Pacific Living Outdoor Large Capacity Gas Oven with Pizza Stone, Smoker Box and Mobile Cart, 430 Stainless Steel

There are several things you need to know:I read all the reviews I could find before I purchased. I suggest you do the same. My take is different that some of the other reviews but you will see the common thread.HEAT: You need an infrared thermometer that reads up to 1000 F. The door thermometer is only a guide. If you want to make pizza you have to have an infrared thermometer. You also need to block the vent at the top of the oven. There is no need to remove the vent or tape it up. Doing so would make this oven useless for anything but Pizza. I have successfully used aluminum foil to cover the vent. I suppose you could block the inside vent hole also. Aluminum melts at 1200 F so you have no risk here. The oven only gets up to around 700F max.....that is with the vent blocked.Pizza Stone: The stone that comes with the oven is adequate but not perfect. I had a round stone about the same thickness that I put on the top rack. I moved the other stone to the middle rack. This combination provides reflective heat to cook the toppings before the bottom is burned on the middle rack. If you are going to make more that a few pizzas at time then you may want to shell out and get a 1 inch stone.Assembly: It was easy. You should have two people to move the oven to the stand.Cook time: Middle stone temp should be 600 F and the top stone should be 500 F. Check temp just before you slide the pizza in. It takes 5 minutes to cook. I found no turning was necessary. Cook one pie at a time.Putting a thermostatic control on this oven would raise the price a lot. This oven is aggressively priced and a great value as is. A damper on the vent should not raise the price and would be a welcome addition.

The first time I used the oven it didn't heat up enough. No more than my inside oven - 400 to 450 degrees. That was a problem. I read a review where someone said that Pacific Living told them to block the chimney and that it would not hurt the oven. The reviewer said he took the chimney off and used metal tape to block the opening. That can't look good. I took off the chimney and used metal tape on the inside of the chimney to block it and put the chimney back on. Now it looks good and it heats up to a good 650 degrees. I thought it might work better with a thicker pizza stone so I got a 1 inch thick stone from California Pizza Stones and it made a big difference. The half inch thick stone that came with the oven caused the crust to brown too quickly and got done before the toppings. With the one inch stone it works great. I put the half inch stone on the top rack and it reflects heat down from above - an added bonus. So all in all I like the oven and it does a great job on my pizza. The oven is very smart looking and well built. It took very little time to assemble it and I did it myself - no helper available. It came with a very, very good quality cover. It would be better if Pacific Living would have used a ceramic blanket between the two layers of stainless steel that form the oven body. There is a good1 to 11/2 inch air space there. I'm sure that would be a marked improvement in it's ability to hold heat. I think the oven was overpriced even at the discounted price I paid on Amazon but it works well and looks good so I'm happy...

I bought this as a cheaper alternative to an outdoor wood fired unit. I have to admit i am surprised by all of the positive reviews, even the ones that note the fatal flaw. The burner is severely under sized. I have used it about ten times now and have been unable to achieve a temperature over 450 degrees. Last time i blocked the stack and left the unit on high for over an hour and it was just under 450. The pizzas end up overcooked on the top by the time the crust is done. I expected much more for the price and at least as good of temperatures as an indoor oven. Now it is too late to return it and i am coming to the conclusion that it does nothing my indoor oven or grill won't do and it will soon end up on Craigslist.

Great oven. Directions a little challenging but hot line answered promptly and solved problem. We use it all the time. In heat of SW Florida cover needs replacing every couple of years due to fading. They are not expensive and are available at Mantelsdirect.com. FTR I am not affiliated with Pacific Living or Mantels