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Wood Stone ovens and rotisseries, etc

post #1 of 6
8/3/11 at 11:19pm
Thread Starter 

Anyone familiar with these or actually used any of their products?

All I've heard are good things.

Any tips, negative feedback, pitfalls, products I should definitely check out?

I know they make a lot of products, but we're thinking pizza oven, rotisserie, smoker (I don't think they make smokers).

Looking to plan a menu revolving around the equipment for a possible new satellite location.

 

Just fishing,

 

_L4B

 

EDIT: Oops, here's a link if you don't know what I'm talking about.  http://www.woodstone-corp.com/

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post #2 of 6
8/27/11 at 12:06am
Thread Starter 

Went to a demo on Thursday at their home base.

Pretty impressive.

The one that we used had a 4 inch ceramic bed.  Feed the fire from the back of the unit and drag the coals under the grate from the front.

sthelens.jpg

The one we're looking at has a rotisserie unit that mounts on the back.  I estimate it would hold 24 broiler chicks at full capacity.

 

Also used in the demo was this unit:

mt-adams-5-stone-hearth-oven-85919.jpg

Side fire as opposed to a back flame as shown in pic.

4 inches of ceramic in this guy too.

 

I would have thought that the pizza oven can do more than just bread and pizza; it was nice to see a demo proving it.

 

I'm not completely sold on the pizza oven.  I don't want to open a pizzeria.  And there's one across the street from us already...

Still, drooling over the possibilities. 

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post #3 of 6
8/27/11 at 1:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by left4bread View Post

I'm not completely sold on the pizza oven.  I don't want to open a pizzeria.  And there's one across the street from us already...

Still, drooling over the possibilities. 


There are a few restaurants that have been anchored by a wood fired pizza oven that aren't pizza dominated. Zuni Cafe in San Francisco sells wood oven roasted chicken with salad for 2 for ~$48 all day long. IIRC they used to have a popular roasted branzino, but I think they took it off due to conservation.

 

Al Forno (the grilled pizza people) in Provodince RI, relies pretty heavily on their wood oven.

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post #4 of 6
8/27/11 at 7:59am
Very, very interesting. I'm not personally familiar with their products. After browsing the equipment and recipes on their website it doesn't look like they make a "smoker" for the sort of "low and slow" cooking we most often associate with American 'cue. Nor do I know of anyone making anything sizable that could do high-heat stone hearth, high-heat roti/grill, and low and slow smoke. I do know a few people who have all of those capabilities on their patios, but each has at least three pieces of equipment.

If you don't need huge capacity you could get one or two ceramic, kamodo-style, cookers -- such as BGE, Primo, etc. There are some, covered with tile, which are quite beautiful. The ceramics are versatile as all get out and could do most of the things you're talking about -- and do it well.

Good luck,
BDL
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post #5 of 6
8/27/11 at 9:09am

Not familiar with the brand

 

However, rotiseries:

 

Heat source MUST come from the side, not the bottom.

If heat source comes from the bottom, you will get flare ups, if you have a drip pan, the juices/fat will boil and give off steam--as well as giving you muddy /greasy juices.

 

Wood fired grills are nice and ideal for outdoor locations.  Indoors are not good for wood/charcoal grills when you take into account the smoke, ashes, dust, cleaning, firewood, and wood related problems (bugs etc).

 

Hope this helps

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post #6 of 6
8/29/11 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 

I worked at a place that used the wood fired grill.

No, it is NOT a smoker for sure.  If only...  *sigh*

We used mesquite charcoal. It was hot as hell.

It was like standing in front of an open oven.

It definitely imparted flavor though.  Even when we were just "marking and sending to the oven" busy.

 

We have access to local alder, which will flame up and give a better "show" for the customers,

but I guess you then have to deal with the extra creosote (or so I've read).  And the mesquite charcoal is cheaper.

 

The birds that were on the rotisserie when we showed up (and watched them cook) didn't flare up.

I wonder if it's just a fire management issue, the heat source coming from the bottom versus the side.

They will NOT be cooked to order: cooks birds, cool, remove backbone/halve, reheat on grill.

 

The oven just didn't do it for me because if I had the grill, I would have little use for the oven.  I'm a grill guy, I guess.

If I had only the oven to use, I could be an oven guy, but if I had both...  I would just use the coals for everything.

Meh...

 

Anyhow, it's way off in the future.

I'll bump later when/if anything actually happens.  Being pessimistic about it.

Feel free to cross your fingers for me, and thanks for the replies; gives me something to think about...

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