Want to get hands on Best Wood Pellets for your Pizza Oven? Well now you can!
Wood pellets are compacted fuel pellets used in outdoor ovens to bring the smokey, stone-baked oven taste to your pizza.
Pizza is the most preferred meal to satisfy food cravings. Wood pellets pizza ovens are the best options to bring authentic flavorful pizza with controlled baking temperature. Choosing the right wood pellets for pizza ovens is essential to get the perfect blend of flavor and texture to your pizza. The article aims to uncover all the exposition regarding the best wood pellets for pizza ovens.
Table of Contents
What is Pellet Pizza Oven?
The pellet pizza oven is an easy-to-use, versatile, and flexible cooking appliance to bake under controlled heat, time, and flavor. Pellet pizza ovens come in different shapes, sizes, and temperature settings depending on the cooking requirements of buyers. Some of the best pellets for pizza ovens come with an automatic rotation system for even distribution of heat.
Here’s an example of an outstanding pellet pizza oven from one the most talked brands in the world of pizza ovens in 2022 – Ooni; Ooni Fyra.
How does the pellet pizza oven work?
Pellet pizza oven is also known as a wood-fired oven works by burning wood pellets inside the pizza oven to cook any item. There is a dedicated section for the wood pellets for ignition. The heating of the baking tray can be done directly or indirectly depending on the intensity of heat under which you want to cook. Item to be cooked is placed on the baking tray and cooked for a specified time and heat. These ovens have a temperature range up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, sufficient for any type of cooking.
Do also check out how a wood fired pizza oven works to make things more clear.
Wood Pellets for Pizza Oven
Wood pellets are compacted fuel pellets made from recycled organic material such as oak, tree bark and wood chip, etc. Wood pellets are usually used in outdoor ovens to bring the smokey, stone-baked oven taste to your pizza. Wood pellets are ignited on fire for heating in pizza ovens under controlled temperature. The high temperature inside the wood pellet pizza oven gives the pizza a perfect crust and smoked flavor that cannot be achieved by a regular pizza oven.
What makes Wood Pellets Unique!
Wood pellets have less moisture content and are easy to store as they are compressed under high pressure. Wood pellets are ignited in the dedicated compartment inside the pizza ovens where the low moisture content of wood pellets will produce fewer ashes and smoke which reduces the smell in your kitchen. Wood pellets are an inexpensive alternative for electric stoves that is easy to store, reduce air pollutants, and give the smokey stone-baked oven taste to your pizza.
Why Wood Matters in Pizza Oven?
There are various kinds of wood pellets available on the market, each with different specifications and use. Every type of wood burns at different temperatures and exhibits different properties as every wood has different moisture content and chemical properties.
The best wood pellet for a pizza oven is the one that has a low moisture content, burns hot, and produces less smoke and ashes. Unlike traditional pizza ovens, smoke generated from burning wood pellets inside the pizza oven gives perfect crust and elevates the flavor of pizza to the next level.
The taste passes along into pizza through wood pellets depending on the properties of that wood. Some wood brings a smokey flavor profile to your pizza, others bring a refreshing and fruity aroma to your pizza.
Wood pellets are often made by combining different wood sources to achieve the perfect blend of flavors. For achieving the desired flavor for your pizza, it becomes essential for you to choose the right wood pellets for your pizza oven. To choose the right wood pellet, you must know the difference between hardwood and softwood.
Hardwood vs Softwood in Pizza Oven
Hardwood is denser and has broad leaves. Harwood offers a hot temperature for a long-time duration which keeps the food hot for a long time. Whereas softwood is more like pines and produces more sticky sap. Softwood produces a lot of smoke during ignition that can ruin the flavor of pizza. Harwood is used frequently in wood pellets for pizza ovens and is considered the best option than softwood.
Green-Wood vs Seasoned Wood
Greenwood is generally not used in pizza ovens since it is fresh and has a high content of moisture. It is difficult to get the right temperature from greenwood. On the other hand, seasoned wood is hardwood and more on the drier side. Because of less moisture, it burns easily and achieves a hot temperature for a long-time duration.
Best Wood Pellets to Choose for Pizza Oven
Hardwood and seasoned wood pellets are frequently used in pizza making. Below are some wood pellet types, each with a different flavor profile and properties. You can choose the best wood pellets for pizza ovens to pull off the desired flavor for your pizza.
Mesquite
Mesquite pellets are widely used and cooking enthusiasts. They give a hearty BBQ flavor to anything that is set up for cooking. With smokey flavor coming from every bite of the ood cooked, one loves to cook with mesquite wood pellets.
Oak
Oak is the most widely used wood pellet as it does not add any extra flavor to your pizza but burns strenuously with high temperatures. It is beginner-friendly, involves no risk, and reduces cooking time.
Maple
Maple is used where a sweet touch of flavor is desired in the pizza. It adds a sweet, fruity, maple syrup flavor to the tomato sauce used in pizza. It can be used in all types of cooking hence also known as an all-rounder.
Hickory
Hickory is associated with a strong pungent scent. It smells compliment the flavor of pork meat, bacon, and ham. It is only preferred with pizza that has pork meat in its ingredients.
Cherry
Cheery is suitable with all kinds of meat because the meat absorbs its scent better than any other wood. It adds a rich smokey and earthy flavor to the pizza.
Apple
Applewood is a mixture of maple and oak. It reaches high temperature in no time. Generally, is not recommended for domestic use as it can pop out due to high temperature. Applewood is preferred in restaurants where less time for baking is considered optimal.
How Long do Wood Pellets Burn For?
The lasting time of wood pellets depends on various factors including the type of wood pellets, quantity, weather conditions, and type of pizza oven you are using.
The burn rate of most of the wood pellets is mentioned on the bag in which they come in. You can check the description on the bag as it varies with the brand and the wood.
Ideally, the pellet pizza oven should burn one to three pounds of wood pellets in one hour. On average any wood pellet can last up to a minimum of 7 hours of cooking time.
After this time, you should check the flame and add a handful of wood pellets to adjust the intensity of the flame according to your need.
Best Alternate to Wood Pellets
If you are not a big fan of wood pellets and like the use of all natural wood, miniature pizza wood is the best choice.
Miniature Pizza Wood for Pizza Ovens
As a best alternate to wood pellets, miniature pizza wood is the way to go. Adding the perfect woody flavor to the pizza and enjoying it to the full is a dream of every pizza lover.
I have tried many wood chunks and mini pizza wood of various companies but liked the ones offered by cutting edge firewood. They just serve the purpose and make your pizza cooking experience so smooth and full of joy.
Here is the link to purchase them from official cutting edge firewood website. I am sure that you’ll just love them after giving them a try.
Where to get Wood Pellets for Pizza Oven
Wood pellets are essential for cooking outdoors in pellet pizza ovens. You can buy wood pellets from the camping and cooking section of any departmental store. You can also get wood pellets for a pizza oven online. There are various brands selling premium quality wood pellets which are also covered in the upcoming section.
Buying Guide for Best Wood Pellets for Pizza Oven
There are many factors you should keep in mind while buying the best wood pellets for pizza ovens.
Size of Wood Pellets
The size of wood pellets should be small so that they can easily fit into the burning compartment of the pizza oven and burn efficiently.
Ash Residue
Always opt for wood pellets that produce less ash content while burning. Less ash content means less amount is wood pellets are utilized while cooking.
Flavor
The flavor is a choice of personal preference. But before buying the wood pellets you should know the flavor profile that a certain wood can bring into your cooking.
Moisture Content
Another factor that should be considered while buying wood pellets is moisture content. Wood pellets will burn efficiently and for a long-time duration if the moisture level of wood is low. The moisture level for idle burning rate should be between 8-10 %.
Composition of Wood Pellets
The composition of wood pellets should be from 100% hardwood. Harwood offers a hot temperature for a long-time duration which keeps the food hot for a long time. Wood pellets made from hardwood provide efficient burning with less ash residue and are safe for health and the environment.
Best Wood Pellets for Pizza Oven That you can have!
Facing difficulty in buying the best wood pellets for a pizza oven? We know the hassle of choosing the right wood pellets for a pizza oven is a bit daunting process and difficult for beginners to find the best wood pellets to bring the desired flavor. We have created a comprehensive list of some of the top leading wood pellets brands delivering premium quality wood pellets.
1. Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets
Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets are high-standard wood pellets mostly used in high-end restaurants and grills. These wood pellets are a blend of cherry, maple, and hickory hardwood sourced from North America. These wood pellets impart a high blend of flavors including sweet and savory. The packaging is value-pack and lasts for many cooking batches.
2. Ooni Premium Hardwood Pellets
Ooni Premium Hardwood pellets are 100% oak. The wood is sourced from the US and burn efficiently with little ash residue. These wood pellets can work as an efficient fuel source in Ooni pellet pizza ovens as well as in grill ovens. One bag can easily last up to 8-12 hours of cooking.
3. Traeger Grills Mesquite Hardwood Pellets
Traeger Grill Mesquite Harwood Pellets are our top pick to bring subtle smoke effects to your pizza and not the strongest flavor. These wood pellets can pair well with any type of meat to elevate the flavor by adding a smokiness effect. This is beginner-friendly and produces perfect blue smoke and very little ashes. It keeps you away from the hassle of cleaning after cooking. These pellets are manufactured in the USA and are available in many online stores.
4. Traeger Grills Signature Blend
This is another pick from Traeger Grills and is one of the best wood pellets used for smoke, grill, bake, and roast. These wood pellets are a blend of cherry, maple, and hickory hardwood. This combination of wood brings an amazing blend of flavors to your dish. These wood pellets go well with any type of meat, vegetables, and seafood. These wood pellets burn faster and produce fewer ashes. Easy to store as they come in many different sizes. These pellets are manufactured in the USA and are available in many online stores.
5. Louisiana Grills Competition Blend Pellets
Louisiana Grills Competition Blend Pellets are a blend of 50% maple, 25% cherry, and 25% hickory hardwood. It gives fruity, savory, and little tart flavor. The wood is sourced from the US and has no artificial additives. The size of these wood pellets is relatively large.
