I have my own brick wood-fired pizza oven and for that I get my logs from a local supplier and split them up home with a hatchet to whatever size I need for oven. The oven has a 30″ (76cm) diameter which means most logs can fit in there but what do you do for small pizza ovens?
I recently visited my friend Chris who has an Ooni Karu 12 portable pizza oven and whilst I was obviously interested in the oven, I also wanted to have a peak at the wood they were using as this is such an important part of pizza ovens.
The best wood for your pizza oven
I’ve written previously about the best wood for your pizza oven so we know that you want a hardwood with a low moisture content but I hadn’t really considered the size of the wood for those with smaller ovens.
Along with the oven, Chris brought out a small cardboard box and that contained his logs! I’m used to large nets of logs but this was so neat and compact that I didn’t actually realise what they were at first until I took a closer look.
Little Logs for Mini Pizza Ovens
The logs are from a UK company called Logpile and the box is called Little Logs for Mini Pizza Ovens. Pretty self-explanatory and their website says these logs are suitable for the following brands:
The logs in this box measure 15cm x 2-4cm and are the perfect size to fit in the fuel box of an Ooni oven and each box of logs weighs in at 4kg.
The wood is kiln-dried oak hardwood with a moisture content of less than 20%, which is what we want for pizza ovens, and as a bonus it’s sustainably sourced British wood, ‘Ready to Burn’ – certified as part of the UK’s Clean Air Strategy, and even the boxes are made from recycled cardboard.
The wood burned well and got the oven nice and hot with minimal smoke, so that’s all positive on the cooking side.
Too expensive?
The Little Logs are available to purchase from Amazon and cost £17.95 per box (correct June 2023) which is quite a lot for the quantity of wood you’re getting. I also had a look at their own website and it still comes in at £16.95 when I’m paying much less for my logs.
Paying for convenience
The fact is that you’re paying for the convenience of not having to chop logs into the precise 15cm lengths required for your oven. You’re also getting free next-day delivery posted straight to your door so you’re not having to make those arrangements.
Finally they come in that rather nifty box which is great for storage. Most people using portable pizza ovens like the Ooni Karu will be cooking a few pizzas at a time, using a handful of logs, so being able to neatly put the logs away after a pizza party session is a bonus.
The pizza ovens get packed away, and the Little Logs box can get packed away along with it, ready for another day.
Conclusion
Looking at the pros and cons the only real negative is the price but I can’t fault anything else about Logpile’s offering.
The pros
Perfect size
Kiln Dried
Sustainable
Free next day delivery
The cons
Cost
There’s nothing stopping you sourcing cheaper logs from elsewhere and chopping them up yourself, but if you’re not using your oven all the time, or have limited storage space, then these are great.