Firebricks Question

[norma427]

Firebricks

I have a few question to ask about firebricks.  I called a brick place that is right down the road from me and asked some questions about what kind of firebricks they had.  They said they carried two kinds.  One is 2 ½ " deep by 4 ½”x 9".  You can get them in either yellow or red.  The other is 1 ½ " deep by 4 ½ “x 9".  These also come in yellow or red.  They are 1.25 a brick. 

I want to try them out possibility in my home oven in combinations with my pizza stone or in my BBQ grill.  Does anyone have any ideas of what would be the best to purchase.  I don’t know if the difference in color or depth makes any difference.  My pizza stone is 16" round.

Thanks,

Norma

[Ronzo]

Firebricks

I have a few question to ask about firebricks.  I called a brick place that is right down the road from me and asked some questions about what kind of firebricks they had.  They said they carried two kinds.  One is 2 ½ " deep by 4 ½”x 9".  You can get them in either yellow or red.  The other is 1 ½ " deep by 4 ½ “x 9".  These also come in yellow or red.  They are 1.25 a brick. 

I want to try them out possibility in my home oven in combinations with my pizza stone or in my BBQ grill.  Does anyone have any ideas of what would be the best to purchase.  I don’t know if the difference in color or depth makes any difference.  My pizza stone is 16" round.

Thanks,

Norma

Go with the thinner ones. I did and I'm satisfied with their performance on my LBE. The thicker ones are heavier and will cause more sag on your cooking racks.

[norma427]

Go with the thinner ones. I did and I'm satisfied with their performance on my LBE. The thicker ones are heavier and will cause more sag on your cooking racks.

Ron,

Thanks for the help!    Do you know if there is any difference in what color they are?  Also if I want to interchange to my home oven, would the thin ones be okay?

Thanks again,

Norma

[Jackie Tran]

From what I've read, firebricks retain heat well but are not great at transferring heat.  So even at high temps the bottom of the pie won't char as quickly or burn, which I favor.

The thinner ones are lighter and don't take as long to heat up.  I would go with those as well. I can only get the thicker ones locally and the red ones are a bit pricier than the tan ones.

Firebricks work really well in the home oven under the broiler.  I always run my hand and then a rag over the bricks prior to heating up to make sure there are no loose bits that can get into the pizza.

[norma427]

From what I've read, firebricks retain heat well but are not great at transferring heat.  So even at high temps the bottom of the pie won't char as quickly or burn, which I favor.

The thinner ones are lighter and don't take as long to heat up.  I would go with those as well. I can only get the thicker ones locally and the red ones are a bit pricier than the tan ones.

Firebricks work really well in the home oven under the broiler.  I always run my hand and then a rag over the bricks prior to heating up to make sure there are no loose bits that can get into the pizza.

Tranman,

Thanks for the tips!    I still want to cook on my pizza stone, but want to try different configurations to see what can happen. 

Norma

[Bill/SFNM]

I'd give these serious consideration (near the bottom):

http://www.earthstoneovens.com/oven_accessories.shtml

Oven Floor Tiles
Use these floor tiles for extra counter space or for use in your conventional oven.
12"L x 12"W x 1½"Thk. (17 lb)
Price: $20.00

Not as cheap as bricks. The deck of my WFO is built with these things. They have stood up to heavy residential use in pretty extreme temp conditions.

[Ronzo]

Ron,

Thanks for the help!    Do you know if there is any difference in what color they are?  Also if I want to interchange to my home oven, would the thin ones be okay?

Thanks again,

Norma

I got the tan ones. Not sure if there's a difference in heat transfer or retention between the colors. Also, I don't use them in the home oven. I've only used on the LBE (which I use exclusively for my pizzas now - No more indoor oven), but they're the base for my 19" kiln shelf, and not the cooking surface.

I used unglazed quarry tiles on the indoor oven when I made pizza in it. Got them at Lowe's many years ago.

[norma427]

I'd give these serious consideration (near the bottom):

http://www.earthstoneovens.com/oven_accessories.shtml

Not as cheap as bricks. The deck of my WFO is built with these things. They have stood up to heavy residential use in pretty extreme temp conditions.

Bill,

Thanks for the links about the oven floor tiles.    I didn't know about them.  I am studying about WFO's and maybe by next summer, might try to build one.  Could be a possibility.     I have never even tried a pizza in a WFO and would really like to experiment with one.

Your help is appreciated,

Norma

I got the tan ones. Not sure if there's a difference in heat transfer or retention between the colors. Also, I don't use them in the home oven. I've only used on the LBE (which I use exclusively for my pizzas now - No more indoor oven), but they're the base for my 19" kiln shelf, and not the cooking surface.

I used unglazed quarry tiles on the indoor oven when I made pizza in it. Got them at Lowe's many years ago.

Ron,

I wish I had a LBE to experiment with.     Right now it is just my old home oven or next to the BBQ grill. 

Thanks for your help and your experiences with firebricks and unglazed quarry tiles, 

Norma

[Jackie Tran]

Ron can you post a pic of your unlgazed quarry tile from Lowes?  How thick or thin is it?

I have not been able to find a good quarry tile from lowes or HD.  All are too thin and end up cracking after several uses. 

[Ronzo]

Ron can you post a pic of your unlgazed quarry tile from Lowes?  How thick or thin is it?

I have not been able to find a good quarry tile from lowes or HD.  All are too think and end up cracking after several uses. 

They're about 3/8" thick or so.

I have four of them as a buffer above the firebricks, and below the kiln shelf (just because I'm OCD like that) to help shield the shelf from any direct heat that might make it through the air between the bricks. As you can see from the pic, all of them have cracked under the intense heat from the burner.

They did fine in the home oven though when I used them there. At that time, I doubled them up to make two layers and they worked well.

[pcampbell]

i think there is no difference between the colors. 

the thick ones will take forever to heat up in a home oven, I think.   i'd go for the "splits".

[norma427]

i think there is no difference between the colors. 

the thick ones will take forever to heat up in a home oven, I think.   i'd go for the "splits".

pcampbell,

I think that I am going to go with the splits to try them out.  They aren't very expensive and also think now, it would be a better way to proceed.  I believe you are right about the thick ones taking longer to heat.

Thanks for you advise, 

Norma

[Matthew]

Ron,

Thanks for the help!    Do you know if there is any difference in what color they are?  Also if I want to interchange to my home oven, would the thin ones be okay?

Thanks again,

Norma

Hi Norma,
There are different grades of firebrick.  There is light duty, medium duty, & heavy duty.  I'm pretty sure they are all different colours.  If memory serves me correctly the ones that I used around the mouth of my oven to form the vent were medium duty.  They are a sandy brown colour.

Matt

[norma427]

Hi Norma,
There are different grades of firebrick.  There is light duty, medium duty, & heavy duty.  I'm pretty sure they are all different colours.  If memory serves me correctly the ones that I used around the mouth of my oven to form the vent were medium duty.  They are a sandy brown colour.

Matt

Matt,

That is interesting to know that their are different grades of firebricks.  I just picked some up today.  Here is a picture of some of them. Are these the right kind?  If they aren't, I can take them back tomorrow.

Thanks,

Norma

[flyboy4ual]

I use both.  They work great and if they get hot enough the pizza will burn.  I put the pizza on when the bricks are at about 750 degrees.  Then I turn it every 30 seconds for about 2-3 minutes.

Scott

[norma427]

I use both.  They work great and if they get hot enough the pizza will burn.  I put the pizza on when the bricks are at about 750 degrees.  Then I turn it every 30 seconds for about 2-3 minutes.

Scott

Scott,

That looks like you have an interesting set-up.    May have to try that on my BBQ grill.  I did try to bake a pizza on my stone before in the BBQ grill, but my bottom became too hot, and it almost burnt the pizza.  I only used my stone that time.

Thanks for the information,

Norma

[Matthew]

Matt,

That is interesting to know that their are different grades of firebricks.  I just picked some up today.  Here is a picture of some of them. Are these the right kind?  If they aren't, I can take them back tomorrow.

Thanks,

Norma

Hi Norma,

I can't say for sure. Your best bet is to call the place where you got them & ask. Sorry, wish I could of been more help. 

Matt

[norma427]

Hi Norma,

I can't say for sure. Your best bet is to call the place where you got them & ask. Sorry, wish I could of been more help. 

Matt

Matt,
 
This is where I called and purchased the firebricks.  They have some WFO’s built there.  If you look at their blog, you can see the one I really like.  If you scroll down, it is there.

http://drohanbrick.wordpress.com/

http://www.drohanbrick.com/

I think the lady I talked to and purchased from should know what she was talking about.

Norma

[carbon]

Norma, those white splits you picked up look like insulating bricks.  Are they very light as you pick them up? 
What you need are heavy, dense bricks so they can absorb and radiate heat.  Insulating bricks do just the opposite.

I'm using white insulating bricks to create a thermal break between the fire bricked dome and the front entry on my current oven building project.  You definitely don't want to use insulating bricks in your kitchen oven.

[norma427]

Norma, those white splits you picked up look like insulating bricks.  Are they very light as you pick them up? 
What you need are heavy, dense bricks so they can absorb and radiate heat.  Insulating bricks do just the opposite.

I'm using white insulating bricks to create a thermal break between the fire bricked dome and the front entry on my current oven building project.  You definitely don't want to use insulating bricks in your kitchen oven.

carbon,

Now you have me wondering.     I just weighed one and it weighs 3 lb. 18 oz.  Do you know what kind of brick it is now?  The lady at Dohan Brick said they were for fire bricks, but not if they were for insulating or for keeping the heat in if I bake on my regular stone.

Norma