David Morey 
There’s nothing tastier than cooking your own pizza at home, especially outside in a real pizza oven. Even the best takeout can’t compare to the pies you can make at home in your own oven. Although, it’s no longer common to cook oven-baked pizza. In recent years, it’s become trendy to have an outdoor pizza oven – the kind you see at artisan pizzerias.
If you love pizza and enjoy cooking outdoors, you will love owning an outdoor pizza oven. There’s just one thing you need to figure out ahead of time: What kind of fuel do you want to use? There are several options: electric, natural gas, propane, and wood-fired.
While electric is likely the go-to option, it’s not necessarily the best. Pizza cooks differently depending on the fuel source, and there are pros and cons to each type of fuel.
What makes a great outdoor pizza oven involves more than just the design, style, and quality of materials. The fuel source is just as important because that’s what controls your temperature. Aside from electric, most people choose either a gas or wood-fired pizza oven. Which fuel source is better will depend on how you like your pizza.
The Pros and Cons of Gas-Powered Pizza Ovens
If you already have a natural gas line connected to your house, it shouldn’t be too difficult to extend that to your pizza oven, provided you hire a professional. This process might make it easier because you won’t need to figure out an additional fuel source.
You’ll use more gas to power the pizza oven, which means you’ll pay more, but that’s to be expected. At least your entire usage will be contained on one bill and you won’t have to make any extra trips to refill propane tanks.
However, if you don’t have natural gas already, propane is your only other option. There’s nothing wrong with propane, as long as you don’t mind exchanging your tanks at the store and/or refilling your existing tanks.
Gas outdoor pizza ovens are:
· Convenient
· Easy to use
· Fast to preheat
· Low maintenance
On the downside, cooking your pizza with any kind of gas will make it a little less flavorful. You can’t get that yummy, smoky flavor with propane. That’s only possible with wood.
The Pros and Cons of Wood-Fired Pizza Ovens
All in all, you can’t beat the flavor of pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven. Not only do you get a better texture, but the flavor is superior to both gas and electric.
In addition, you can cook your pies at high temperatures for less time and make amazing specialty pizzas – like a Neapolitan – that take just 60 seconds to cook and taste like they were made at your favorite Italian pizzeria.
Wood-fired outdoor pizza ovens:
· Make tastier pizza pies
· Reach higher temperatures (800-1,000 degrees Fahrenheit)
· Create a crisp, golden crust at the right time
· Produce evenly-distributed temperatures
The downside of owning a wood-burning pizza oven is really just the extra care you’ll need to take while cooking and to keep it clean. Cooking pizza requires constant attention on the wood fire to make sure it stays hot (you’ll need to add wood periodically), and it takes more effort to clean. You’ll also need to maintain a solid stash of perfectly-sized wood pieces, which means chopping it yourself or paying someone else to do it for you.
If you love the flavor of a traditional pizza from a high-end pizzeria, it’s worth getting a wood-fired pizza oven, even though you’ll have to do a little more work.
Your Perfect Pizza Oven is Waiting for You
There’s no objective answer as to which type of outdoor pizza oven is best. Both gas and wood have their pros and cons as fuel sources and only you can know which one is better for your needs.
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance pizza oven and don’t mind sacrificing the smoky flavor, go with gas. If you don’t already have a natural gas line connected to your house, choose propane because it will be easier than installing a new gas line just for your pizza oven.
On the other hand, if you’re a serious flavor buff who loves traditional cuisine, a wood-fired pizza oven is perfect for you.
In either case, having any kind of outdoor pizza oven will be an excellent addition to your home. The ability to cook fresh pizza to order anytime you wish is sure to make date nights and backyard gatherings much tastier.
