Fine hand craftsmanship goes into every Catmount brick oven. An oven typically takes 4 workers about 3 weeks to build a custom brick oven.
- After the concrete base is formed and the soapstone hearth is installed, we set the wooden forms for the dome. The spruce plywood ribs look like an upside-down basket. This particular oven has a 7' diameter interior.
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Next, we apply the high-duty fire bricks to the dome form and apply mortar.
- A closeup showing the arched entrance to the oven. Concealed oven lights are installed so that when the fire dies down, the chef can still see the food cooking inside.
- Further along in the process. A note on the hearth: Soapstone absorbs heat 3 times faster than brick, a good reason for its use in ovens.
- The worker smoothes the mortar. A plank is used to access the dome. The mortar takes about 2 weeks to cure.
- Immediately after removing the wood form, we scrape and clean the inside. In the restaurant, you can begin cooking in about two weeks. Start with small fires, then increase the size each day until the top of the dome reaches between 1,600 to 1,800 degrees F, and the hearth is about 700 to 900 degrees F.
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