There’s been a lot of news lately about chefs with “live-fire” restaurants—concepts that are fueled by wood-fired grills, ovens, rotisseries and more. There’s Rick Bayless in Chicago with his new Lena Brava, which will celebrate the regional cuisine of Baja and the obsession with craft beer (it’s part of Cruz Blanca Cerveceria) and mezcal culture. There’s Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, featuring wood-oven pizza and wood-grilled specialties like burgers, ribs, wings and chicken parm. Jonathan Waxman’s iconic roasted chicken gets it start in a woodburning oven before resting, and is finished to order on the grill.
There’s no doubt that “playing with fire” can produce spectacular results, while creating an atmosphere of authenticity and culinary artisanship, especially when the wood oven and grill are part of an exhibition kitchen.
But Tim Green, our resident pizza guru and an expert in artisan cooking platforms, argues that it isn’t necessary to use solid fuel (which includes wood, hardwood charcoal and, to a lesser extent, coal) to get delicious results. And for some operations, it’s probably ill-advised.
“Solid fuel requires tremendous commitment—of money, space, labor and management,” says Green, who previously served as corporate chef for Wood Stone Corporation and has been involved in literally hundreds of artisan cooking installations and pizza concept launches. And while foods cooked over wood on equipment such as a grill or rotisserie will pick up flavor from the smoke, enclosed ovens are a different matter. “Most customers would be unable to tell the difference in flavor and texture between a pizza cooked in a wood oven versus one cooked in a gas-fired stone-hearth oven. So there needs to be a very good reason to use a wood oven for cooking instead of gas or propane.”
A good stone-hearth oven can do anything a wood-fired oven can, with a lot less muss and fuss, continues Green. “Stone hearth ovens are known for the wonderful pizza they produce. Beyond that, they of course bake amazing rustic breads, as well as being great for cooking whole animals and large cuts of meats, whole chickens and turkeys, overnight braising, and roasting vegetables. You can even roast bones and produce delicious stocks out of one. Basically you can build an entire menu out of a stone hearth oven.”
For such a simple technology, wood ovens and other solid-fuel equipment can actually be very complex operationally, not to mention costly. The oven itself must be substantial: Solid fuel generates tremendous wear-and-tear on systems that will have to withstand temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees every day. A wood oven also needs to provide longevity. “This will hopefully be the last oven that you will ever purchase for your restaurant,” says Green. “The challenge of installing them due to their size can make it very costly to replace.”
It’s not just the oven, either. “Many regions of North America no longer even allow for solid fuel equipment,” points out Green. “Other jurisdictions may ask you to use complex and costly ventilation systems to eliminate odors and smoke going into the air.” Operators will normally be committed to a Type 1 Hood System with Ansul fire suppression, as well as Type 1 Grease Duct Vent Pipe, which can cost about $200 per foot to install. Depending upon your municipality the cost of ventilation could range between $20,000- $50,000, in addition to the oven itself, which can run $25,000 to $50,000 or more, before the façade.
In addition, a standard ventilation system should be cleaned at least every other month, if not every month—most fires that occur in restaurant with solid fuel equipment start in the ventilation system that has not been cleaned.
Then there is the issue of the wood. “It must be a heavy hardwood,” says Green. “This includes species of nut, orchard fruits like apple, oak, maple, almond, and mesquite, never conifers and never lumber.” The wood must be well-seasoned, with an interior moisture content between 10-18%; if the moisture content is higher, the wood will not create a good open flame or produce coals properly.
Wood should be sized specifically to the needs of the oven, normally 14-16 inches long, and 2-5 inches in diameter. Charcoal is commonly available in mesquite and also in other carbonized hardwoods such as oak and maple. Manufactured briquettes should not be used, as they are made from the sawdust of scrap wood (including resinous soft woods and composite woods) combined with chemical binders and filler. “They’re slower to light, and often require lighter fluid, which you definitely do not want anywhere near your food,” as Green says.
Burnt fuel means ashes, which must be handled with extreme caution. “When removing ashes it is extremely important to have a sturdy fireproof vessel in which to hold them,” says Green, because in a busy restaurant it’s not always possible to wait until all the ashes are totally dead. “So we have to take extra care to avoid burning ourselves”—gloves, training, and vigilance are mandatory. “And make sure everyone knows how to use a fire extinguisher.”
And don’t forget to think about the storage of wood before deciding on a solid-fuel grill or oven. Green suggests that storage facilities be ample for a two-week supply, preferably outdoors, and designed to keep wood dry but not fully enclosed.
With all the challenges and expenses associated with solid fuel cooking, cooking with wood delivers amazing taste with depth and character. At the end of the day, if you want to out maneuver the competition, you need to have great tasting and distinctive food. Wood-fired cooking offers captivating aromas, delicious food and the visual pleasure of seeing food cooked with a true artisan technique. When deciding which oven is best for their restaurant, operators must carefully weigh the benefits of solid-fuel cooking with the challenges and operational complexity that come along with it.