If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at cooking your own homemade pizza, then you can’t go wrong with a Roccbox woodfire oven. They’re small enough to fit on your countertop and don’t require you to purchase a $5,000 backyard pizza oven. Despite their small size, though, they’re perfectly capable of handling a medium-sized pizza that’s perfect for you and your family. What’s the best wood to use for them, though?
My all-time favorite wood to cook with is the maple cooking wood made by Smoak Firewood. These guys offer five different varieties of wood, are highly-reviewed, and they can even be bought online with Amazon prime for 2-day delivery. I’ve sampled all of the different firewood varieties they offer, and I have yet to receive a bad batch or have a complaint.
In today’s post, I’m going to do my best to explain some of the key differences between the different flavors of cooking wood and explain how it differs from the regular firewood sold at your local grocery store. Additionally, I’ll also take the time to answer a few other common questions I’ve gotten about cooking with wood.
How To Pick The Best Wood For Your Roccbox Pizza Oven
Recently, I posted another article reviewing the Ooni pizza oven that I bought for myself during the pandemic. Well, I liked it so much that I decided to buy my mom one for Christmas last year. Unfortunately, the Ooni ovens were all sold out, so I had to settle with a substitute- the Roccbox pizza oven. They’re essentially the same exact thing- a small, portable, woodfire oven that’s great for baking personal pizzas or other baked foods.
So far, my mom has had nothing but positive things to say about it. The few times that I’ve used her oven during a family cookout, I’ve found that it works the exact same as my Ooni. That being said, I also use the same brand of cooking wood for both ovens.
Although it’s definitely pricier than your run-of-the-mill firewood, it’s really worth it to use quality cooking wood when it comes to cooking food. The firewood used for everyday bonfires usually has higher sap content. This is excellent when it comes to bonfires and makes the wood burn for longer, but it can make your food toxic and extra smokey.
Cooking wood, on the other hand, is specifically designed for cooking with. The wood is dried to remove all moisture content and the wood comes from low or no-sap trees. The trees used to procur the cooking wood are specially grown without any harsh pesticides and the logs aren’t cleaned with chemicals or other solvents that could make its way into your food.
The result of using a Roccbox oven with the right cooking wood is that you’ll be rewarded with a homemade pizza that tastes just like if you had gone to an authentic woodfire Italian pizzeria. Admittedly, it is a bit of a process compared to using a regular old-fashioned conventional oven, but again, the texture of the crust and the lightly smoked flavor is well worth any extra effort!
Choose The Right Variety Of Wood
If you do decide to end up ordering the Smoak cooking wood, then you’ll have five different flavors to choose from. While each type of wood will do a good job cooking your pizza, some woods may burn hotter (cooking your pizza faster), while others may burn cooler (resulting in a lengthier cook time). In addition to the burn temperature, each flavor of wood is easily identified by its smell, which imparts a unique flavor to the pizza you’re cooking.
Oak Flavor (White or Red Oak)
My go-to if I want a more neutral flavor is usually white oak. Red oak comes with a deeper, smokier taste thats reminiscent of southern BBQ flavors. Great for meaty pizzas.
Maple Flavor
Maple is smooth and incredibly sweet. This is a great wood if you’re cooking with veggies or lighter sauces. It also goes excellent with a light white wine!
Hickory Flavor
Hickory is probably the smokiest out of all of the different flavors. It has a sharp, almost pungent flavor, and tastes great with ham/bacon pizzas or even fruity pineapple pizzas.
Cherry Flavor
Cherry wood is a nice sweet-smelling alternative that’s great if you’re looking to accentuate sweeter toppings such as fruit, white meats, or onions.
Make Sure Your Wood Is Kiln Dried
One of the key differences between cooking wood and traditional firewoods is that cooking wood is 100% kiln-dried.During this process, the wood is placed in a large kiln (like a giant oven) where all of the moisture is removed through a slow baking process. The result of this process is that the wood is able to burn hot and clean. It also means that you won’t need to use a bunch of chemical firestarters to create the fire within your oven.
Cooking Wood FAQs
Now that you’ve had a chance to see why cooking wood is so important for using your Roccbox, I’m going to take a minute to answer a couple of the more common FAQs that I’ve gotten about cooking wood and using my Roccbox.
How Should I Ignite My Cooking Wood?
There are several different methods to ignite your cooking wood. However, the way that I usually do it is by purchasing a few natural kindling balls. You can use a chemical firestarter, but those can often leave your food tasting chemically. Your best bet is to go as natural as possible when it comes to both your firewood and kindling.
How Long Does It Take To Cook A Pizza In A Roccbox Oven?
If you want to ensure that your pizza is the best temperature and consistency, then you’ll want to heat your Roccbox oven up to between 400 and 450-degrees Fahrenheit. This typically takes around 25 or 30 minutes of the wood burning continuously. Once your Roccbox has reached the necessary temperature, then your pizza should only take about 90 seconds to cook.