512-222-OVEN (6836)

05
MAY
2017

wood-fired asparagus is a spring star

One of my favorite appetizers is wood-fired asparagus. One of spring’s signature vegetables, I think of asparagus as a peak performer for two reasons: it reaches its best flavor and value in the spring, and it makes a beautiful and easy appetizer for entertaining around a...
09
MAR
2017
Wood-fired breakfast wood burning oven migas

Breakfast from the Wood-fired Oven

Don’t let a delicious wood-fired breakfast be an after thought! Capitalize on your outdoor oven’s heat storage capacity to turn out incomparable breakfasts–hot, tasty, touched with wood-fired flavor. Breakfast reminds me of long time favorites: eggs, grilled meats,...
02
MAR
2017
scrape raclette cheese wood-fired oven

Raclette – another classic for cooking with fire

Authentic raclette Raclette refers to a meal and to a type of cheese with the same name. It’s easy to include raclette as part of entertaining around a wood-fired oven or fireplace, as the ancients used to do. One of the earliest recipes for raclette is dated 1291 AD, and...
17
FEB
2017
kit oven installation with added floor layer

Kit Oven Installation – avoid common mistakes

We start every wood-burning oven project with a discussion of the oven core. The overall look of the finished exterior largely obscures the functional wood-burning oven inside, but a quality functioning oven is the heart of any wood-burning oven project. For this reason, many...
10
FEB
2017
metal peel

Metal Peel

When we finish a beautiful oven for a customer, we help them get a few oven tools as a kick-start for wood-fired cooking. We recommend basic tools that handle most functions in a wood-fired oven: wooden peels, a metal paddle, a bubble popper, an oven brush, and several metal...
02
FEB
2017
cheesy garlic bread

The Best Cheesy Garlic Bread

Like wood-fired pizza, garlic bread originated in Italy and became an American favorite. And like pizza, American versions tend to follow a more-is-better philosophy.  Enter cheesy garlic bread. In theory it should be great. But often, cheesy garlic bread disappoints. Good cheesy...
26
JAN
2017
reverse sear

Reverse Sear Shows off Wood-fired Oven

Just when everyone thought they understood how to perfectly grill a steak, chefs and food science types started the buzz over a reverse sear. As chef and food blog writer Jess Pryles states, “It’s what all the cool kids are doing.” And what is it they’re...
19
JAN
2017
primal food

Primal Food Means Fire

This month, it feels like my social media feeds are full of politics and dieting. It’s January! I sometimes chuckle over the arguments about cave-man diets, paleo, and primal food. Are we cooking this “primal food” in a microwave?  Regardless of what...
12
JAN
2017
BBQ pizzas

BBQ Pizza, Texas Style

Traditional Italian Ovens in the Land of Barbecue We exist in an interesting niche: building old-Italian ovens in post-digital Texas. Hmm. The ovens we build combine the best modern materials with ancient technique and design. It’s an anachronism we’re happy to...
06
JAN
2017
il forno repair

Il Forno — Authentic Pizza in San Antonio

We love meeting and working with others who share our passion for food, wood-fired flavor, and cooking in wood-burning appliances. High on the list of wood-fired-favorites is the blazing hot, 90 second pizza, prepared in the neapolitan style like they are doing at Il Forno. Il...