The Best Fuel for Your Ooni Pizza Oven: Wood, Gas, or Charcoal?

I recently purchased a Ooni pizza oven. I have the ability to use almost any fuel to cook the pizza. My options have been wood, lumpwood charcoal or gas. My goal is to cook good tasting pizzas with minimum effort.

Gas

Off the top, gas is the easiest method. All you need to do is light it and it is set. Once it is lit, it takes about 15 minutes for the stone to reach an optimal temperature for cooking. Clean up is pretty easy as well. On the downside, gas provides little extra flavor

Lumpwood Charcoal

Lumpwood charcoal provides a nice long-lasting heat source. It takes about 20 to 25 minutes for the stone to heat up once you start. The charcoal provides more flavor but the misses something on the flame front.

Wood

The wood is the least steady source. It burns hot and fast. You need to continue to replenish the wood and you monitor the temperature of the oven the closest. It also takes between 20 to 25 minutes to get the stone up to the right temperature. Wood adds the most flavor to the pizza and provides you a greater flexibility in adding different flavors of wood. 

Combination of Charcoal and Wood

Based upon the reliability of charcoal heating and the wood flavoring, I decided to combine the two. A base of lumpwood charcoal can provide a stable, long-lasting heat source, while wood can be added for a more authentic wood-fired flavor and to achieve higher temperatures. Heating the stone takes about 20 to 25 minutes. 

The best visual and tasting results arose from the combination of the charcoal and wood. It was more involved than using gas but the finished product more than made up for the extra work. Our recommendation is if you have the time and you are willing to spend a little more effort, your pizzas will look and taste better if you use a base of lumpwood charcoal and then add wood to it.

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