Cook pizza, roast, grill, bake and more, using the different phases of heat in the oven.

You can make the most of the slow roasting and overnight cooking in the residual heat of their oven!

Note

TOP TIP: The door provided with the oven can be used for a range of different cooking techniques including roasting and baking. The oven door can also be utilised to extinguish a fire. Simply place the door in the oven doorway. Take care when doing so!

Disposing of ashes safely

Even if its been over 24 hours since firing, the ashes from the oven can still be a fire risk. Ensure you wait until the oven is definitely cool before attempting to remove the ash. Remove ash with appropriate tools e.g. oven brush and place in a metal bucket with a sealable lid away from combustible materials.

Refuelling

When refuelling, smoke emissions can occur if fuel is added to a dying fire/glowing embers. If the fire has been allowed to die down this far, smaller kindling size fuel will need to be added to re-ignite the oven.

Overloading can cause excess smoke as this will restrict the available oxygen to fully combust the fuel inside the oven.