Oven bricks

[Duer 157099]

I posted in the new pizza thread, but now I'm thinking this topic needs it's own thread.

So I got these "wood stove bricks" and assumed I knew what they were. Now I'm doing some research, and am more confused than ever.

What is the proper name or search term for this type of brick? Or, what are they made out of?

I know that there are "fire bricks" which are the complete opposite of what I want -- they are very light and resistent to heat. That's not the same as oven bricks, is it?

And how do plain old red bricks differ? Couldn't they be used to make a brick oven?

What makes "oven bricks" special? Anyone know?

And, will I destroy my oven if I line these along the bottom? (they are heavy)?

[Richard Steele]

1. Hmmm...kinda hard to tell from where I'm sitting, BUT....

There are different types of heat resistant brick,
for different levels of heat.

A standard red building brick is not going to last long
as an oven component; it will start to crumble and crack.
Every once in awhile an internal air pocket will cause
one to explode like a grenade when heated.

The "light" bricks you mention are probably what's called
a 'refractory brick', for ultra-high temperature applications
like melting steel, etc. They don't ABSORB heat, so you are correct
when you say they aren't what you want for an oven.

A fire brick for oven making is just a brick made from clay
which is more heat resistant, and processed in a way which
eliminates air pockets. It's dense and heavy, so it absorbs
heat from the fire and then releases it slowly, which helps
even out the temperature curve inside the oven and keep it hot
long after the fire is out.

Assuming that "wood stove brick" means a brick for lining
a wood stove, then they should be just what you would want;
they serve pretty much the same purpose under similar conditions.

Are your bricks stamped with any Mfg. name or numbers?
That could give you a 100% positive ID.

And I don't know what you mean about destroying your oven.
What type of oven are you working with?

[Duer 157099]

2. Thank you dicksteele

Here's a photo of the box of bricks:



(if you can tell anything by this -- although the scorch marks are a good indication)

I will look at them carefully later, don't have time right now, to see if there's any marking.

Thanks for the insight -- I knew there was a very lightweight firebrick but wasn't sure how that differed, nor how these differ from regular clay bricks etc. Appreciate the knowledge you shared!

As for destroying my oven, I was mosting referring to the weight of the bricks collapsing something -- I would like to just put them on the oven floor (it's gas) but not sure that piece of metal would hold much weight. I could put them on a rack on the lowest slot, but then I'm losing internal oven height (which, all things considered, is better than collapsing the bottom!)

[Richard Steele]

3. Yeah, that's the stuff!

Those look like the lining bricks of every wood/coal furnace
I ever used growing up.

And as you say, the scorch marks are a bit of a giveaway, lol.

[Duer 157099]

4. Cool! So, putting these in my oven will effectively

mimick a massive pizza stone? Ohhhhh, I can't wait to try it! If I cover them with foil, do I lose anything (I don't want to worry about cleaning them up too much, just a quick wipe and then cover with foil and into oven). I can put my actual pizza stone on top of them.

[Richard Steele]

5. Well,...

I would REALLY wanna clean those before I got them anywhere
near FOOD.

You don't know where they've been, and I've seen folks
burn some pretty toxic crap in those old furnaces-
presure-treated wood full of cyanide compounds, plastics, old
painted and finished wood, newspapers & magazines, etc.

Those were the original in-home garbage disposals
back in the day; anything that burned got stuffed in there
at some time or another.
And if those bricks put out some toxic fumes, or even just
some bad smells, aluminum foil won't do much to stop it.

I couldn't even guess how well this will mimic a full-brick
pizza oven; you're the first person I've heard of trying
this idea. It's an intrigueing idea, and I'm anxious for you to tell
us how it works out.

[Tab]

6. Bricks are only part of the equation

Their value is they retain heat and radiate it back. As far as cleaning, sure, clean them (soap miht be avoided, so avoid clogging it up), but a good brushing with a wire brush will go far.

That said, you could also just layer down some aluminum foil, or not worry about it - you'll have cornmeal I presume, and the heat will burn off most stuff unless they're particularly skanky.

Bricks do vary, but what you're looking is something that can retain heat and radiate it back out. You will not duplicate a pizzaria, because you simply don't have that kind of temp generation, but they make a heck of a difference. I do a variation with ceramics on top AND on the bottom.

It could be plain ceramic tile. It could be those bricks you have. It could be a dedicated pizza stone.

The bigger key is to preheat accordingly - I usually preheat my pizza stone for a good hour before cooking. When I first got th e stones, they said "preheat to (whatever)", and I did that, but the difference was that my oven heats up to temp relatively quickly, but the stones were still effectively cold. A preheat of an hour wasn't preheating the oven, but preheating the stones.

You don't need to spend a ton of money. In fact, you could probably spend $5 and get some cheap cast-off ceramic tiles from a flooring store. You don't care what they look like as long as they're ceramic. If they crack, big deal - buy a different kind. Even a pizza stone, marketed as such, isn't that much. Buy two, and put one on top.

- Tab