Stone oven - mk2

[Grooveski]

We decided to give the oven a bit of a revamp. Deepened the pit to allow us to use bigger logs(mainly just so we could leave it unattended for longer) and this time we went for a dyke build with peagravel filling the gaps.
Moved the door to the back to make getting in at the food easier while the main fire was also on the go.

It'll get more done to it yet. We were toying with slabbing over the front if the smoke was leaking through it(wasn't too bad) and the back will get built up a bit like the sides allowing the door slabs a nice seal on the turf.
....and the turf of course.

Working a treat. We had pizza after putting it together, smoked a bunch of mackies overnight then had a big steak pie the next night.

Josh

 

[Melonfish]

Wow, that looks wicked! that is indeed a very nice build. who needs cast iron eh?

 

[Gill]

That looks like a great oven lads ,wish i had been with you all.

 

[JohnC]

It looks pretty good,,,#

 

[Shewie]

Looking good Josh, I need to sample those mackies at some point

 

[Twodogs]

Nice one
Twodogs

 

[Tengu]

I love smoked mackerel too

 

[Stuart69]

Got to admit, that was the tastiest steak pie I've had in a long time

The mackies and pizza were done to perfection too, we ate well all week

 

[stuart f]

Hi Josh,the oven looks great mate top job.

 

[Baaf]

I did some earth ovens before, but this is great!
thx for posting

 

[dave53]

great work thanks for posting the pickies regards dave

 

[Wilderbeast]

Nice work......do we get to see pictures of what came out of it?!

 

[caliban]

That's too cool! Don't you have to watch for exploding stones?

 

[Grooveski]

Nice work......do we get to see pictures of what came out of it?!

Sorry, didn't take any. Was wishing I had while popping the pics up but at the time all I was thinking about was dinner being ready. Next time out there should be bread on the go - I'll try to remember then.

Don't you have to watch for exploding stones?

The schist roundabout doesn't appear prone to exploding or cracking. Yon slabs that the fire's sitting on have been there for seven years or so and haven't so much as pinged.
The mk1 oven did pop one time as we heated it. Turned out to be just a little flake about an inch diameter and about a eighth thick delaminating off a base slab the way concrete goes if you cook it with a blowtorch.
Time will tell. The worst that can happen is a base slab cracking and there are worse ways to spend an afternoon that tearing it all apart and rebuilding it.
Valid point though. I'm sure there are other rocks that wouldn't be so happy with the same treatment.

Should really mention(not that it's cropped up) that this is a pals land(that's him in the photos). I'm as leave-no-trace as the next guy and wouldn't dream of building something like this just any old where.
Scottie uses this camp a lot though and an oven's a useful addition to the home-from-home. I know lots of the folk on the forum have bits of land where they can do these things so it'll be no surprise to them but just in case anyone thought we were rearranging the landscape somewhere without permission......