That said, using charcoal vs. gas is a less exact science, and makes maintaining a high temperature more difficult. Unlike the gas ovens, it does feel like a more traditional method of cooking, though, so if you’re up for experimentation, this might be the oven for you. Try various types of wood to add different flavor notes to your pies, and be prepared to keep re-stocking the charcoal chamber as you cook multiple pies.
Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven review: Price and availability
The Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven, which comes with its own specially designed pizza peel, is available at Bertello.com for $324.99. Bertello also sells a gas burner separately.
Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven review: Ease of setup
The Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven requires minimal setup: Its four legs slide out from under the barrel-shaped matte stainless steel body, then one must simply slide the charcoal/wood tray through the front opening and secure it in the back of the oven, before then sliding in the pizza stone and setting it on four metal pins. Lastly, Bertello’s pizza peel needs to be unfolded. The entire process took less than five minutes. Because we tested the oven with a combination of charcoal and wood chips, we simply had to set it on an outdoor table to get it going before loading the charcoal tray. The manual recommends letting the oven heat up at maximum heat for at least 30 minutes before using it for the first time, so we followed those directions and let a mound of charcoal and wood burn for 40 minutes before we started cooking. (Note: If you’re going to use wood, which we added for flavor, you’ll have to allow for at least 30 minutes to soak it before you add it to the oven, so be sure to account for that.)
Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven review: Design and functionality
Because of its shape, the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven pushes its rolling flame forward, heating up the stainless steel ceiling of the oven while it warms the cordierite pizza stone below. The oven itself is quite minimalistic, with less bells and whistles than other models we tested. For instance, there’s no thermometer reading, so unless you have an infrared thermometer gun on-hand, you have to guess when the oven is hot enough to cook pizzas. The back charcoal and wood chip chamber is easy to load, with an opening that allows for effortless match lighting. That said, the flames from the charcoal have a tendency to shoot out the back of the oven, so replacing the oven door can be tricky. Included tongs make moving charcoal around a breeze. Lastly, because the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven clocks in at under 35 pounds, it’s the one of lightest ovens we tested, which makes it great for camping trips, etc.
Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven review: Cooking performance
Our biggest issue with the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven was keeping it hot. We continually had to add more charcoal/wood and allow the oven to reheat between pizzas. The manual is vague about how much charcoal to add to get the oven started; a measurement or weighted amount would be helpful for charcoal novices to have a better idea of how much to work with. By comparison, the Ooni Fyra 12, which runs on wood pellets, has a simple gravity-feed system, which takes the guesswork out of knowing how much fuel to add. After letting the charcoal burn for 40 minutes and adding some wood to the chamber, our first pizza (made with homemade dough) sat in the oven for more than 10 minutes without much cooking. We added more charcoal to the oven and let it heat for another 10 minutes before trying another pie; this time it cooked in seven and a half minutes, but with minimal charring and puffiness. We restocked the charcoal once again and let it burn for 10 minutes before trying a pie made with fresh dough from a local pizzeria; it took 10 minutes to cook through and had some charring, but less than propane-fired models we tested. As with other ovens, store-bought dough (refrigerated and frozen/thawed) got more browned on the outside but wasn’t cooked all the way through after 10 minutes. The Ooni Koda 16 and Gozney Roccbox ovens we tested cooked the pizzas much more evenly and in only a few minutes, while providing more temperature control, which is why we preferred them. Overall, the constant monitoring and refreshing of the charcoal and wood was a pain point — but the cooking materials did add a nice smoky, wood-fired flavor to the pies that was missing from the propane-fueled ovens we tested. If you like smoke, you might want to consider this oven.
Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven review: Verdict
We would recommend the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven to people who like and have experience with cooking with charcoal, as it can be tricky for newbies. Since Bertello offers a gas attachment, it might be worth investing in both to have the option of gas cooking vs. the guesswork associated with charcoal. Overall, though, if you want a very portable outdoor pizza oven, go with the Ooni Fyra 12, which gets blazing hot quickly and is very light. If you’re not going to move it as much, we preferred the performance, control, and ease of use of the Ooni Koda 16 and Gozney Roccbox ovens, given their exposed flames and propane attachments.
