Using the Right Fuel

Building a fire, lighting it successfully, and controlling the heat so that you can cook with it, is actually very easy, and is more to do with experimenting and experience than anything else. There are, however, a few guidelines, which will help you get it right sooner rather than later.

The most important thing to consider when lighting your oven is using the right fuel. You need to use wood that is well seasoned and has been dried out over a period of about two years in a dry place away from rain so the natural moisture — the sap — in the wood has gone. Kiln-dried wood is often recommended for wood-fired ovens, but it is expensive and humans have been using seasoned wood for thousands of years perfectly happily without drying it in a kiln.