Stoking the Stoke Gas Pizza Oven: Tested and Reviewed 2023

If you are reluctant in making a buying decision to get your hands on stoke stone pizza oven, read this review till the very end so that you don’t regret later. This review answers all the genuine pre-buying concerns of a pizza enthusiast.

The intent behind this article is to share my own personal cooking experience with this product so that it helps the potential buyers shape their final decision regarding this product.

Before we get started, let us make some things clear. Stoke offers mainly two pizza oven variants; one being gas-powered and other one that is powered by wood. Now, in gas powered pizza ovens, you get to choose between two sizes; 13-inch and a 16-inch.

Here’s the breakdown of their various variants:

This review focusses on the 16-inch gas version of stoke pizza oven. 13” gas powered pizza oven has exactly the same cooking experience and features except the size. This review is equally good even if you are planning to buy a 13-inch version.

Enough wait! Let’s get started. Let us first have a glance at this lovely boy.

Stoke 16″ Gas Powered Pizza Oven Front View

Stoke 16″ Gas Powered Pizza Oven Side View

Stoke 16″ Gas Powered Pizza Oven Rear View

I will tell about what I felt exactly when I first took it out of the box in the build quality section later. But first without further ado, let us just have a quick glance over the specs:

To me, the USP (unique selling point) of stoke stone pizza ovens is their price. Not only just they deliver the oven, but a whole bunch of accessories is included in the package. Secondly, the quality of the products is also not undermined. You get a fair package in a very attractive price.

The main difference between stoke stone pizza ovens and other companies (Ooni, Bertello, Gozney etc) lies here. Stoke gives a complete package (oven+accessories) in a very fair price, whereas, for other companies like ooni, bertello, Gozney etc, you will have to buy the accessories separately.

Secondly, stoke pizza ovens are designed in USA. Many people prefer and like the quality of the USA designed/made products. I have seen more biasness of consumers towards US designed/made products as compared to others.

Anyhow, here’s our take on gas powered stoke pizza oven:

Stoke Gas Powered Pizza Oven: Build Quality

I am always a fan of quality products. Products that don’t compromise on build just to take leverage on price. U.S designed/made products have always won my heart when considering quality. This is just the case with this oven.

The oven is made up of cold rolled carbon steel that gives a premium look to the oven at a very first glance. I was also impressed when I saw it the very first time while unboxing.

The oven feels quite sturdy when you touch it and hold it. The matt finish and superb finishing gives the oven a premium look.

Stoke Gas Powered Pizza Oven: Prominent Features

From a buyer’s perspective, one wants to have as much features as an oven can have with the least price. But unfortunately, here’s the trade-off; features and price.

Stoke, in my opinion has won the game as compared to other brands in feature to price comparison. Here’s why:

Heat Resistant Body

Stoke claims that the body of the oven is heat-resistant which I just checked at the time of cooking. The claim is pretty much decent.

Four Legged Design

Oven sits quite well on the surfaces especially tables. Four-legged design adds to the stability of the oven.

Built in Thermometer:

An analog temperature comes along with the oven that helps you keep an eye on the temperature of the oven inside. You just have to attach place on its desired place (above the oven) and tight the nut.

Option for baking Steel:

The design of the oven is such that it provides you the freedom of using baking steel as well if you are not satisfied with the stone or you don’t like using it. There’s a lot of difference between baking steel and stones and I have also written a detailed article on this topic.

Inner portion of the oven is designed in such a way that it can accommodate the baking steel of any company as far as the width and length is satisfied.

What’s included in the Box?

Unboxing your most desired products is always fun. At least I am always excited to unbox anything related to pizzas. Same happened to me when unboxing 16” gas powered stoke pizza oven.

Here are the things that you get to see u unbox the stoke gas powered pizza oven:

1. User Manual with some tools
2.  Carrying cover
3. Propane tank valve with hose
4. Analog thermometer
5. Igniter tray with gas regulator knob
6. Pizza stone

* Delallo pizza kit, Pizza peel and Pizza cutter are shipped separately

Appearance:

The appearance of the oven is simple, yet promising. It gives a classy look. Though it lacks in chicness than most of Ooni’s or Gozney’s stylish and unique looking ovens, but still gets an average attention.

At the end of the day, we want deliciously cooked pizzas and nothing else. Who cares about the looks? After all, appearances can be deceptive.

One thing worth mentioning here is that the matt finished cold rolled steel won my heart. It surely will win yours too.

Dimensions:

The dimensions of stoke pizza oven (16” gas version) are 25 x 21.5 x 13 inches as claimed by the stoke on their official website. This means that 16” stoke pizza oven is 25 inches in length,  21.5 inches in width and 13 inches in height.

Weight and Portability:

16” gas model of stoke pizza oven weighs 46.8 lbs (21.2 kgs). This means that the oven is quite portable and easy to carry around (specially using carrying case) when you are planning to take this darling for an outdoor cook or camping. It will surely serve as your true companion.

It is only 3 kgs heavier than Ooni’s one of the most famous Koda 16 gas oven. But guess what? It is cheaper than Koda 16 and as of writing this article, stoke is even offering a handsome discount.

One more important thing to be considered here is that Ooni doesn’t give you the essential accessories in the package, but stoke does. That might be one of the factor that you end up buying this product.

Fuel Source:

Though stoke offers 13” wood fired variant too, but the 16” variant offered by stoke runs on propane gas as a fuel. As mentioned earlier, stoke also has a 13” gas powered version too in its product line.

You can also use one pound camping propane tank with the oven.

This will help in taking some big load off of carrying a heavy propane tank. However, for this, you’ll have to buy the attachment separately which is mentioned below.

Gas Hose:

To run the oven on gas, you’ll definitely get a gas hose with the oven. The gas hose is 27” or 0.68 meters in length when fully straightened.

In my opinion, the pipe length should have been a few inches more. It allows to place the gas cylinder away from the oven or beneath the table if you are cooking on it. With this length, you can’t play much.

Here is the image of gas hose pipe when connected with the burner.

Though, lengthy gas hose pipes are available in the market. They might do the task if you plan of cooking the oven on the table or any other cooking surface and want to keep the gas tank beneath it.

This being said, it is important to note here that the oven is not compatible to be used with natural gas (as of writing this article). The company might introduce the conversion kit later but currently, you will have to use this oven with the propane gas.

However, if you are hunting for a product that should also be natural gas compatible, you must check out Ooni karu 16 and Ooni Koda 16.

Assembling Stoke Gas Powered Pizza Oven:

Assembling the stoke pizza oven is as easy as it gets. If you have already used the pizza ovens, you’ll assemble this oven in no time without looking at the manual as I did. Whereas for newbies, manual is there for the help.

Even newbies can assemble this oven in 5-7 minutes and can get it ready for action. To further help you out, just follow the following process:

Unfold the legs and place the oven on even surface.

Place the temperature gauge in place (oven top) and tight the nut from inside of the oven to its bolt.

Place the igniter in its respective place (back of the oven) and tight the three screws that will hold it firmly.

And finally, connect the gas line with the hose and Bingo! You are done.

Things to Consider Before Cooking:

If you are a newbie to outdoor pizza ovens, here are a few things that will help you along your journey to cook hassle free pizzas.

Seasoning the Stone:

In my opinion, it is always good to season the stone before cooking. Seasoning ensures that the leftover dust or waste at the time of manufacturing gets burned and removed completely before using the stone for the first cook.

For this, heat the oven for 30-35 minutes and then allow it to cool down completely, without aiding the cooling process. After the oven has been cooled completely, take a clean paper cloth and clean the stone.

Pre-Heating before Cooking:

It is always wise that you heat your oven to achieve the desired temperature before cooking. The time to achieve this temperature varies from oven to oven.

The temperature varies inside the oven. It increases as you move towards the flame and back end of the stone. Normally, I check the temperature at the middle of the stone and wait for it to achieve 700 degrees Fahrenheit or above before I slide the pizza in.

Stoke oven takes around 30-35 minutes to achieve this temperature. This may vary depending upon the weather conditions. It is important here that the wind should not be allowed to enter the oven. Place the oven front in such a way that you don’t face any problem.

This practice ensures that the pizza is evenly cooked from inside too without just burning the dough and toppings outside. It also ensures that the base of the pizza gets a good cook.

Sufficient Flour on Peel:

Before sliding the pizza inside the oven, it is always desired to sprinkle sufficient flour on the pizza peel so that the base of the pizza doesn’t stick with the peel. This will allow you to launch the pizza inside the oven smoothly.

Rotating the Pizza:

Always keep a good check on your pizza when launched inside the oven. Back of the pizza will cook more as it is close to the flames. Keep rotating the pizza after some time to get an even cook.

USP (Unique Selling Points) of Stoke Pizza Oven:

There are more than one reasons to buy this oven. To me, it’s definitely a “buy buy” for newbies. For professionals, this might not be a good option. I will discuss this point later.

Pricing:

To me, this is main USP of the stoke pizza ovens. No other company gives the outdoor pizza oven of such quality in this price; that too with a whole bunch of essential accessories.

Not to forget, Stoke runs catchy deals from time to time and gives superb discounts that leave the buyers in a no-brainer situation. I also got mine for a handsome discount. Hurry up to Stoke site to check the current deal by clicking the button below.

Stoke Pizza Oven: Performance and Practical Pizza Cooking Experience:

Now coming to the most awaited and the most important subject; practical pizza cooking experience. Well, here is a one liner. I didn’t like it to the full but I also didn’t hate it to the least. It delivers much more than its price and can cook delicious pizzas if you follow the essential steps to cook a pizza in an outdoor pizza oven.

Considering the price, life-time warranty and 365-day trial support, it is definitely worth trying. The quality of cooked pizzas will increase as you get along the learning curve.

The only key point is to heat the oven stone enough before cooking to ensure that the base is cooked too and it doesn’t come out raw with the top fully cooked. If you get to master this, you’ll definitely fall in love with the stoke pizza oven. For, this you’ll have to master the flame management.

Flame Management:

The flame control knob on the back of the oven is there to control the gas flame by limiting the gas flow to the burner.

It is recommended to keep the flame high at first (when heating the oven) and then turn the flame a little down after a minute of sliding the pizza inside.

This ensures an even cook so that you can relish every bite of pizza to the full.

Stoke Gas Pizza Oven: Price to Performance Ratio:

The stoke pizza oven beats its main competitors when it comes to price to performance ratio. With such an attractive price, you get to enjoy a home cooked pizza with the toppings and ingredients of your own choice. It’s always fun to cook in it. If I were to rate stoke pizza oven on price to performance parameter, it will be 8.5/10. The rating could have been better if the oven provided better heat retention.

Please don’t forget that your bad experience may be due to ignorance of some important steps vital for cooking the pizzas in outdoor pizza oven.

What Do People Say About Stoke Ovens?

Well, a vast majority of people have been seen appreciating the stoke pizza oven. It indeed provides value for money and can cook delicious pizzas if cooked properly. Pizza making in an outdoor pizza oven is always fun. It’s more than just cooking pizzas. You get to enjoy the experience with family and friends, chit chat on a few topics, Ease out your nerves from all day busy schedule and last but not the least, you give your taste buds a delicious shot of your very own cooked delicious pizza pie.

Some people have been complaining about the pizza stone not achieving high temperatures. This is due to the poor heat retention of the oven. But, if you let the oven preheat well between 35-40 minutes and place the oven such that the wind doesn’t flow inside the oven, this problem can be minimized.

Let us hope that the solution to this problem gets even better after Stoke releases the door for its gas powered pizza oven models.

Stoke Pizza Oven: Some Important Points to Consider

Accept it or not, stone in the stoke pizza oven doesn’t get as hot as it should or as what I expect from a good outdoor pizza oven. So, let the oven to burn for almost 35-45 minutes before cooking. This might help you out.

Always keep the mouth of the pizza oven away from wind. if wind flows inside the oven easily, you won’t be able to get this oven hot enough to cook pizzas.

Though stoke ships the necessary accessories with the oven, a wooden peel for launching the pizza and a small rounded pizza turning peel is recommended so that you have a smooth pizza cooking journey.

Stoke Gas Powered Pizza Oven: Final Verdict:

I am always in search of new pizza ovens to get my hands on review on them. In this journey, I have tested and reviewed dozens of outdoor pizza ovens. This is the reason why my reviews are unbiased and cover those aspects too that the oven lacks.

As far as my stoke pizza oven experience is concerned, it was just okay. Had there been a door, it would have been much better as it would have ensured heat retention. Anyhow, it surely provides value for money and with a 365 day return trial, you are left with no option but to get this sizzling hot baby in action.

There surely is a learning curve, but as you get along with it, you’ll love the experience. In such price, no other company offers much that comes along the pizza oven.

Only thing that bothered me along the journey was to get a crispier base. And forget to get even a fairly cooked base if you don’t heat the oven well before cooking.

One more thing worth mentioning here is that always keep the opening away from wind flow. This will help reach the desired temperature a bit easy. A little negligence can cause trouble. Dough will still be raw and uncooked while the top will come out burnt.

Anyhow, here is the good news. Stoke is in process of manufacturing the oven door that will help retain the heat in the oven. If this works according to the plan, this pizza oven can be “ JUST WOW” thing.

Anyhow, with all the features and a great pricing, Stoke is giving a tough time to its competitors.

Comparison of Stoke Pizza Oven with Ooni, Bertello and Gozney:

Well, the priorities of one person looking for an outdoor pizza oven may vary from others. For some, pricing is the deciding factor. For some, value that the oven provides turns out to be the driving force in buying decision.

In the following comparisons, it’s important to keep in mind the exclusive features provided by a specific brand apart from main stream comparison benchmarks. For example, Bertello has an ability to run on wood and propane gas at the same time which makes it unique when compared with others.

Similarly some Ooni’s ovens have the ability to run on natural gas. This makes them unique in this regard with other ovens.

Stoke offers a 365 day trial period that no other company provides. If you don’t like the oven, simply return it within one year of its use.

Gozney offers most cool looking designs in their outdoor pizza ovens than no other company offers. It even has an oven (Gozney Dome) that can cook restaurant grade pizzas.

So, every brand has a salient feature or a USP (unique selling point) that sets it apart from other brands. Having these things in mind, it will be a lot easier to understand and choose a product that will be a right fit for you.

Many reviewers simply don’t tell such important aspects when it comes to comparison. Don’t worry, I have you covered. After all, this is the gist of what I learnt by using and experiencing various outdoor pizza ovens. Anything related to pizzas is my greatest obsession. It’s always better to learn on others money than your own.

So, here is a brief comparison of this oven with other competitors and famous brands out there in the market. This may help you shape your buying decision.

Stoke Pizza Oven Vs Bertello:

To me, Bertello is the closest competitor of Stoke. Both the companies are new and looking for further expansion. Before the release of Stoke, Bertello also gave a great competition to some famous and known brands like Ooni and Gozney.

Now when the Stoke has arrived on the scene, competition and buying decision of a buyer even gets tougher than before.

Here is a detailed comparison table of Stoke vs Bertello.

Stoke Pizza Oven Vs Ooni:

The difference between Ooni and Stoke is that Ooni is a far big player in outdoor pizza ovens with almost six (as of writing this article) different variants of ovens in its product line.

The major difference lies in the pricing. Those opting for a budget outdoor pizza oven with accessories included opt for Stoke pizza ovens while ones that don’t have money as a threshold factor in their buying decision and consider quality over anything opt for Ooni.

Moreover, the brand also has its own value like the apple does. You somehow get to pay extra for the brand value and it’s a fact that Ooni has come out as one of the most recognized brands in the world of outdoor pizza ovens.

Anyhow, here is an in-depth comparison of Stoke pizza oven with Ooni.

Stoke Pizza Oven Vs Gozney:

Gozney basically has four outdoor pizza ovens (Gozney Roccbox, Gozney Dome, Gozney Master and Gozney Core) in its product line of residential ovens. Gozney Master and core are not portable.

Gozney Dome is much expensive as compared to Stoke pizza oven. However, Gozney Dome is a premium stuff. Though it is way better than stoke pizza oven but it would be harsh to compare it with Stoke pizza oven due to its price.

The difference between Stoke pizza ovens and Gozney pizza ovens can be made by considering Gozney Roccbox only because it falls in almost the similar price range. Though it can cook only 12” pizzas, it is still expensive than the 16” Stoke pizza oven (as of writing this article because stoke is offering discount). Gozney ovens are recognized for their superb looking designs.

Anyhow, here is an in-depth comparison of Stoke Pizza oven with Gozney Ovens.

I have tried to cover each and everything related to stoke gas powered pizza oven to my best. I hope you would have liked this detailed review. Do send us love in the comments below and mention about your stoke experience. Happy cooking!