First Pizza Oven Fire of 2026 - March 2026

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This past weekend, I set the first fire of 2026 in the backyard pizza oven.  A small fire, just to get the dome warmed up a tiny bit.  I have a couple of cracks already in the dome, but I'm not looking for more, so I'm going to try to heat the dome up a few times over the next few weeks before firing it up for a big bake on a Friday night.  It was good to see the smoke circle the dome and then escape out the front chimney vent.  Just like it is supposed to do in this design.  I am *pretty* confident that the enclosure is water-tight, so I don't need to re-cure this firebrick, but I'm going to go a bit slower to start this season just to make sure.  

First Fire After Winter in Backyard Pizza OvenFirst Fire After Winter in Backyard Pizza Oven

Also, hoping to motivate myself to get going on the exterior of the dome. Have to finish the veneer and the trim work around the roof.  Oh...and the roof.  There's a lot of work to get done this Spring.

Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA

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