Ooni Karu vs WPPO Le Peppe Portable Black Wood Fired Pizza Oven

[pizzahorse]

Or alternatively, anyone have experience with the WPPO Le Peppe Portable Black Wood Fired Pizza Oven https://www.wppo.us/products/wppo-llc-le-peppe-portable-wood-fired-pizza-oven-with-peel ?

I ran a search on the forums but didn't see discussion.

[pizzahorse]

Well, I ordered the Ooni Karu.  It's on backorder, so I'll send all y'all a pic once I can make a pizza. 

[Paul S]

I recently was gifted a Le Peppe oven and have fired it up twice so far. As I am sure this applies to all pizza ovens, I am still dialing in how best to use it but so far, it performs as expected. I didn’t realize how fast you will burn through pellets so I use a combination of lump coal, chunk woods, and pellets. I actually spoke with the owner of WPPO as mine was sent minus a deflector shield and he gave me a cover/carrier for my troubles. Great customer service and overall product so far!

[pizzahorse]

ooh, looks nice.

What if we use anthracite coal to light instead?

[advicepig]

I have an Ooni Karu and love it. I can't tell how much insulation the other oven has on the sides, but the Karu insulation is really amazing at keeping the heat where you need it.

[nickyr]

ooh, looks nice.

What if we use anthracite coal to light instead?

I’ve read elsewhere on the forum that you can’t really use coal in an oven that’s not designed for it because it has special air flow needs, you could search around for info about coal in wood fired ovens in general

[MorePizza]

Also a happy Karu owner. Dunno about anthracite coal. But I use a combination of charcoal and wood in the oven. Usually I light it up with charcoal for the preheat. And then wood to get it up to the correct temp when I start to prep the pies. Have been working great so far.

[pizzahorse]

I've now done several pizza bakes in my Ooni Karu. 

I'm getting reasonably nice pizza, although I do find I need to take it out and flip it around midway.  Bigger issue is that the bottom is not cooking as fast as the top, so my crust is barely baked when the cheese is browned.

I want to replace the stone with a steel.  Thoughts?

[nickyr]

I've now done several pizza bakes in my Ooni Karu. 

I'm getting reasonably nice pizza, although I do find I need to take it out and flip it around midway.  Bigger issue is that the bottom is not cooking as fast as the top, so my crust is barely baked when the cheese is browned.

I want to replace the stone with a steel.  Thoughts?

I use an Ooni pro with wood, so I can sort of imagine what you’re experiencing. My thought would be to crank the heat up high to get the stone warm and then turn the gas down so you have a lower flame. That should balance the top and bottom.

[Pizza_Not_War]

I've now done several pizza bakes in my Ooni Karu. 

I'm getting reasonably nice pizza, although I do find I need to take it out and flip it around midway.  Bigger issue is that the bottom is not cooking as fast as the top, so my crust is barely baked when the cheese is browned.

I want to replace the stone with a steel.  Thoughts?

Are you measuring stone temperature prior to launch?

[RHawthorne]

I've now done several pizza bakes in my Ooni Karu. 

I'm getting reasonably nice pizza, although I do find I need to take it out and flip it around midway.  Bigger issue is that the bottom is not cooking as fast as the top, so my crust is barely baked when the cheese is browned.

I want to replace the stone with a steel.  Thoughts?

I've got an Ooni Pro and I've tried a steel in mine. I can't say it's made a big difference for me. I just think the Ooni ovens are really only at their best when they're making Neapolitan style pizzas.