Can't decide on type of oven—Barile or Cupola?

BrickWood Bulletin Board
1

Hello,

I have been debating the type of oven for a while, a Matonne Barile or Cupola. I am done with the base. I will really only be doing pizzas as I have multiple smokers and pits. An oven constructed with brick sounds like it will see a longer life but, I do like the shape of the dome. I guess I have a few questions.

  1. Does the dome shape allow your fire to be more out of the way so you can stack maybe two pizzas at a time?

  2. anyone had both?

  3. If I went with a Barile, could I close the front off to trap more heat.

Can someone just tell me which one to get?

Thanks,

Ricker

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Hi Ricker, and welcome to the Brickwood forums!

You would have your fire in a dome more to the side and back once it is established. I can’t speak to the number of pizzas you could do at one time and will leave that question to folks who have one. From your other comments in your post it doesn’t sound like you are really certain that pizza is all you will bake in this oven. :slight_smile:

You most definitely can close off the front of the Barile. To my mind it is the more versatile of the two designs, because you have the high interior clearance while the arched shape still gives you convection action. The instructions for the Barile include optional directions for closing off the front: it involves some extra brick and an angle iron. The door is optional, but highly recommended.

If you add a damper inline on your chimney, you can also use it as a smoker. Brickwood sells them occasionally, but I know it’s a custom fabrication item and they have to have a batch of orders for them before they can enter the order with DuraTech. I wouldn’t think of it as a primary oven for smoking, and it sounds like you already have at least two smokers. But the design does give you that option, and the Barile Mattone Grande is big enough for a small pig if that’s what you want to do.

I’m obviously biased toward the Barile design, but there are others who have built the Cupola and love it. I’d love to see some comments from them.

Hope this helps, Ricker. Keep on posting and let’s help you get to a decision.

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Hi Ricker,

Having just completed the Mattone Barile all way to completing the stucco piont. Going to close off the front this weekend and begin the cure. I have to say I love the versatility of it. I too have a big smoker but if the oven does a just as good job… I’m sure my wife would love to free up some space on the patio. Lol.

It did however take me a long time to build. This was do to my time available, my skill, and the weather this summer. But love the fact that I built a brick oven. Impressed allot of people with this old school way of construction.

With that being said. If I had to move and had to do it all over again… I would probably go with the Cupola. Or even the Cortile Barile. Just for the fact that its a mold that is filled with refactoring mortar and you can build it in a day. Don’t know if you can smoke with it. But I’m sure if you can fit it thur the door you can cook it. I can’t speak for the longevity of those either.

Hope this helps.

Pete

1 Like
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Hi Ricker,

Wondering if these comments are helping with your decision. I know it took me about two months to land on the Barile Grande, and what finally decided it for me was knowing that I would likely only do this large a project once.

Now of course I’m rethinking that! :slight_smile: