Author Topic: Wheels on Wheels (Read 7432 times)

norma427 · « **Reply #40 on:** October 16, 2011, 03:02:26 PM »

Bill,

I agree, your oven and trailer do look great!

Norma

Ev · « **Reply #41 on:** October 17, 2011, 06:46:46 PM »

Quote from: Ev on October 16, 2011, 12:54:39 PM

Looks great! I can't wait to see how it bakes!

What an idiot I am. I just realized that I had already seen the first bake. Looks Great!

wheelman · « **Reply #42 on:** October 17, 2011, 07:04:02 PM »

thanks ya'll! i'll give it a proper test this week and then try it out for a remote pizza party Sunday night...

wheelman · « **Reply #43 on:** October 18, 2011, 07:15:28 PM »

got the landing done today. getting close!

RobynB · « **Reply #44 on:** October 18, 2011, 07:31:05 PM »

Ooooooooh - very pretty!! That looks fantastic!

wheelman · « **Reply #45 on:** October 19, 2011, 08:42:35 AM »

thanks Robyn!

wheelman · « **Reply #46 on:** October 21, 2011, 10:27:37 AM »

took 'er for a test drive last night. the oven is fantastic! it is balanced at the right temp to give 65-75sec. bake times. the floor seems to hold temp better than my brick oven. it's hard to remember all the stuff you need for a remote cook. i'll keep working on the details. we have a good size group coming Sunday for a dinner in the field so we'll give it another try.

JConk007 · « **Reply #47 on:** October 21, 2011, 02:35:02 PM »

Bill,
Get yourself a checklist together as you with everything you pack and need. I keep all may goodies except the food for the party in 2 milk crates ready to roll. And a separate smaller hard box with the pizza cutter, knives sharp important things. It's funny you found out right away how easy it is to forget something

3 times I have had to go back. I have forgotten the basil, the smoked mozz. Lights, And few others
You will find it second nature after 10 or so parties. I pack everything the same so when a certain place spot is empty I know I forgot something. Good luck with the party ! I will ship out your tools tomorrow!
John

wheelman · « **Reply #48 on:** October 21, 2011, 03:50:14 PM »

thanks John! good advice..

Mick.Chicago · « **Reply #49 on:** October 26, 2011, 05:12:14 PM »

Beautiful oven. Enough said

wheelman · « **Reply #50 on:** October 26, 2011, 06:40:34 PM »

thanks Mick! i'm a little worried that i might like this oven better than my brick one... it definately holds temp for much longer. it also has a slightly lower ceiling and seems to cook really well at my target temps of around 850. we had another test run sunday night and i now i hope i'm ready for a remote location event this Saturday when i'll be cooking at a friend's party for about 50 or 60. wish me luck, i'll need it!
bill

JConk007 · « **Reply #51 on:** October 26, 2011, 09:45:39 PM »

No luck needed Bill, you'll do fine. Your pies are great !! just remember that. Its allways a touch nerve wracking at first I know it for sure but trust me soon as your worries will be over.2-3 parties and its old hat. How many helpers you gonna have?whats your plan of attack maker -cutter -server/cleaner- take orders? have you Tried 3-4 in the oven at once yet. Bigger Party Problem is not the cook time its spreading the dough. Its Hard to find qualified help with that part, especially with 64% room temp Caputo!! I end up doing all that myself but I love it. A Trick I found is Pile up 3-4 doughs at a time from the dough box. partially spread them and let them relax. then make 3 pizzas at a time your are then reaching once for sauce, once for cheese .. you get the idea as you put one in they automatically get rotated ... you will find the groove
then your ready to rock and roll.

Also be ready when the guests arrive fill up the early birds ( not easy) then they are out of the equation. Nothing worse than 35 people staring at a 12" margherita. Keep your head down and go like hell
oh yeah
Have Fun!!
John

wheelman · « **Reply #52 on:** October 27, 2011, 03:21:17 PM »

thanks John, that gives me some ideas to concentrate on. i'll probably do it all myself. i think i'll offer 3 options, margarita, marinara and bianca. i should be able to organize everything and bang it out. i have cooked 2 at a time often. i'll give 3 a shot and see if anything ends up burnt to a crisp...

wheelman · « **Reply #53 on:** October 30, 2011, 12:58:21 PM »

whew! that was pretty intense. we served 55 pizzas in an hour to a hungry horde. i think it went pretty well, though i can see it being a challenge cooking that many pies to my normal standard. i learned a few things that will help next time. everyone seemed satisfied. thanks to John and my checklist. i only forgot a few things - including my IR thermo.
i made three baches of dough with 3kg of flour each. no photos from after the crowd showed up. i never even looked up until it was over.

smorri1967 · « **Reply #54 on:** December 12, 2011, 04:43:53 PM »

Wheelman! You are my idol and inspiration! My friend and I have unbeknownst to each other have both been toying with the idea of building a WFO as a hobby to make pizzas and some extra money. You are doing exactly what we want to do. My friend is the chef of the team and I'm the handy man to build the equipment. We have looked into buying a premade trailer and oven but that goes against every fiber of my DIY personality. I do like the way you used the pre-cast molds for the oven. I've already started looking for a trailer and I have always wanted to learn how to weld.

I have so many questions. Finding a supplier for the pre-cast oven is my top priority. I live in Arkansas so I'm guessing that ordering from Matthew might be too costly to ship. In your investigations did you happen to find anyone that might be closer to Arkansas that makes pre-cast ovens like yours?

Keep us up to date on how your oven is working.

Steveo

wheelman · « **Reply #55 on:** December 12, 2011, 05:33:24 PM »

Stevio,

The dome castings are critical to making this thing work and also to making it last. There are several makers offering similar castings but they will all be far enough away to make shipping/freight a wash. After seeing several others, i've really been impressed with the quality of the castings from blazing ovens. The dome geometry also is important and this one cooks extremely well. so far this trailer has been fine. i drove it a couple hundred miles and had no problems at all.
Good luck if you dive in! let me know if i can help.
bill

wheelman · « **Reply #56 on:** March 31, 2012, 11:30:21 AM »

i've done a few more events with the trailer lately. last weekend we were invited to cook a side item for a big fundraising event. it was called Swine and Wine and it benefitted a really cool urban garden program in Tuscaloosa. i think there were around 500 people there. We set up and cooked for about 3 hours. it was fun talking to everyone. the trailer was a big hit. a few people tried to buy it and several more wanted to hire it. i think we'll keep using it for fundraisers and parties for friends. i'm not ready to make a habit of it.
We have another party tonight for 20. it was auctioned off for another benefit for $750. this one should be fun!
the trailer and oven have been working really well. once i get it up to temp and rake the fire to one side, it has no problem maintaining 850 for as long as i keep a live flame going. it has better insulation than my other oven. it stays hot for days.
i'm always way too busy to take photos though. i'll try again tonight.
bill

wheelman · « **Reply #57 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:01:34 AM »

we cooked for a nice downtown alley party in our town this weekend. probably 150 people at least. everyone was supposed to bring something. i saw lots of potato chips! we cooked about 50 pizzas. it was good practice. i made them all the same for simplicity sake.
bill

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #58 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:17:58 AM »

I don't know how I completely missed this thread, but I did.

Wow, what a beautiful oven Bill. Very very nice!

Craig

wheelman · « **Reply #59 on:** June 09, 2012, 12:37:01 PM »

I'm learning a lot about this form of pizza delivery. after several more parties of 50 or so, i'm starting to get the feel of it. it's really different from doing sit down dinners in the back yard with 12-15. the pace is pretty fast. there is a pattern it seems that limits the ultimate amount of time and pizzas served. the parties that i've been doing have been pretty informal happy hour type deals instead of real dinners. that makes it a cook and pass operation which is probably a lot easier than trying to get everyone a whole pie.
i'm also figuring out the BlazingOven. the main difference is that i get a little too much bottom browining (char) when i'm cooking at my target temp. i've addressed that by rotating the pies on the peel for the last 30 sec or so. if i leave the peel under, then it sticks, but if i keep it turning, it works well. i may have some pie pictures sent to me but for now a couple of shots of setups from my pizza party tour - these in NC.
bill