Top cooks before bottom in WFO - Need help

[Nick Primavera]

Ok, so I've been using a Forno Bravo Primavera 70 for about 2 years now, and it has always gone pretty well.  I have a new load of wood, and this may be the problem, but I figured I'd ask here before assuming.

I did a batch of 60% hydration dough, which is my goto recipe for WFO pizza dough.  I do a neopolitan-ish style with 300g dough ball, stretched to 12", lightly sauced with 1/3 cup Cento San Marzano crushed tomatoes and topped with fresh mozz. The top and edges are done in around 1.5 mins, after 3 turns with the peel, and the cornicione has a nice char, but the bottom is as white as a baby's behind, almost no char whatsoever, and pretty soft.  I preheated the oven  like i always do, by building a fire with about 5 decent sticks of oak, but noticed it hissing and water foam coming out the ends of the wood.  The fire seemed to take a long time to burn down to coals.  This means the wood is not fully cured like the guy I bought it from asid it was.  Could this be the problem? 

[Bill/SFNM]

Temperature of the deck is ....?

[Nick Primavera]

Temperature of the deck is ....?

THAT is a great question, I have been so used to just preheating the oven for an hour, sweeping the fire aside and slapping pizza down, I didn't even measure the deck temps yesterday!

[Tscarborough]

All that moisture boiling out of the wood removes heat, so that is your issue.

[Nick Primavera]

All that moisture boiling out of the wood removes heat, so that is your issue.

Here are some pics, not sure if they add anything or not, but I photo almost every cook session like a true pizza nerd.

[Bill/SFNM]

Not familiar with your particular oven and my comment here may have nothing to do with the problem you are experiencing, but why have you pushed the fire to the rear of the oven? Much of the radiant heat from the coal bed is shooting out the opening. If you can see it, you are losing it. If you push it to either side, more of the radiant heat will go into the sides and dome. At least, that is what I find in my oven.

[Nick Primavera]

Normally, I do push it to the left side, but that last big piece kept rolling out into the middle of the oven, so by pushing the fire to the back, I had more room on the deck with the opening and all.  That was also different than other cooks I've done, and may very well be where all my deck heat went.