Many people have reached out asking why their pizza oven is smoking. This article will go into detail about the most common causes of your pizza oven smoking up and how to prevent it from happening again.
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Do Pizza Ovens Make A Lot Of Smoke?
No. There are a lot of people who think their pizza oven makes a lot of smoke. This is actually not the case at all. Most of the smoke you see coming out of your pizza oven is actually steam and not smoke at all.
When you turn on your pizza oven, a lot of that steam comes straight out and this is what causes it to smoke up a little bit, but it’s nothing to worry about. It doesn’t mean your pizza is not done, it just means the steam is coming out and that’s all.
As for the smoke you see, there may be some other things happening. Read on to see what may be causing it.
How Much Smoke Does A Pizza Oven Produce Normally?
As mentioned earlier, the most common cause of your pizza oven smoking up is steam and not smoke. However, there is a certain amount of smoke that comes out when you walk into your pizza oven.
There are two types of smoke. There’s cooking smoke which means it’s from the fire burning in the pizza oven itself, and there’s exhaust smoke which can come from the fire.
When the fire burns, there’s going to be a little bit of smoke. It’s a natural part of the process. However, if you’re looking out your window and you see a lot of smoke coming out of your pizza oven then that’s an indication that something is wrong.
Is A Lot Of Smoke Normal?
Not necessarily. If you’ve started noticing a lot more smoke than usual, that does not necessarily mean it’s a problem.
However, keep in mind that this will vary from oven to oven and it can also change during the day. This is why we recommend keeping your pizza oven clean and taking care of it on a regular basis.
What Causes Smoking In A Pizza Oven?
As mentioned earlier, most of the smoke coming out of your pizza oven is steam. However, there are other reasons your pizza could be smoking. Here’s what they are:
The Fire Is Not Fully Developed
One of the most common causes of excessive steam or smoke coming out or your pizza oven is that the fire itself is not fully developed. This can happen when you have just lit up your pizza oven and you haven’t been using it in a while.
The fire can take some time to develop and it’s important to give it time. Although this problem is common, remember that steam isn’t actually smoke. If you see just a ton of steam coming out of your oven after using it, then this is probably not the problem.
Air Supply Problems
If you’re using a pizza stone or pizza stone kit, then that can make your pizza oven smoking up more frequently than normal. This is because this is when the fire isn’t fully developed and there’s not enough air coming out of it to get the fire going and reach internal temperatures.
You can prevent air supply problems by using your pizza oven as much as you can, which makes sure to keep it clean, and use a good pizza stone and pizza stone kit. This will also give your pizza oven enough time to develop a better fire – allowing you to use it more often without worrying about any excess steam or smoke.
Leftover Food Or Grease Inside The Oven
This is a problem that can come up quickly, especially if you’ve been using your pizza oven and cooking food in it. It can be really easy to forget about something left on the bottom of the oven, or drip grease down directly onto the fire and smother it.
When this happens, you’re going to see some smoke coming out and this is what it looks like when that happens. If you notice a lot of smoke coming out after cooking in your pizza oven, then this could be the problem.
Wet Firewood
If you use wet wood in your pizza oven, then you may notice that it is smoking a lot. This is because wet wood produces steam when it burns.
If you notice that your smoke is coming from the fire and not just steam, then your firewood may be a little bit too wet. If this happens regularly and it’s not drier out, then consider drying the wood out in a shed or an open space before using it in your pizza oven.
The Pizza Oven Is New And Still Curing
If you just got your pizza oven, then it may need time to cure.
You should use your pizza oven pretty often and make sure to keep it clean and nice. If you’ve been using your pizza oven for a long time, then it could take some time for the fire to develop and be ready.
This is why we recommend using your new pizza oven as much as possible before going ahead with any deep cleaning on the inside of the oven or outside of the oven.
How Do I Stop My Pizza Oven From Smoking?
If you want to eliminate excessive smoke coming out of your pizza oven, there are some things that you can do to help it burn more efficiently.
Air Supply For The Fire
A good way to help your pizza oven get going and develop a better fire is by making sure that the air supply is there. This will keep the fire burning better and it will help it last longer.
You don’t want to use a ton of wood to get the fire going, so you want to add just enough. You also want to make sure you aren’t overloading the oven with pizza, making it harder for the fire to develop.
Take Care Of Your Pizza Oven And Keep It Clean
It’s important that you keep your pizza oven nice and clean. This includes both inside and outside of the oven. Keeping it clean will not only make it easier to use and cook pizza in, but it will also help with the wood and the fire.
This is why we always suggest using a pizza stone in your oven. You’ll get a better quality, more consistent pizza every time you use your new pizza oven.
This will also help you keep your fire burning for a longer period of time. You’re not going to want to use as much wood to get your fire going as you would if it was dirty and not as clean.
Pizza Oven Smoke Prevention Tips
If you want to make sure that your pizza oven doesn’t smoke up too much, then you’re going to want to take some steps. This includes using a larger fire instead of smaller pieces of wood, and using a pizza stone instead of the steel pan.
Using a pizza stone can also help reduce the amount of smoke because it will allow more air flow in and it will help keep your fire burning for longer.
Using a pizza stone is also easier than using a steel pan, because you can easily keep it clean. You’ll also want to make sure it’s nice and hot when you use it.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve talked a lot about smoke coming out of your pizza oven. We talked about what it is, why it happens and how to fix it.
If you’re having problems with smoke from your pizza oven, then you can follow all the steps that we shared here and you’ll be able to get back outside cooking in no time.