Bertello Grande on a table outdoors
Outdoor Pizza Ovens Pizza Ovens

Bertello Grande Pizza Oven: Bertello’s Flagship Pizza Oven Review 2023

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Here comes the Bertello with a bang – Making a pizza lover’s dream come true by introducing its flagship Bertello Grande outdoor pizza oven. This is what many people have been waiting for long; keeping an eye on Bertello’s next move after raising the investment by Mr. Wonderful at Shark Tank.

And here it is! Standing on four legs with a semi-gloss hammered finish and slaying with its looks. Just have a look at it!

Bertello Grande pizza oven with burning flames

While Ooni’s flagship oven; the Ooni Karu 16 is quite trending and attractive for the buyers who love spending some extra bucks for the quality products, Bertello Grande will definitely give the Karu a strong competition. At least, it will have the buyers thinking and considering this oven as an option too. The final decision definitely depends upon every individual’s own taste and priorities.

To me, what convinces the customers to consider Bertello ovens as well in their buying options besides Ooni’s ovens is that with Bertello ovens, you can simultaneously cook with wood and gas. Gas heats up the oven quickly and then lowering the flame and adding wood does the trick to add that woody smokey flavor to the pizza what every pizza lover craves for!

With the first glance of Bertello Grande, I was moderately impressed by its looks. But, I was really anxious to test this beast and see how it bubbles up the cheese and spreads the alluring aromas in the air as I take the pizza out from this appealing oven. Oops! with just a single thought, this bad boy had me salivating.

Bertello grande front close-up view

Here’s all what I experienced regarding Bertello Grande. Let me take you on the ride of my experience with Bertello Grande. Let us have a quick glance over the specs first!

SPECIFICATIONS

  • External Dimensions: 34″ L x 19.8″ W x 14.9″ H (with legs open)
  • Internal Dimensions: 16.5″ L x 16.25″ W x 4“ H
  • Pizza Stone Dimensions: 16″ W x 16″ L
  • Pizza Cooking Time: 2 minutes
  • Max Temperature: 900 degrees Fahrenheit / 482 degrees Celsius in less than 15 min
  • Fuel Type: Wood only / Gas only / Wood and Gas simultaneously
  • Weight: 66 lbs or 29.93 kg aaprox

Here’s OUR TAKE on Bertello Grande pizza oven!

OUR TAKE ON: BERTELLO GRANDE

transparent logo of Bertello

What We Like

  • Great build quality and design
  • Multi-fuelled
  • Ability to cook with gas and wood simulataneously
  • Can cook great wood fired flavored pizzas
  • Can cook variety of foods
  • Achieves the desired temperature fast

What We Don’t Like

  • Heavy
  • Learning curve
  • Not much portable
  • Slightly expensive
  • No built-in thermometer

WHAT COMES WITH THE BOX?

  • Gas Burner
  • Instruction manual
  • Tongs
  • Vent
  • Stainless steel fuel tray
  • Fuel Door
  • Oven
  • 16″x16″ ceramic stone

Build Quality

This thing really impressed me as far as build quality is concerned. High quality semi-gloss hammered finish steel has been used when manufacturing the Bertello Grande. High quality steel definitely gives this oven a very sturdy feel.

The oven is very well insulated to ensure the maximum heat retention and ensuring the perfectly cooked pizzas.

When in use, the outer body of the oven gets hot, specially at the back, so it is not advised to touch the oven when it is burning or even after some time when you are done with cooking.

Bertello Grande Side view depicting great build

The oven feels quite rigid and heavy when trying to lift. This is due to the quality of material used in its build. As far as lasting and longevity is concerned, appearance and feel of this oven tells me that the oven is capable enough to withstand rough weather conditions and can last long. However, it is not recommended to test such an expensive product deliberately.

To ensure the maximum protection when the oven is not being used, I recommend to keep its weather proof cover on so that it can last longer.

bertello grande weather proof cover in black color

Portability

Well well well, don’t consider this oven as a very portable. Weighing almost 66lbs/29.93 kgs, this oven is a bit on a heavier side. Though, it can be carries outdoors or to any place of your choice, but you won’t find much ease to do so.

Secondly, add the weight of the propane tank too when you are looking to cook with gas.

In-fact, this oven is also heavier than the entire product line of Ooni ovens.

Dimensions and Weight

The distance between the left and right legs is 20.5″ and the distance between the front and back legs is 28.25″.
The height of the opening measured from the stone to the top opening is 4”.
The height of the oven with legs extended is 14.5”.
The stone cooking surface is 16″x16″. The width of the opening is 16.25″. The overall length of the Oven with a gas burner attached is 34″. The weight is approximately 66 lbs/ 29.93 kgs.

Assembling the Bertello Grande

Assembling the bertello grande is a piece of cake. Follow the instructions below to get it done.

I assume that you have taken each and everything out of the box, Now just unfold the legs of your oven and place it on a stable surface; preferably a table. Now, insert the stainless steel tray inside the oven from the front, all the way to the back of the oven. Now, slide the gas burner to place from the back of the oven. Make sure that it sits well on the screws on the back of the oven.

Now, slide the baking stone inside the oven from the front and ensure that it sits well on the pegs. Burner comes beneath the pizza stone covering half of the stone area from the back. This ensures that the stone heats well and retains more heat when the oven is set to action.

Now the last thing, the vent. Put the vent in its respective place which is in front of the oven below the stone. just make sure that the vent notches fit in the screws on each side of the oven.

There you go! You have your Bertello Grande assembled. You are ready to fire your cravings by firing this tremendous oven.

Innovative Stone Heating Mechanism

This is the interesting part of this oven. I found the mechanism of stone heating quite interesting. Unlike the Bertello 1 or the Original Bertello (first Bertello pizza oven) which used the rolling flame mechanism to heat the stone, Bertello Grande uses the U-shaped burner that heats the stone from beneath and covers half the stone area.

With this design and heating mechanism, the Grande pizza oven stone gets heated readily and stores the heat more well. It also ensures less waiting time between the pizzas.

Fuel Source

The Bertello Grande pizza oven is a multi fuel pizza oven. That means that you can use multiple fuel options to cook with this oven.

Gas

The primary fuel source of this oven is the propane gas. You will have to connect a propane tank with the oven to get it burning with gas. you cannot connect it directly to the gas pipeline. I think Bertello should also consider adding this feature in their upcoming ovens.

This will not only improve the versatility of the oven, but will attract more buyers.

Cooking with gas gets the temperature quite high to give a perfect cook. The Bertello Grande can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit/ 482 degrees Celsius in less than 15 minutes. Moreover, cooking with gas is relatively easier than cooking with wood. Newbies are always advised to cook with gas first and get over the learning curve before trying wood as a fuel source.

Wood and Charcoal

Being a multi-fuel oven, Bertello Grande oven can also use wood and charcoal to fire up and cook delicious pizzas. Though, wood adds that smoky flavor to the pizza, but take much time in preheating. Cooking with wood also involves some skill too.

The cooking time is also a bit longer when cooking with wood and charcoal.

Gas and Wood/Charcoal

This is the main USP of Bertello pizza ovens which I also personally appreciate. It is the liberty to cook with wood and gas at the same time. This might sound very normal and little, but most outdoor pizza ovens are not capable of cooking with wood and gas simultaneously.

Now, you must be thinking that what edge does one get when cooking with both fuels? Here’s the thing. Propane is used to heat the stone so that it achieves the optimal cooking temperature in less time. Now, to get the smoky flavor, wood is added as a fuel at the later stages so that when cooking, smoky flavor of wood gets right inside the pizza. My mouth is literally filled with water now.

Cooking Efficiency

Cooking efficiency of Bertello Grande is fair. With the gas, you can cook 16″ pizzas in almost two and a half minutes. Whereas, when cooking with wood, it takes a little extra time. It took three minutes and fifteen seconds when cooking with wood.

You must rotate the pizza after some seconds to ensure the even cook, otherwise one part of the pizza may get burned and the other half cooked.

Essential Accessories

To get the best out of your Bertello Grande, you must be needing some necessary accessories that will help you make your pizza cooking experience smooth.

Infrared Thermometer

First things first, to check that whether the oven has been pre-heated and has reached the desired temperature for cooking, you must be needing an infrared thermometer.

I have used infrared thermometers of various brands but I like the one provided by Ooni. You can get the  Ooni infrared thermometer by clicking here.

ooni infrared thermometer in black and yellow color

Pizza Peel

To launch the pizzas inside the oven, you’ll be needing the pizza peel. I prefer the perforated ones as they allow the excess flour to fall through the holes, thus ensuring that the pizza does not stick to the peel and allows hassle free launch. For Bertello Grande, I recommend 16″ pizza peel.

To rotate the pizza for an even cook, many people also use the pizza peel. But, I don’t recommend using the pizza peel for this purpose.

Perforated 16 inch pizza peel for Bertello Grande

Pizza Turning Peel

To ensure that the pizza cooks evenly, you’ll have to rotate the pizza after a few seconds. For this purpose, you’ll find the pizza turning peel quite handy.

For me. Ooni turning turning peel works perfectly. If you want more premium and a peel with a long handle,you may also check gozney turning peel.

Image of turning pizza peel by Ooni

Long Term Usage

As the oven is new and has been released in recent days, it would be very hard  to tell exact information related to the long term usage. However, with my experience, I can only predict about it by looking at the build quality of the oven.

To me, I think the oven will last long and would give good performance throughout if taken good care of. Material used in sturdy and the quality of build is good. Let’s hope that it does according to my prediction.

Price to Performance Ratio

Now this is the most important aspect when buying any product, especially when you are hunting for an outdoor pizza oven. Bertello 1 or the Bertello original (Bertello’s first oven) was successful in catching the interest of its customers due to its captivating price.

In my opinion, Bertello Grande is a bit overpriced at 699$. Had it been 100$ cheaper, I am sure that it would have attracted a much larger audience. Buyers may turn their decision down when considering Bertello Grande because by spending 100$ extra, they can get their hands on Ooni Karu 16; Ooni’s flagship pizza oven, which in my opinion would be a wise choice to do so.

And to the one’s who don’t want to spend  a buck extra and and are also welcoming the other alternate choices than Bertello Grande, Ooni pro 16 is the answer.

The edge that this oven has over the other outdoor ovens is the liberty to cook with both wood and gas simultaneously.

Anyhow, the performance of this oven is good as far as I have tested it, but at the cost of 699$. Though, you can get a limited time discount at Bertello’s official site when using NEWBERTELLO as a coupon code at the checkout.

Bottom Line

The Bertello Grande Pizza oven is a flagship multi-fuelled outdoor pizza oven by Bertello that can cook 16″ pizzas by using wood and gas as a fuel simultaneously. Though, you can also use only gas or only wood/charcoal, but the combination of both also works great.

Th oven looks beautiful with a black semi-gloss hammered finish. Build quality and insulation is good. Though a little compromised on portability as it weighs 29.93 kg approx., the oven can fulfill all your homemade pizza cravings at your backyard.

Heat retention of the oven is good and achieves the optimal temperature in less than 15 minutes with full burner on. Innovative design with the burner beneath the stone lets the stone heat quickly and retain more heat which ensures less waiting time between pizzas.

If you are planning to buy Bertello Grande pizza oven or have already bought on, do share your reviews regarding it in the comments below!

K16 - US

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