21 Years ago Keith Carpenter and Harry Hegarty saw the need for a stone hearth oven that did not have heat recovery issues – basically a stone hearth that could meet the demand for the high production restaurants in North America.

About 7 or 8 years ago Wood Stone saw the same need in the manufacturing of Tandoor Ovens. The challenge being that the traditional clay ovens did not hold temperature, did not have a proper listing to be installed responsibly, maintained antiquated and inefficient burner systems coupled with inefficient insulation, and mostly, the clay vessels continue to collapse and fall apart within 2 years of use.

With our expertise in ceramics behind us, we created a stone that replicated the baking characteristics of clay. We added to it strength and durability and to-date not one of our Tandoors has collapsed or fallen apart. We also added a burner system that allowed us to reach much higher temperatures, if needed, and at the same time burn much less gas. Again, much of the efficiency can be credited to the ceramic which is designed to hold on to heat. This same burner design gave us consistent temperatures from the bottom to the top of the vessel and completely around the vessel’s cooking surface. Due to the steadiness of the heat, we do not have to use a traditional cover on the top of the tandoor to balance the bake of a Naan Bread top and bottom. Both the simple clean-out tray at the bottom of the tandoor, and the very accessible, serviceable burner are simple additions that make the Wood Stone Tandoor a great value.

A: Wood Stone ovens can easily maintain 800 degrees. Wood Stone measures temperature from the deck of the oven – not the dome. We measure the deck temperature in our readout because that is where we are cooking. Many other oven manufacturers measure temperatures in the dome which is not relative to the cooking surface.

When folks ask us about running an oven at temperatures around 800 degrees, it leads us to believe that they are looking to produce a Naples or Near Naples Pizza. We normally cook a VPN Naples Pizza with a deck temperature of approximately 740 degrees. At this temperature there are areas in the dome of the oven that easily exceed 1000 degrees.

We have wood only and gas-fired models that can help to achieve these high temperatures. To learn more, visit our product catalog.

As cultures continue to find their way into North America we continue to enjoy the impact through food. It’s refreshing to enjoy food prepared and cooked from a different culture. One of those wonderful cultures is from the country of Peru. Today, in North America we get to enjoy Peruvian Chicken. Peruvian Chicken is simple rotisserie chicken, cooked over an open fire of charcoal or wood. The chicken is unique in its’ flavor due to the marinades and seasonings that they use. Most commonly you will see garlic, cumin, paprika, and citrus. One ingredient that many say make all the difference is the Aji Armarillo Pepper.

What truly sets Peruvian Chicken apart is the way that it’s cooked, in a rotisserie fueled by solid wood or mesquite charcoal. The magic happens when the chicken is cooked over an open flame creating a distinct flavor profile with smoke and carmelization. The rotisseries known for cooking these chickens in Peru do not often meet the listing standards in North America.

Wood Stone manufactures rotisseries that are the solution for cooking Peruvian Chicken and they also meet all code standards in North America. The Mt. Olympus Rotisserie by Wood Stone is designed with the option of 6 or 10 spits and can produce hundreds of chickens a day. The Mt. Olympus can also be built with a broiler attached to the front to finish product or for any other broiler needs.

The Peruvian chicken is usually served as a half chicken and is finished off with a fresh salad and fries/fried plantains. The unique ingredient to this dish is the Aji Verde Sauce. This is a green chili sauce unique to the region and coming to North America with open arms and taste buds. What this concept has in common with so many other successful concepts is its simplicity. Operators are partnering with Wood Stone to focus on this unique menu item and making it great! How can we help you?

Looking for a gas option? Check out Wood Stone’s Whatcom Gas-Fired Vertical Rotisserie.

Wood Stone offers ovens in wood, wood-gas combination, and gas only configurations. In addition, most Wood Stone ovens can be equipped with a thermostatically controlled infrared (under floor) burner option – which makes them the highest production ovens available in the world.

Why is having the option for an under floor assist burner important? Cooking in a stone hearth oven requires a fine balance of top and bottom heat. With thinner or multi-piece ovens, or with gas fired ovens that have only a radiant dome flame this balance can be difficult to maintain during heavy production cycles. As pizzas (or other products) are placed on the floor they shadow the cooking surface from the only heat sources in the oven — the heat coming off of the dome and the radiant flame. Learn More!

Want to learn more about Wood Stone’s newest addition? The Josper by Wood Stone Charcoal Broiler Oven provides an elegant solid fuel charcoal broiler/oven solution in an oven package and without the venting challenges most often associated with conventional Charbroilers. Learn more by watching our new Josper Video.