What's in the Box
The Big Horn pizza oven ships in one nice package containing:
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The pizza oven body with legs pre-assembled and folded
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Oven door and its wooden handle
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An ashtray and ashtray handle
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Fire box and pellet grid
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Chimney and lid
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Hopper
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Pellet scoop
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A cordierite pizza stone
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A poker
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A user manual
The Big Horn comes with just what you need to get the oven working, not necessarily everything you need to produce pizzas at home. If this is your first pizza oven, you'll probably need to purchase several other items, including an infrared thermometer, a turning wheel, a 12" pizza peel, a cutter, and a carrying case (for transporting the oven).
We appreciate it when pizza oven brands include these items in the package. Although this tends to drive the price tag higher, the convenience of baking pizzas as soon as the package arrives is unbeatable.
Assembling and Setting Up the Big Horn Pizza Oven
There isn't much assembling with the Big Horn outdoor pizza oven. Anyone with the least assembling skills could get it ready in 15-20 minutes. The included assembly instructions are easy to follow, and a screwdriver is the only tool required.
Here's how to set up the Big Horn pellet pizza oven;
- Step 1: Place the main body upside down and unfold the legs.
- Step 2: Install the ashtray by sliding it in.
- Step 3: Flip the pizza oven body and install the hopper using the two screws included.
- Step 4: Slide the pizza stones inside the oven.
- Step 5: Install the door handle and the chimney by whirling them clockwise.
- Step 6: Place the pellet grid inside the fire box, then slide the entire assembly at the back of the oven.
- Step 7: Install the ashtray handle. This small handle can be used to open and close the hopper lid and remove the ashtray.
Dimensions and Portability
The Big Horn outdoor pizza oven is 21.6" long, 14.2" wide, and 24" tall and weighs around 25 lbs. On paper, the Big Horn pizza oven has a maximum baking surface of 12" by 12". But in the real world, the biggest crust you'll be able to fit in it is 11". That's because you need at least half an inch of wiggle room on both sides of the oven's door to fit in a pizza peel when launching the pizza on the pizza stone.
What about portability?
Let not its name fool you. The Big Horn is an incredibly portable pizza oven thanks to its size, weight, and foldability. This is one of the lightest pizza ovens that we've reviewed so far. And like other popular brands, its legs fold inside and the chimney can be removed and stored inside the baking chamber during transportation. The only thing missing here is a 12" pizza oven cover. But that can be ordered separately on Amazon.
As far as portability goes, the Big Horn is an oven you can take to most outdoor parties without a lot of struggle. And thanks to its compact size when folded, this oven shouldn't take up a lot of space during transport or storage.
Build Design and Features
The Big Horn is a pretty basic outdoor pizza oven, to say the least. Actually, this model is an Ooni clone. This explains why the manufacturer sells mainly from Amazon instead of a dedicated website.
Nevertheless, the Big Horn feels quite sturdy, especially for its price. Most of its components are brushed stainless steel with clean welds that give this model its sleek and modern appearance.
The cordierite pizza stone is one of Big Horn's best sellers. Cordierite pizza stones are preferred over steel and regular ceramic stones because they can handle extreme baking temperatures well. This property allows them to create crispy crusts while being ultra-durable.
That said, cordierite pizza stones are often a preserve for pricier pizza ovens because they are generally costlier to make.
Our only gripe with Big Horn's cordierite pizza stone is its thin design. A typical cordierite pizza stone takes 30-45 minutes to preheat. Manufacturers solve this by using thinner stones because they preheat a bit faster.
The biggest problem with a thin cordierite pizza stone is that it doesn't retain heat very well between cooks. You'll need to keep preheating it for consistency if you're baking multiple pizzas.
The front door has a wooden handle that remains cool when cooking. And you'll like that it's easy to remove and secure with one hand.
The only change we'd ask for is a glass window or a simple viewing hole to let you monitor the pizza as it cooks. The Big Horn outdoor pizza oven could also use a built-in thermometer. Creating the perfect pizza requires super high temperatures above 400 degrees C. While the Big Horn can achieve this temperature range, there's no way to tell when the baking chamber is hot enough.
Functionality- Cooking with the Big Horn Pizza Oven
The Big Horn is super easy to use for everyone, including beginners. As a pellet-fired pizza oven, you could use softwood or hardwood pellets. However, hardwood pellets are recommended because they burn longer. This helps maintain the high temperatures for an extended time. Oak, apple and hickory pellets also give your pizza (and other baked items) that smokey, wood-charred flavor.
All you have to do is remove the fire box, pour around 300 grams of pellet fuel onto the grill, and fire it up using a blow torch or eco firelighters. Once the pellets are lit, slide the fire box into the back of the oven. When doing this, you want to keep the front door and hopper lid closed but the chimney open.
After this, you want to leave the burner for a few minutes to create a good rolling flame. Once the flames start shooting out of the chimney, open the hopper lid using the ashtray handle and pour another 450 grams of pellet fuel into the fire box. Close the lid and sit back.
Once you see the flames come out the second time, it’s time to start cooking your pizzas. The pellet-fueled Big Horn pizza oven takes 15-20 minutes to heat up. Open the front door, shovel in your pizza and close the door again.
After launching your pizza, you want to keep rotating it every 15-20 seconds. The oven is hottest at the back, so rotating the pizza regularly ensures that it bakes evenly. The Big Horn pizza oven bakes pizzas in 90 to 120 seconds. It’s necessary to add more pellets to the fire and allow the heat to build up before cooking the second pizza.
How Well Does the Big Horn Pizza Oven Cook?
The Big Horn may be cheap. But it has all the components and capabilities of a functional pizza oven. It heats up pretty fast and the flames roll over over the roof of the oven nicely to cook the toppings. Although the pizza stone is slightly thinner, it’s possible to produce tasty and crispy crusts.
That being said, cooking perfect pizzas with the Big Horn is an art to master, especially because it does not have a built-in thermometer. But once you learn the nuances of how to keep the temperature of the pizza stone and oven chamber balanced, the Big Horn could be the best cheap pizza stone for the money.
The good news about the Big Horn is that it’s quite durable. Once you develop creative ways of producing perfect pizzas with it, you’ll be able to create tasty Neapolitan-style pizzas whenever you want.
Big Horn Pricing and Policies
The Big Horn pizza ovens are designed by Big Horn Outdoors but made in China by Shinerich Industrial LTD. Big Horn Outdoors is an Alabama-based company whose product line mainly emphasizes outdoor living like smokers, grills and patio heaters.
Big Horn sells its products, including pizza ovens, through 3rd party retailers, such as Amazon and Home Depot.
When doing this Big Horn pizza oven review, this model costs $199, making it one of the cheapest on Amazon. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of information regarding the trial period, warranty and return policies.
What Current Users Say
Most of the Big Horn pizza oven reviews on Amazon are positive. One thing that most users rave about is the price compared to competing brands. On this, one user advises anyone on the fence not to overlook the Big Horn because of its low price. Another user adds that the Big Horn pellet oven performs just as well as big name brands twice the price.
Regarding actual usage, several users note that this oven was easy to put together and incredibly easy to use. However, many agree that it takes practice and patience to learn how to use it.
Concerning its build quality, most people agree that this is a good quality pizza oven for the price. Although it lacks some basic features, such as a thermometer and igniter, most users note that it’s a must-buy for the price and taste.