The Cortile Barile pizza oven distinguishes itself from other ovens on the market with our patented pour-and-pack foam pizza oven forms. This innovative 5-piece oven kit is made by pouring and packing castable refractory material into molds crafted from expanded polystyrene (EPS), often referred to as "Styrofoam," which is a trademarked brand name synonymous with EPS. After pouring and packing the castable refractory, a process that takes about 90 minutes, you allow it to cure for a week. Once fully cured, you can remove the foam, revealing the five pieces needed to construct the pizza oven: front, back, left side, right side, and top. When these pieces are bonded together and finished with your choice of exterior, you'll have a durable, long-lasting wood-fired pizza oven designed to last for generations
The construction method of this oven is similar to our dome-shaped 28" Mattone Cupola pizza oven, which also uses castable refractory poured and packed onto an EPS foam mold. While both the Cortile Barile and Mattone Cupola share similar functionality and materials (and use the same size pizza oven base), the round hearth and extra thick walls of the Mattone Cupola require an additional 260 lbs of castable refractory. This makes the Mattone Cupola ideal for extended baking sessions, whether all day or throughout the weekend. In contrast, the Cortile Barile is designed for quick heating, offering an authentic wood-fired oven experience for parties or events lasting 4 to 5 hours, as well as casual family nights with friends.
The Cortile Barile pizza oven kit and the Mattone Cupola pizza oven kit share similarities in construction and functionality, excelling at baking low-profile foods like breads and pizzas. However, the Cortile Barile offers a more straightforward assembly process compared to the Mattone Barile series of DIY pizza oven kits, which require more fire brick, high-temperature refractory mortar, and a greater investment of time and elbow grease. In addition to the differences in labor intensity, there are functional distinctions between the two. Both the Cortile Barile and Mattone Cupola feature a smaller oven opening and a low ceiling made of heat-retaining castable refractory. This design enhances their ability to cook low-profile foods efficiently, requiring minimal fuel while providing excellent heat retention for dishes like bread, pizzas, casseroles, and skillet dinners. Whereas the Mattone Barile series pizza ovens are designed with a larger front opening and a 19" ceiling. This design not only allows for cooking and baking low-profile foods but also accommodates larger items like turkeys and wood-fired BBQ, making them versatile for a wide range of culinary creations.
