The Best Wood for Your Pizza Braai
For the best results, use well-seasoned, dry hardwoods that burn hot and provide a steady, consistent heat. The top wood choices for your Pizza Braai include:
- Kameel Doring
- Sekelbos
- Mopani
- Rooikrans
- Black Wattle (Wattle)
Key Tip: Amount of Wood to Use
- Kameel Doring: Due to its high heat and excellent coaling properties, use only 4 to 6 pieces. You can add a couple of pieces of cooler-burning wood like Wattle or Rooikrans to help get the fire started.
- Other Hardwoods (Sekelbos, Mopani, Rooikrans, Wattle): Stick to 8 to 10 pieces to ensure a good, balanced heat.
How to Build the Perfect Fire on Your Pizza Braai
1. Always Use Dry, Well-Seasoned Wood
Dry wood burns hotter, cleaner, and creates a consistent fire, heating up your Pizza Braai correctly. Using local wood is also a bonus, as it is often more cost-effective and eco-friendly.
2. Setting Up the Fire
- Arrange your firewood in a criss-cross pattern to allow good airflow.
- Use 8 to 10 pieces of wood for standard hardwoods or 4 to 6 pieces if using Kameel Doring.
- As the fire burns down, keep adding wood to maintain a consistent heat.
3. Maintaining the Heat
- Only once you have enough coals to fill the top frame of the Pizza Braai and the fire is still going, you should have reached the desired temperature (250°C to 300°C).
- To bake multiple pizzas, maintain a fire on top of the Pizza Braai. The flames and heat from the active fire provide the extra temperature boost needed for optimal pizza baking.
- You can bake pizza with only coals on top, but keep in mind that it may take slightly longer as you won’t have the additional heat from the flames.
- If you want to heat up your Pizza Braai again, simply add a couple of pieces of wood and get your fire going again.
What to Expect If You Are Using Wet Wood
If you are using wet or uncured wood, you can still bake a great pizza, but be prepared for a few differences:
- Longer Wait for Coals: Wet or uncured wood takes longer to burn down into the hot coals needed to heat up your Pizza Braai.
- Extended Baking Time: The reduced heat from wet wood means your pizza may take a few extra minutes to bake fully.
- Maintaining Consistent Heat: You might need to add more wood or a few pieces of charcoal to stabilise the heat and ensure an even bake.
While it's always best to use dry, well-seasoned wood, knowing how to manage a fire with wet wood can still lead to delicious results.
Pro Tips for the Perfect Pizza Braai Experience
- Preheat Your Pizza Braai: Ensure the Pizza Braai is at the ideal temperature before baking. Aim for a temperature between 250°C and 300°C using the dial thermometer.
- Rotate Your Pizza Once: After about 2 minutes, rotate the pizza 180 degrees. This helps achieve an even bake without needing to rotate it multiple times.
- Keep the Heat Steady: The fire on top of the Pizza Braai keeps the internal temperature consistent. When the fire burns out, the temperature will slowly decrease. To heat up your Pizza Braai again, simply add more wood and restart the fire.
- Use Charcoal for Heat Consistency: If your wood isn't burning well, adding a few pieces of charcoal can help stabilize the heat and ensure a consistent cooking environment.
- Minimize Opening the Drawer: Avoid opening the drawer unnecessarily while baking pizza or food. Keep the drawer closed during cooking, and avoid leaving it open for extended periods, as this will allow heat to escape and affect the baking time and temperature consistency.
- Add Coals Underneath the Drawer: For the perfect crispy pizza base and enhanced flavour:
- Place 3 to 4 hot coals from the fire on top of the Pizza Braai underneath the drawer.
- These coals will heat your Pizza Braai from the bottom, ensuring a crispy pizza bake.
- The smoke from these coals will flow through the specially designed air vent inside the Pizza Braai, over the pizza, and out the front vents, giving your pizza a delicious, smoky flavour.
- Important: Do not place too many coals underneath the drawer, as excessive heat can burn your pizza base from the bottom.
- If more heat is needed, you can always add more coals, but it is best to start with fewer coals and gradually increase if needed.
Common Pizza Braai Mistakes
Making a Fire Underneath with Coals on Top
Reality: The fire should always be on top of the Pizza Braai, while only a small amount of coals (about 3 to 4) should be placed underneath the drawer. This setup ensures the heat flows correctly through the Pizza Braai, creating the ideal airflow and temperature for baking crispy, wood-fired pizzas. Placing a fire underneath can lead to uneven heat and the risk of burning the base of your pizza.
Only Using Coals on Top for Heat
Reality: While coals do contribute to the heat, it is the combination of flames and coals that truly brings the Pizza Braai to the optimal temperature (250°C to 300°C). Simply placing hot coals from a secondary fire on top of your Pizza Braai will not generate enough heat to achieve a properly baked pizza with a crispy base. Keeping a small fire going on top, along with the coals, is essential to maintaining the high, consistent heat needed for perfect wood-fired pizza.
Conclusion
There are many ways to build a fire for your Pizza Braai, and part of the fun is finding what works best for you. The key is to maintain a good balance of coals and flames to achieve the ideal temperature of 250°C to 300°C. Whether you keep a roaring fire going or prefer to use mostly coals, the heat consistency is what matters most for a perfect pizza.
Experiment with different wood types, fire-building techniques, and coal arrangements to discover your favourite method. The most important thing is to enjoy the process and the delicious results!
Have you discovered a new tip or favourite wood for baking pizzas? Share your experiences with us in the comments below. Ready to elevate your pizza-making skills? Explore our range of Pizza Braai products and accessories and make every pizza night a hit!
