How to Use a Big Horn Pizza Oven

On this page (8 sections)

1. What do you need before the first cook?
2. How do you light a Big Horn pizza oven?
3. How long should the stone heat before the first pizza?
4. How do you launch and turn the pizza?
5. How do you cook more than one pizza in a row?
6. How do you clean and store the oven safely?
7. What mistakes should you avoid on the first cook?
8. Which setup should you start with?

To use a Big Horn pizza oven, fill the fuel tray, light the pellets, and let the stone heat for 15 to 20 minutes before sliding in the pizza. Cook with the door open and the oven hot, turning the pizza once so both sides of the crust brown.

Learning how to use a Big Horn pizza oven comes down to one idea: the stone is the real cooking surface. The flame heats it, the stone bakes the base, and the open door lets the top catch the heat.

Get that order right and the rest is timing.

What do you need before the first cook?

You need fuel, a peel, a thermometer and a clean stone, plus dough at room temperature. A Big Horn is a pellet oven, so the wood pellets are the one thing you can't skip.

Set the oven on a stable, heatproof surface outdoors, well clear of walls and anything that can burn. Check the fuel tray and the stone sit correctly and that nothing is left inside from storage.

Have a small scoop or cup for pellets and an oven glove ready before you light anything. Keep kids and pets back from the oven once the fire is going.

A pair of tongs or a turning peel also helps, since you'll want to rotate the pizza without dragging it across the stone.

Which pellets suit a Big Horn oven?

Choose hardwood pellets made for pizza ovens, since softwood and garden pellets burn differently. Kona's Pizza Blend is hardwood sold for Ooni and Big Horn pellet ovens, in a 2 lb resealable bag.

Kona sells the same line in apple, cherry and hickory if you want to try different smoke flavors later. Keep the bag sealed between cooks so the pellets don't pick up moisture.

Damp pellets light slowly and smoke more, which works against the fast, clean burn a pizza oven wants. Skip this bag if you already buy hardwood pellets in bulk, since what matters is the pellet type, not the brand name on the bag.

Do you need a thermometer and a brush?

A thermometer tells you when the stone is actually hot, and a brush keeps the stone clear between bakes. Neither is essential on day one, but both make the oven easier to run.

The TempPro gun reads surfaces from -58°F to 1022°F and responds in under 500 ms. Point it at the middle of the stone rather than the flame to judge whether the oven is ready.

The emissivity setting runs from 0.1 to 1.0, so you can match it to the stone surface for a steadier reading. A backlit screen and a 12:1 distance-to-spot ratio mean you can stand back and still get a clear number.

Ooni's tool has stainless bristles on one side and a stainless scraper on the other. The short handle measures 20 inches tall and hangs from a hole at the end.

Use it on a cold stone to lift burnt bits and loose flour, and brush a hot stone lightly with the bristle side only.

How do you light a Big Horn pizza oven?

Light the pellets in the fuel tray and let the flame build for a few minutes before you think about the stone. A small, steady fire beats a smothered pile of pellets.

Follow the oven's own lighting instructions for the tray and any starter. Add pellets in small handfuls rather than filling the tray to the top, so air can move through the fuel.

A packed tray chokes the fire and sends smoke out the front instead of heat into the stone. Keep the door open while the fire establishes, and once the flame is steady the oven starts pushing heat into the stone.

If the flame dies down, add another small handful rather than a full scoop.

How long should the stone heat before the first pizza?

Give the stone 15 to 20 minutes from lighting, checking with the thermometer rather than the clock alone. A Big Horn reaches pizza heat quickly, but the stone lags behind the air temperature.

If the stone is only warm, the base stays pale while the top scorches. That's the most common first-cook mistake, and it's fixed by waiting longer and adding pellets as the fire settles.

Aim the thermometer at the stone surface and look for a reading in the high range before you launch. Our Big Horn Pizza Oven Review covers how the oven heats and what to expect on a first run.

How do you launch and turn the pizza?

Build the pizza on the peel, shake it once to confirm it slides, then launch it into the hot oven with a quick forward-and-back push. A pizza that sticks on the peel won't slide off cleanly.

Keep the toppings light and the dough dry on the underside. Flour or semolina under the base helps it release, and less sauce keeps the middle from turning soggy.

A wet dough or a heavy load of cheese and vegetables is the usual reason a pizza welds itself to the peel. Once the pizza is in, watch it rather than walking away, and turn it once about halfway through so the side facing the fire doesn't burn before the rest catches up.

If the rim is browning fast on one side, a quarter turn is better than a full spin.

How do you know when the pizza is done?

Look for a browned, firm rim and a set base, then lift an edge with the peel to check underneath. A pellet oven cooks fast, so a pizza can go from pale to charred in under a minute.

Pull it when the base is crisp and the cheese is bubbling. If the top is done but the base is soft, the stone wasn't hot enough, so let it recover before the next bake.

How do you cook more than one pizza in a row?

Let the stone recover between bakes and top up the pellets before each one. The floor loses heat every time you slide a pizza in, and a cold spot gives a pale base.

Keep the next dough ball covered and ready so you're not building toppings while the oven cools. A short pause and a fresh handful of pellets is usually enough to bring the stone back.

Use the thermometer again before the second launch rather than trusting the first reading.

For small kitchens or balconies where a full oven won't fit, a small pizza oven may suit better. If budget is the deciding factor, our guide to the best budget pizza ovens compares the cheaper pellet options.

How do you clean and store the oven safely?

Let the oven cool completely, empty the ash, and wipe the stone once it's cold. Never pour water on a hot oven or stone, since the sudden change can crack it.

Scrape burnt bits off the stone with a brush, then wipe with a dry cloth. The scraper side handles tough spills and burnt marks, while the bristles sweep away ash and excess flour.

Skip soap on a porous stone, since it can soak in and affect the next pizza's flavor. Store the oven under cover and keep the pellets sealed, and a dry oven and dry fuel make the next cook easier to light.

Hang the brush from its handle hole so it dries out instead of sitting damp in a drawer.

How does a Big Horn compare with a Chefman?

The two ovens suit different cooks: a Big Horn runs on wood pellets for outdoor pizza, while a Chefman is an indoor electric oven. Pick the Big Horn for a smoky, high-heat bake outdoors.

Our Chefman vs Big Horn pizza oven comparison lays out the differences in fuel, setting and cleanup. If you can only cook indoors, the electric route makes more sense.

What mistakes should you avoid on the first cook?

The main mistakes are launching on a lukewarm stone, overloading toppings, and leaving the pizza unwatched. Each one costs you a bake you could have saved.

Wait for the stone, keep the toppings light, and stay at the oven while the pizza cooks. Add pellets in small handfuls so the fire stays steady instead of flaring.

A thermometer takes the guesswork out of the wait, since the stone can feel hot at the door while the middle is still warming. Once you've cooked two or three pizzas, the timing becomes familiar, and the oven turns into a fast weeknight tool rather than a weekend project.

Which setup should you start with?

For most new owners, the pellets and a peel are the only must-haves, with a thermometer close behind. Buy the pellets first, then add tools as you cook more.

The Kona pellets fit the fuel job, the TempPro gun tells you when the stone is ready, and the Ooni brush keeps it clean between bakes. Together they cover the three things that make how to use a Big Horn pizza oven feel simple.

Ooni backs the brush with a 2 year warranty (1 year plus an extra year when you register), and its bamboo handle is made for use at high temperatures.

Start with one pizza and one variable: stone heat. Once the base comes out crisp and the rim browned, you've got the oven figured out.

Everything after that is practice.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a Big Horn pizza oven heat before the first pizza?

Give the stone about 15 to 20 minutes from lighting. The oven needs that time to reach pizza heat, and the stone is what actually bakes the base.

If you slide a pizza in early, the top cooks before the bottom firms up.

How do you keep the pizza from sticking to the peel?

Dust the peel with flour or semolina right before loading and keep the dough moving. Build the pizza on the peel, shake it once to confirm it slides, then launch it with a quick forward-and-back motion.

A wet dough or heavy toppings make sticking more likely.

What do you do with the ashes after a cook?

Let the oven cool completely, then tip the ash out and wipe the stone once it is cold. Ash left in the fuel tray can block airflow on the next cook.

Never pour water on a hot oven or stone, since the sudden change can crack it.

Does a Big Horn oven work for anything besides pizza?

It can, but pizza is what it does best. Flatbreads, pita and small vegetables cook well on the hot stone.

Anything thicker or slower needs a lower, steadier heat than a pellet oven gives, so keep the pizza as the main job.