Bertello Pizza Oven Review

It all started on March 13, 2020, when the world introduced a fantastic product for all food lovers. Napoli was the first brand name; it was changed to Bertello in December 2019. Before the Bertello pizza oven was introduced, wood pellets were the only fuel option for a portable pizza oven for around $300.

Bertello Pizza Oven made its entry (and point) in the Shark Tank and managed to sign the deal. Since then, this product has worked to invade the hearts of countless customers.

For those who enjoy smoky flavors, the firm manufactures the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven with a charcoal and wood insert. This is great for the smokey flavor of the pizza. In addition to that, the convenience of making a pizza outdoors has increased its popularity.

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In this post:

What makes Bertello Pizza Oven better than other options?
Thoughts on Why a Gas Pizza Oven?
Bertello Pizza Oven Cooking Performance:
Setting up the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven is simple:
Bertello Pizza Oven Design and functionality:
Output Power of Bertello Pizza Oven:
Bertello Pizza Oven Control:
Ease of Use of the Bertello
Why Bertello Pizza Oven?
Conclusion:

What makes Bertello Pizza Oven better than other options?

Using pellets in a pizza oven is not something some people favor. To reach 900 degrees and maintain it there for several pizzas, a pizza oven needs a lot of time, energy, and pellets. The only issue was that you had to pay more than $500 whether you wanted to use wood, charcoal, or propane.

The Bertello pizza oven then emerged. You may start using wood and charcoal for cooking right out of the box. This is excellent because the wood smoke enhances the flavor, while the charcoal serves as a heat source that lasts longer. It comes supplied with a cordierite stone, like most outdoor pizza ovens, but no pizza peel. A propane gas burner is available as an add-on for the Bertello portable outdoor pizza oven.

Thoughts on Why a Gas Pizza Oven?

You might be wondering why someone would want to use propane. Isn't the flavor of the wood smoke lost?

You need to heat your oven to roughly 900 degrees Fahrenheit before cooking in a pizza oven. Afterward, you must hold that temperature the entire time you make pizza. If you are only cooking a few pizzas, this is not difficult, but what if you need to make more than one pizza for friends and family?

Do you want to devote all your time to controlling the temperature and adding wood or charcoal as required? However, that might mean sacrificing the woody taste. What if you don't need to make such a sacrifice? Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven gives the fantastic opportunity to enjoy both; comfort and taste.

The Bertello Pizza Oven is the only portable hybrid pizza oven available today that simultaneously cooks food with gas and wood. Using wood and gas together to bake helps maintain the stone's heat. Compared to other tiny outdoor pizza ovens, the Bertello bakes pizza quite well overall.

Bortello Pizza Oven Cooking Performance:

The Bertello oven could be the most flexible of all the ovens we tested. While it blurs the distinction between gas and wood-fired ovens, we decided it would be better to consider each fuel type separately for an objective comparison. The wood-fired oven that comes included is more forgiving but more difficult to light.

Taking a more extended amount of time to cook, such as between five and seven minutes. This offers you more time to prepare between firings and learn how to cook pizzas properly. It is better to make low- to medium-fired pizza because the average stone temperature is only 552.

The gas conversion unlocks the Bertello oven's potential power if you feel you have the requisite abilities. This specific change reduces average cook times to 90 seconds, while average pizza stone temperatures increase to an astounding 774°F.

The Bertollo pizza is the hottest oven we tested using the gas adapter. It can create exquisite Neapolitan-style pizzas in as little as 60 seconds. While many businesses tout the effectiveness of a Neapolitan pizza oven, only a select number deliver on that promise. While it is certainly possible to get wonderfully golden, puffy crusts when using a gas oven, browner, crispier, and occasionally ashier crusts are more likely to be produced using a wood-fired range.

Set-Up

Setting up the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven is simple:

The pizza stone is placed inside the oven and supported by four metal pins. Once the four legs of the barrel-shaped appliance's matte stainless-steel body have been removed. The charcoal/wood tray is easily inserted into the oven through the front hole and secured in the oven's back. The last to open is Bertello's pizza peel. The transaction completes in under five minutes.

Because we tested the oven with a combination of charcoal and wood chips, we simply needed to place the stove on an outdoor table to get it going before adding the charcoal tray. We followed the instructions in the manual and let a pile of charcoal and wood burn for 40 minutes before we started cooking.
Before using the oven for the first time, the instruction advises letting it heat up at convective heat for at least 30 minutes.

(Note: You must allow the wood we added for taste to soak for at least 30 minutes before adding it to the oven.)

Bertello Pizza Oven Design and functionality:

Due to the design of the oven, the rolling flame of the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven is forced forward. It heats the cordierite pizza stone underneath as well as the stainless-steel roof of the oven. The oven is rather simplistic, with fewer bells and whistles than other models we evaluated. For instance, since there is no thermometer readout, you must estimate when the oven is hot enough to cook pizzas unless you use an infrared thermometer gun.

The hole in the back charcoal and wood chip chamber makes loading and igniting matches simple. However, replacing the oven door can be challenging because the charcoal flames often shoot out the back. With the included tongs, shifting charcoal is a breeze.

Output Power of Bertello Pizza Oven:

The Bertello oven is a favorite on most lists when it comes to gas ovens reaching the highest pizza stone temperatures. Gozney Roccbox is one of a select few ovens that can be compared to it. One of the few materials capable of withstanding temperatures above 800°F is cordierite, which is used to make the pizza stone and is also used to make kiln shelves.

The ability of the stone to transport heat directly into heating the pizza crust and create a delightful crunch when it comes time to cut into your meal. Still, it is caused by its incredible heat resistance. The stainless-steel interior, which is reflective despite having a matted appearance, does a great job of radiating heat to cook pizzas uniformly on all sides.

As a result, controlling the Bertello oven's heat output is crucial because if you let the fire go out, the interior oven and pizza stone would drop rapidly. Surprisingly, even the temperatures inside the oven decline a little bit less than they do on the pizza stone. The oven chamber's average operating temperature is roughly 670°F.

Bertello Pizza Oven Control:

Despite not being as hot as a typical Neapolitan pizza oven, a few essential features allow it to make high-quality pies in that style. The crust quickly rises thanks to the scorchingly hot pizza stone. As your prepared toppings cook, positive airflow directs flames to roll across the oven chamber's low ceiling. This allows for even cooking across the surface.

This oven produces a rolling and rollicking flame whether you're burning wood or gas. Because the gas burner can support the wood fire, you are given the option to overlap the two fuel sources, which can be helpful. However, the wood tray with the adaptor is too shallow to allow you to start a fire big enough to cook even one pizza.

We won't say it's all for the show, but we'll say it might be more for that "wood-fired flavor." To avoid multitasking where one ends up doing neither duty well, we advise using the Bertello as either a gas or wood-powered oven.

Ease of Use of the Bertello

The Bertello is one style of the wood-fired oven that will almost surely need the assistance of a skilled fire-tender. We think this is essential, at least until you develop the ability to concurrently tend to the oven, prepare the dough, and chop the toppings.

The paradox of an efficient wood-burning oven is that it may attain the high temperatures you want by burning hot enough. Yet, that degree of heat also makes it possible for the fuel to be used too quickly. The inconsistent performance caused this oven to receive an average rating for usability.

When the back cap is on, airflow is in the proper direction. However, if you remove it to load firewood, you experience a significant—and, to be honest, dangerous—amount of blowback. It causes flames to fly out the back of the oven.

Fortunately, utilizing the more practical gas burner may be avoided. Even though the gas-fired approach is more straightforward in some ways, you still need to observe the pizza and turn it frequently to keep it from burning.

The Bertello oven's size, form, and portability are all factors that can be criticized. It is portable and easy to store in a wood-fired version thanks to a small oven chamber and attractively folded legs. However, compared to the tank-like robustness of its original shape, the gas addition lengthens the oven by 10 inches. It does hang awkwardly off the back and makes the entire package considerably more sensitive to handle and transport.

Why Bertello Pizza Oven?

One could argue that the Bertello pizza oven is a "value-added" item. The additional purchase of the gas burner connection is something we cannot stress enough. That connector will enable you to fully utilize this portable powerhouse's potential.

The Bertello pizza oven is very flexible and ideal for any chef who does not want to limit themselves to a single fuel type. This oven is a beautiful addition to any outdoor kitchen since it offers exceptional performance at a fair price.

Conclusion:

Given that using charcoal can be challenging for beginners, we would only suggest the Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven to those who enjoy and have experience with this cooking method. Bertello sells a gas attachment; it could be worthwhile to buy both so you can choose between the uncertainty of cooking with gas and charcoal.

The Bertello is at the top of the list regarding gas ovens reaching the highest pizza stone temperatures.

Find out more about the Bertello oven on their website.