Clementino wood-fired oven lighting guide.
TYPE OF WOOD
The most important requirement is that the wood used must be hard, dry and well seasoned. If the wood is moist and green, it will take longer to catch fire, produce a lot of smoke, and will not reach as high temperatures.
LIGHTING
Always preheat the oven completely before using it. Once you have lit the fire and moved it to the left side of the oven, keep the fire going for at least 15 minutes.
When you have reached the required temperature, keep the fire going by adding small-to-medium sized pieces of wood every 10 to 15 minutes so that the temperature is relatively constant.
The very first firings of the oven should be done in a vacuum (without cooking food) with little wood and bringing the oven up to temperature very gradually.
This run-in phase serves to allow the furnace structure to settle down following exposure to combustion temperatures and for any processing residues on the furnace components to be neutralized.
