Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven?

Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven? - Smoldering wood in hot burning fireplace

I have recently made a brick wood fired oven. It's a black / dirt / Roman / traditional type of oven: where you burn the fuel (typically wood) in the same chamber where you put the food to be cooked. The normal use of this type of ovens is:

  1. Let the fire heat the dome and floor (bed?) of the oven up.
  2. Once the bricks are soaked with heat (or the fire has extinguished) you take the embers (or ashes) out.
  3. Wait till the temperature drops down to the dish's required one, and put the food in.

As for fuel, I use wood from pallets or wood logs from prunings (which gardeners are willing to give away, mostly if you gift them loafs of bread you make with that wood).

What are the risks of using those woods for fire lit in the same place where you'll put food?

I'm quite sure there is no biological hazard with them: any virus or bacteria in the pallets, or bugs in logs will definitely be destroyed by the fire temperature (over 800C/1,500F).

What I'm concerned about is:

  • I don't know if my pallet's wood has been treated or not.

    • Is there any way to know it for a pallet found in the street?

    • The treatment given to pallets, would be risky if human-consumed? After being burned to ashes?

      I.E.: Some pallets are given methyl bromide as fungal treatment. But its autoignition temperature is 525C/995F. Will the subproduct, after burning, still be toxic?

  • I can ask gardeners if they have applied insecticide or other treatment.

    • Some of those bug treatments are supposed to be human-safe.

      But are also safe for human consumption? After been burnt to ashes?

    • Is there any specific treatment I should ask the gardeners?

    • Could the treatment be flushed away with just water?

  • If I bought firewood logs, can I have guarantees that they are safer / healthier / don't have treatments?

    Considering they are thought to be sold for fireplaces, not for cooking.

food-safetyovenfire


Best Answer

Regarding the use of pallets, the link below is to a site that gives good examples of why not to use them for any type of repurposed project due to unknown chemical treatment, e-coli contamination, mold, fungus and other nasty things that could leach from the wood.

We use hardwood branches from known (chemical-free) sources for smoking meat.

http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/repurposed-wood-pallet-toxic.html

Here is an additional link to a pizza oven manufacturer's site with their wood recommendations. They do not recommend using any wood that has had any sort of chemical treatment. If you do not know the source of the wood, there is no reliable way to verify that it is chemical-free.

http://www.fornobravo.com/pizza_oven_management/choosing_wood.html



Pictures about "Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven?"

Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven? - Three Black and Gray Pots on Top of Grill With Fire on Focus Photo
Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven? - Wood burning in fireplace in dark room
Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven? - Fired Charcoal


Quick Answer about "Which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven?"

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.

What can I use for a wood fired oven?

The best wood to use in a wood fired pizza oven is one that produces high heat and low smoke. This makes hardwoods much more suitable than softwoods. Woods such as ash, birch and oak are all ideal for a pizza oven, while many people love the mediterranean aroma of olive wood.

Can you use coal in a wood fired oven?

But can you use charcoal in a wood-fired pizza oven? The short answer is yes, you can use any type of fuel to generate heat and cook pizza, but you will need to keep a few things in mind such as the flavor, heat, and smoke generated by the coals.

What fuel is best for pizza oven?

The best fuel for a pizza oven is kiln dried hardwood, this is because kiln dried hardwood is very dry and offers a clean burn, with low smoke and a high heat. It's important that the kiln dried wood is kept in a dry place before use, as any moisture will impact on the efficiency of the burn.

What kind of wood do you use in a wood fired pizza oven?

Oak is generally the best all-round wood for your wood-fired pizza stove, and it can be used alone or with small amounts of fruitwood added for a more nuanced flavor. If you're unsure which wood to go for, go for oak firewood for your pizza oven, you won't be disappointed.


THE MOST COMMON ERRORS WHEN USING A WOOD BURNING OVEN



More answers regarding which fuels (burning materials) can be used in a wood fired oven?

Answer 2

Bromine, lead or mercury - all of which you can find in some or the other wood treatment - will still be bromine, lead or mercury no matter how much you burn them, they will just be in different chemical compounds, and a lot of them might get expelled from the oven with the exhaust - but certainly not all, especially in that kind of oven design. And most of the compounds you can make from these elements will still be very toxic.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Skylar Kang, Clem Onojeghuo, Olga Lioncat, Engin Akyurt

Related Questions