What's in the Box?
The Bertello Everything Bundle includes;
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The main oven body
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Propane gas burner
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Wood burning tray for gas burner
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Wood, charcoal, and pellet tray
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Cordierite pizza stone
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A lid for the back of the oven
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Propane tank hose and regulator
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Deflector shield (to cover the gas burner when not using the wood/charcoal tray)
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Infrared thermometer
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Weatherproof cover
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Bertello pizza oven manual
Out of the box, the only other accessories you'll need to buy separately are a pizza cutter and a hopper scoop.
Assembling and Setting Up the Bertello Pizza Oven
The Bertello outdoor pizza oven has been designed to be incredibly easy and fun to assemble. After unboxing, the entire process could take as low as 10 minutes. And the good thing is that no tools are required.
- Step 1: Start with unfolding the legs.
- Step 2: If you intend to use wood, charcoal, or pellets only, you'll need to slide the burner tray from the front to the back. Skip to step 3 if you wish to use wood and gas simultaneously.
- Step 3: Slide the gas burner into the specially designed wood-burning tray. Now slide the entire assembly at the back of the oven, ensuring that it sits nicely on the screws. Close the opening at the back using its lid.
- Step 4: Slide the pizza stone from the front of the oven to sit on the four pins built inside the oven chamber.
- Step 5: Connect the gas burner to your propane tank. The oven is ready for use.
Dimensions and Portability
The Bertello wood and gas pizza oven is 24" deep, 14" wide and 10.5" tall and weighs around 35 lbs. Its front door is around 3" at the center and opens up to a 12.5" wide x 13.5" deep cooking surface.
The maximum pizza diameter you can bake in this Bertello oven is 11". This is the typical size for most pizza ovens in this price range and will interest pizza lovers who don't care much about the size.
The Bertello weighs around 34 lbs or 15.6 kgs, making it one of the most portable outdoor pizza ovens on the market. Compared to its competitors, this pizza oven also lacks a smoke stack. Its legs also fold inside and this adds to its portability.
If you're looking for a small pizza oven that you can take to your outdoor parties, the Bertello wood and gas pizza oven should top your considerations.
Build, Design and Features
The Bertello pizza oven's build quality is one of its major strengths. This model's body is made of high-quality polished stainless steel and insulated with ceramic fiber. Steel is the preferred material for outdoor pizza ovens because it's sturdy and durable.
On the other hand, ceramic fiber has been used for insulation for decades because it can withstand high temperatures.
By combining stainless steel and ceramic fiber insulation, Bertello is able to design an ultra-durable outdoor pizza oven that can heat up fast and retain temperature for long.
The Bertello wood+gas pizza oven comes with a cordierite pizza stone. Cordierite is a popular option for professional chefs because it can handle extreme temperatures well. Instead of sitting directly on the floor, we like that the pizza stone sits on top of 4 pins. This design allows the heat from the burner to seep under, so it heats up fast.
As you already know, this pizza oven's major draw is its multiple fuel options. This model will fit the bill whether you prefer baking with wood, wood chips, pellets, charcoal, gas or gas and wood/charcoal. This versatility also allows you to bake pizzas, roasted vegetables, jacket potatoes and baked fish, among other food items.
Lighting and maintaining the fire when baking is easy thanks to the opening at the back. However, raging flames tend to shoot out through this opening. You need to be careful when replacing the back door.
The pizza oven itself has a very clean and simplistic design compared to the competition. For instance, this Bertello pizza oven does not have a built-in thermometer. Luckily, you won't need to purchase an infrared thermometer separately if you opt for the Bertello everything bundle.
Functionality- Cooking with the Bertello Pizza Oven
Using the Bertello pizza oven is a piece of cake. For this process, we assume you've set up your Bertello pizza oven to use gas and wood.
Start by igniting the gas and give it a few minutes before loading the wood. Actually, when using the wood+gas fuel option, the gas is meant to warm the oven fast. Wood, on the other hand, is supposed to impart a wonderfully smoky aroma to your pizzas. Of course, this will depend on the type of wood you'll use. Hardwoods, such as oak, hickory, maple, pecan and mesquite, are among the most popular options.
Use your infrared thermometer to monitor temperature buildup on the pizza stone. The Bertello pizza oven can reach temperatures of up to 930 F, according to the manufacturer. When the temperature nears 700 degrees F at the back of the pizza stone, lift the door on the back door and load your wood. Replace the door.
The Bertello pizza starts spitting flames just a few minutes after adding wood. Confirm that the temperature is as close to 930 F as possible then load your pizza.
Keep rotating the pizza every 15 seconds when using gas and wood and 20-30 seconds when using wood only.
The Bertello pizza oven cooks pizzas in 90 to 120 seconds. If you’re cooking multiple pizzas, it’s advisable to keep adding more wood to keep the flame rolling.
How Well Does the Bertello Pizza Oven Cook?
Perhaps this is the most important section of this Bertello outdoor pizza oven review. In our opinion, the reason this pizza oven has received such a good rating online is because of its performance.
By combining gas and wood, this model eliminates the struggle of maintaining the high temperatures needed for perfect pies. Pizzas from the Bertello pizza oven have a crispy and crunchy base and the cheese is nicely browned. Of course, there’s no denying that the quality of the dough also plays a vital role in the final results. So, ensure that you start off with a good dough recipe.
That said, don’t expect to start producing pizzeria-quality pizzas immediately. Like other outdoor pizza ovens, it takes a few trials and errors to understand how to use the Bertello pizza oven to achieve your desired results.
Bertello Pizza Oven Pricing and Policies
Bertello sells its ovens in various combinations at different price tags. For this Bertello pizza oven review, we went with the Bertello Everything Bundle because it offers the best bang for the buck at $469.99. This bundle includes an infrared gun and a weatherproof cover for just an extra $20 on top of what the next combo costs.
If you don’t care for the thermometer and cover, then the Bertello outdoor pizza oven + gas/wood tray burner + pizza peel may make a better choice. This combination currently costs $444.99.
Lastly, if you plan to use wood, charcoal or pellets only, then the Bertello outdoor pizza oven + pizza peel combo is what you need. At $344.49, this combination is a hundred dollars cheaper. It might interest you if you’re looking for an affordable wood-fired pizza oven.
The Bertello pizza oven comes with free shipping around the US, a 90-day full refund policy and a 3-year warranty. You can also return your Bertello pizza oven for a replacement within 30 days after delivery.
What Current Users Say
The Bertello pizza oven shot to fame immediately after the Bert brothers appeared on Shark Tank. Judging by Bertello pizza oven reviews on Amazon and the manufacturer’s site, this model seems to be pretty popular today.
One of its most famous features is its multi-fuel function. Many customers also praise its fast warm-up, mainly when used in wood+gas mode. Its ability to retain high baking temperatures is another major plus point, especially at its price point.
Most current users have also given it a big thumbs up for its sturdy build and compact and portable design.
On the other hand, several users note that the oven door is small. They note that this makes it challenging to turn the pizza without completely removing it from the baking chamber. Another frequently quoted sticking point is the closeness of the flames when you leave the back door open.