Pizza Oven Grill Setup: The Dell'Ergo Family's Arizona Outdoor Kitchen

Want wood-fired pizza and a grill in one spot? This Arizona family built a pizza oven grill setup in the corner of their yard: a fire brick barrel oven on a stacked stone stand, set into an L-shaped kitchen with a built-in pellet grill, under a metal pergola. Here is the whole build, from bare block walls to the first pizza.

20 photos6 steps

What’s in this build

  • Arizona
  • Mattone Barile Grande · Package 3
  • Base - Natural Stone Veneer
  • Oven - Painted Stucco
  • Oven - Brick Accents
  • Roof - Pergola
  • BBQ Grill
  • Brick Chimney
  • Firewood Storage Below
  • Outdoor Kitchen
  • Extended Side Prep Counter
  • Large Project
  • Pizza / Food Pics
  • Step-by-Step Build Photos
Watch It Get BuiltGet the FREE Plans
Pizza oven grill setup in Arizona: the Dell'Ergo family's stucco Mattone Barile Grande over a stacked stone firewood bay, beside a built-in pellet grill under a metal pergola at sunset
Built By
The Dell'Ergo Family
Location
Arizona
Oven Style
Fire Brick Barrel
Oven Kit
Mattone Barile Grande · Package 3
Photos & Videos
20 Photos
Homeowner Review
★★★★★

Build Time-Lapse

Watch This Pizza Oven Grill Setup Get Built

From bare block walls to pizza in the oven, in about 38 seconds. Press play, or grab the slider and scrub through the build yourself.

Pizza oven grill setup in Arizona: the Dell'Ergo family's stucco Mattone Barile Grande over a stacked stone firewood bay, beside a built-in pellet grill under a metal pergola at sunset

The Dell'Ergo family built this pizza oven grill setup in their Arizona backyard. A Mattone Barile Grande fire brick barrel sits on a stacked stone stand with a red brick hearth border and a firewood bay below, at the corner of an L-shaped stone kitchen with a built-in pellet grill, all under a metal pergola. Here is how it came together, photo by photo.

Step 1 of 6

Block Walls & Stacked Stone Veneer

The kitchen started as concrete block walls on a tile patio, tucked into the corner of the yard: an oven stand with an open firewood bay in the middle and a curved counter wall running off each side. Split-face stacked stone veneer went on next, and the posts for the pergola were already standing.

Concrete block oven stand with an open firewood bay, built on a tile patio in the corner of the outdoor kitchen
Split-face stacked stone veneer going onto the curved concrete block kitchen walls, with pergola posts already standing

Step 2 of 6

Precasting the Hearth Slab

The hearth slabs were cast in wood forms on plastic sheeting right in the backyard, then cured and set on the block stand. The slab has a recessed center that will hold the firebrick cooking surface, and the stand below got its full wrap of stacked stone.

Concrete hearth slabs cast in wood forms on plastic sheeting in the backyard
Two cured concrete hearth slabs out of their forms, with a board laid across them
Concrete hearth slab set on the block pizza oven stand, with a recessed center and stacked stone veneer on the walls below
Pizza oven stand fully wrapped in stacked stone veneer, with the concrete hearth slab and its recessed center on top

Step 3 of 6

A Herringbone Firebrick Cooking Surface

A red brick border went down around the edge of the hearth, and the center was filled and leveled. Then the firebrick cooking surface went in, laid in a herringbone pattern inside the brick border.

Close-up of the red brick border laid around the hearth on the stone veneer stand, with the center filled and leveled
Red brick border around the hearth on top of the stone veneer oven stand, beside the stone-capped kitchen counter
Firebrick going down in a herringbone pattern inside the red brick hearth border, with a speed square on top
Finished herringbone firebrick cooking surface inside the brick border, with loose firebrick resting on top

Step 4 of 6

Raising the Firebrick Barrel

The BrickWood foam form went on the firebrick cooking surface, and the firebrick barrel went up over it course by course, with a firebrick front arch and a brick chimney on top.

Firebrick courses rising over the white BrickWood foam form, with the firebrick front arch in place and a level on the hearth
Firebrick barrel with its front arch and brick chimney, the foam form still inside, at sunset

Step 5 of 6

Base Coat & a Tan Arch

With plastic sheeting protecting the stand, wire lath went across the front arch and a gray base coat went over the firebrick barrel. A tan arch finished the oven opening, and firewood went into the bay below.

Gray base coat going over the firebrick barrel, with wire lath across the front arch and plastic sheeting on the stand
Barrel pizza oven with a tan arch and brick chimney on the stacked stone stand, firewood stacked below, under the pergola

Step 6 of 6

The Finished Oven, Fired Up

The finished oven has a black door with wood handles and firewood stored in the stacked stone base, in the corner of the L-shaped kitchen under the metal pergola. Then it was time to light it, and to bake the first pizza on the firebrick cooking surface.

Black oven door with wood handles set in the tan arch, with firewood stored in the stacked stone base below
The finished barrel pizza oven in the corner of the L-shaped stacked stone kitchen, under the metal pergola
Wood fire burning in the firebrick barrel, on the herringbone firebrick cooking surface
Fire glowing inside the pizza oven at dusk, with the desert sky behind the chimney
Pizza baking beside glowing coals on the firebrick cooking surface
Pizza oven grill setup in Arizona: the Dell'Ergo family's stucco Mattone Barile Grande over a stacked stone firewood bay, beside a built-in pellet grill under a metal pergola at sunset

Hover over the dots (or tap them on your phone) to see what makes this pizza oven grill setup one of a kind.

  1. Metal PergolaAn open-slat metal pergola shades the whole kitchen corner.
  2. Brick ChimneyA brick chimney rises off the front of the barrel.
  3. Stucco BarrelA stucco finish over the fire brick barrel.
  4. Brick ArchBrick frames the oven opening.
  5. Firewood BayFirewood stored in the stand, right under the oven.
  6. Stacked Stone BaseSplit-face stacked stone wraps the whole kitchen.
  7. Built-In Pellet GrillA pellet grill built into the counter beside the oven.
  8. Stone Counter CapStone caps on the counters for prep space on both sides.
The finished barrel pizza oven in the corner of the L-shaped stacked stone kitchen, under the metal pergolaConcrete block oven stand with an open firewood bay, built on a tile patio in the corner of the outdoor kitchenBeforeFinished

Drag across the photo (or just move your mouse) to go from a bare block stand to the finished oven.

Plan Yours

How to Plan a Pizza Oven Grill Setup

Build the oven stand and grill counter as one. Here the block oven stand and the counter walls on each side went up together, then got the same stacked stone veneer, so the oven and grill look like one kitchen instead of two projects.

Put the oven in the corner. Setting the oven at the corner of an L-shaped counter leaves a run of counter on each side for prep, with the grill on one leg and serving space on the other.

Plan the grill opening early. Measure the grill you want before the block goes up, so the counter opening and any power for a pellet grill are ready when the stone and caps go on.

Insulate the barrel. Wrap the firebrick barrel in ceramic fiber blanket before the finish coat goes on. It is the #1 add-on we recommend for any wood-fired oven.

Want the fire to do the grilling too? Our brick BBQ and DIY smoker kit does wood-fired grilling, smoking and rotisserie in one build. Still deciding between an oven and a grill? See what other builders said in our forum thread, What should I choose if I want both an oven and a grill?, or compare all of our pizza oven kits.

Good Questions

Pizza Oven Grill FAQ

What is a pizza oven grill setup?

It is an outdoor kitchen that puts a wood-fired pizza oven and a grill side by side, so you can bake pizza and grill or smoke on the same counter. In this Arizona build, a Mattone Barile Grande sits in the corner of an L-shaped stacked stone kitchen, with a built-in pellet grill in the counter beside it.

Which oven kit did the Dell'Ergo family use?

Mattone Barile Grande · Package 3. It is a fire brick barrel oven built over our foam form, with an 18.5-inch interior ceiling.

Can a pizza oven and a grill share one counter?

Yes. Here the oven stand and the grill counter are one run of concrete block, wrapped in the same stacked stone veneer and capped with stone, so the oven and grill read as one kitchen.

Should I build an oven or a grill first?

Build the masonry first. The block walls, oven stand and counter all go up together, then the hearth, firebrick cooking surface and oven, and the grill drops into its counter opening at the end.

Do I need masonry experience to build one?

No. The Dell'Ergo family followed our FREE plans step by step, from the block stand and hearth slab to the firebrick barrel and base coat.

Your Turn

Build Your Own Pizza Oven Grill Setup

The Dell'Ergo family turned a corner of their Arizona yard into a pizza oven grill setup, with wood-fired pizza and a pellet grill side by side. Every one starts with the same kit and plans. Start with our free plans and materials list, then finish it your way. Ready to start? See the Mattone Barile Grande, or compare all of our pizza oven kits.

Get the FREE PlansSee the Mattone Barile GrandeCompare All Kits
Outdoor kitchen on deck: the Gideon family's stucco Mattone Barile Grande with a tan brick arch beside a built-in gas grill, beneath a stained timber pergola in TexasNext Build StoryOutdoor Kitchen on Deck: The Gideon Family's Texas Pergola BuildAnother Mattone Barile Grande beside a built-in grill, under a pergola.Read the story →