The most important feature in any pizza cooker? Heat, and lots of it. And the ability to distribute it simultaneously to the top and bottom of the pie. Dedicated pizza ovens can push 900 degrees, which might seem excessive. But 700 to 900 degrees is a prime cooking range that results in ultrafast cook times for a pie. Those high temperatures also get the baking stone hot enough to puff the crust when you slide a pizza on by hitting it with a blast of initial heat. Gas and pellet grills do well to push above 600dgrees F, which can still make for a lovely crust and even cook when used with a quality pizza stone. A standalone stone does nicely, though some manufacturers make custom ones that fit perfectly in the grill body. Gas grills with larger surface area tend to perform better than more compact models, since they allow you to crank the burners on the opposite end from the stone and get more of a hot indirect cook. While pizza snobs might turn their noses up at the lack of precision a gas grill offers compared to a dedicated pizza oven, they provide quality results and peak convenience for those who want to cook a range of foods on a single apparatus. That said, it’s a blast throwing a pizza party in your backyard and, while there are certainly differences, any of the below apparatuses do a wonderful job churning out delicious pies. Here are some of our favorite outdoor pizza ovens and accessories for families. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
