The flavor, texture, and cooking time of your pizza can all be greatly affected by the type of wood you use for your pizza oven. While a ton of information is available on smoking wood, many people don’t give enough thought to the wood they use to cook pizza. This guide covers everything you need to know to pick the ideal wood for your pizza oven.
Maple Wood
Maple wood is a great option for making pizza because of its distinctive flavor. It’s available in various species, including red, silver, and boxelder maple. In the same way that maple doesn’t release toxins into the air when it cooks, making pizza with maple flavor is much better for the environment if you get yourself the best wood for a pizza oven.
Maple wood’s sweet flavor goes well with most meats. It complements fruity and savory flavors. In addition, it pairs well with poultry. Hickory’s pronounced smokiness can overpower the delicate flavors of chicken, but maple wood brings out its best. In addition, maple wood’s smoke will turn your food a rich mahogany color.
Ash Wood
Wood chips are the perfect way to add a wood-smoke flavor to your pizza. You can start a fire and add wood pieces to the oven to get an even cooking temperature. Some woods have more sap than others, and this can cause a soft pizza dough. Wood chips are also ideal for reducing the fuel used for a single pizza.
Hickory Wood
Hickory firewood is similar to oak in that it imparts a smoky flavor. Hickory burns at a high temperature, making the flavor stronger than oak. Hickory’s taste turns some people off, but it may be just the right match for a pizza with smoky toppings.
Hickory is also a good choice for pizza cooking because it produces a nice amount of smoke and burns cleanly. It also imparts a great flavor and aroma to the finished product. This wood is often used with oak and other fruit woods because of their similar burn rates and complementary flavors.
Pearwood
Pearwood is an ideal wood for pizza ovens. It has ash density, burns well, and creates plenty of coals. When burned, pearwood has a pleasant fruity fragrance, which is perfect for pizza. Unfortunately, it is also quite expensive compared to other types of wood fuel.
Applewood
If you’ve ever enjoyed a pizza made with apple wood, you know that the flavor is intense. This wood has a subtle sweetness and adds a rich earthy flavor to the pizza. It is a great choice for a home pizza oven and has become an increasingly popular fuel for pizza ovens.
Beechwood
Beechwood is a popular choice for pizza ovens because of its high moisture content. However, it can be susceptible to pests and beetles. Therefore, beech wood is best used if stored in a sheltered area. It is also inexpensive, easy to split, and quickly dries out. As a result, it makes the best choice for pizza ovens.
The main benefit of using beech wood for a pizza oven is that it burns very well and evenly. This wood is also a good alternative to oak, which can be expensive. However, ash burns slowly and produces small embers, which means it is less suitable for pizza ovens.
Oakwood
Using the right wood for pizza is important in creating the perfect pizza. Oak and hickory are two of the most popular hardwoods and are both ideal for pizza ovens. Both trees are native to the eastern United States and have similar burn rates, making them an excellent choice for your pizza oven. In addition, they are similar in taste and can be used separately or together for extra flavor. The smokey flavor of oak wood on a pizza makes the food incredibly moist and delicious.
