[Sca-cooks] Mud oven - repost, sort of.

Myles Durga cedric404 at yahoo.com
Tue Mar 24 10:25:46 PDT 2009


This is an excerpt of an email to Stefan about my experience with a mud oven at Estrella.  Not knowing the etiquite of the list, I should have posted here also.   Also, I have been reading all the oven stuff in the Florilgeium and have a couple of thoughts.  Anyone have some ideas.

Two things I noticed in the articles on the site that I have read. 

 1.  There was discussion about the small open box type area underneath the oven.  My first thought, and I got this from experience, this is where to put the embers and burning items when you clean out the oven for use.  People have stated that they have seen pics with just for wood storage and also pics of fires.  This would explain both.  But, of course, this is only opinion.
2.  I heard mention of swabbing out the oven after fire and before use.  What is used here?  Never heard this before.


> I used 12 cinder blocks to hold up the oven.  Placed 2 layers of 6.  I filled the holes of the cinder block with dirt, but did not fill between the cinder blocks.  I then put a piece of plywood on top of the blocks.  It was 1/2 inch thick.  Fire brick came next, 32 of 'em.  After the fire brick which I laid in a rotating 2x2 pattern.  I used 30 clay brick to form a beehive shape.  Rotating every layer to cover the edges between.  Every layer got one of more LESS bricks to form the beehive.  The edges of the lower levels really did hold the higher levels.  I then covered the top with 4 bricks accross. This allowed me to have a flat top for playing objects.  For the front.  I stacked two bricks on sides on each side and placed a piece of sheet metal accross to hold the brick for the front.  The height was approx four bricks stacked.
> 
> Once the bricks were in place, I threw lots of mud on it.  I continued to put mud on till I could see no more bricks.  I fired up the oven and as it dried I put more mud over the holes that are created by drying mud.  I continued to do this for 4 days.  With a total of 6 layers of mud.
> 
> The making process was fun.  And it was great to use.  I give the project a c+.  Here are the reasons why.
> 
> I should have put dirt between the cinder block too.
> I should not have used a piece of plywood.  (this actually burned through underneath)  Use more cinder block and you can place the fire brick directly dirt and block.
> The temperature was very difficult to control.  This was expected, but I had way too much variation.  I attribute this to cherry wood, which burned VERY hot and fast.  And also, a person who stopped to talk about it mentioned something about thermal mass.  My simple saxon mind interpreted as "Throw more mud on"
> I should have made another oven or a fire pit nearbye.  To move burning wood or embers out of the oven to get access to the baking.  Turns out a friend brought a small metal bucket in which I put embers in.  And even used it as a hibachi for grilling an elk steak.
> 
> I am recreating this oven at home.  And will find a place to put up pictures and experience using as soon as I have some.
> 
> I am western slope of Colorado, near Artemesia.  About 6000ft above the darn water.
> 

Cedric Cenfrithes sunu
Baker Wannabe



      



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