Outdoor Kitchen With Pizza Oven: The Mauery Family’s Covered Cortile Barile in Oregon

Step 1 of 7

A Sketch, Then Casting in the Garage

It started with a drawing on graph paper. The castable refractory and firebricks went into the garage, and Vernon packed the castable into the Cortile Barile foam molds piece by piece: the arch, the back wall and the barrel sections. Once they cured, the foam broke away and the cast pieces got a dry fit on a sheet of plywood. He also cast the hearth slab in sections, with foam board for insulation and a hole left for the gas line.

“I love to make things; building it is always half the fun.”

Vernon M.

Step 2 of 7

A New Patio and Footings

Out back, the yard was graded and marked out, a gravel base went down and the footings and curved patio edge were formed. Then the whole patio was poured in one go.

Step 3 of 7

Block Walls, Stone and the Hearth

Concrete block went up between the wood roof posts for the grill counter, the oven stand and a curved seating wall around the fire pit. Natural stone veneer was laid out and fitted, stainless doors went into the block, and the cast hearth slab was set on top of the oven stand with an open bay below for firewood.

Step 4 of 7

Firebrick Cooking Surface and a Custom Gas Burner

A steel angle frame on the hearth holds the herringbone firebrick cooking surface. With the cast back wall and arch in place, Vernon ran burner pipes along both sides of the firebrick cooking surface before the barrel went on top.

Step 5 of 7

Insulation and Stucco

With the flue collar on and the joints sealed, ceramic fiber blanket went over the whole barrel, then metal lath, then the first coat of stucco. By now the kitchen around it was taking shape too.

Step 6 of 7

A Cedar Roof and the First Gas Fire

Rafters and cedar decking went up over the oven and grill, with the stainless chimney pipe running straight through the roof. The gas line and burner fittings were hooked up for the first gas fire, then the roof got shingles and a chimney cap.

Step 7 of 7

Wood or Gas, Pizza Night Is Ready

The oven got a gray arch face scored to look like a fan of arch stones, and a cedar door with stainless handles. It burns wood like any BrickWood oven, and with a turn of the knobs in the stone base the gas burner runs a line of flame down both walls. Watch it below. Vernon bakes bread too, so this oven will see more than Friday pizza.

“The oven is beautiful and functions well.”

Vernon M.

BeforeFinished

Drag across the photo (or just move your mouse) to go from the bare cast oven to the finished one.

Good Questions

Outdoor Kitchen With Pizza Oven FAQ

What goes into an outdoor kitchen with pizza oven?

This one has a built-in grill, a Cortile Barile pizza oven, stainless storage doors, a curved stone seating wall and a fire pit, all on one concrete patio. The grill and oven sit under a cedar roof so the family can cook in any weather.

Can a pizza oven also run on gas?

The Mauerys added their own gas burner: pipe burners run along both sides of the firebrick cooking surface, the gas line comes up through a hole they cast into the hearth slab, and the controls sit in the stone base below. Our kits are designed as wood-fired ovens, and this one still burns wood too. If you add gas, have the line and burner installed and checked by a licensed gas professional.

Can you put a roof over a pizza oven?

Yes. Here the stainless chimney pipe runs straight up through the cedar roof and out a shingled roof with a cap on top, so the oven stays covered and dry.

Which oven kit did they use?

Cortile Barile · Package 1. The oven is cast from castable refractory in our foam molds, then set on a firebrick cooking surface.

Do I need masonry experience?

No. This was Vernon’s first masonry project, and he says it “turned out great.” Our FREE plans walk you through each step, and you can read how hard it is to build a pizza oven.