Stoke Stove reached out to me and asked if I would write a new review of their updated Stoke pizza oven if I were to be provided with one to test out. (Side note: I wanted to post this a couple of months ago, as it was ready to roll in January, but life got in the way, and as they always say, it’s better late than never.)

Why, after my few experiences and pointed words towards the 2022 Stoke pizza oven, I agreed to give it a go. The original 2022 model’s two biggest problems featured the abysmal stock regulator and the wall in the back of the oven, which acted as (too much of) [a] flame buffer, hindering overall performance.

In summary (in regards to the 2022 model of the 13″ Stoke pizza oven), I enjoyed two bakes out of the oven, only after replacing the stock regulator twice (with a modifiable PSI controller), but after one use of the new regulator it was too powerful for the burner which caused the burner unit itself to fail, including the replaced burner that was sent out by Stoke. The state of the Stoke pizza oven was, by all accounts, dead on arrival no matter what, because the undercarriage of any pizza was not going to be adequately cooked with the stock regulator, and the new regulator was far too formidable for the burner unit to consistently partner with for more than one bake.

When Stoke Stove reached out to me, it was noted that the new ovens come with a standard 10 PSI regulator, which is clearly a step in the right direction. I appreciate the efforts they have made towards producing a better product. The outdoor pizza oven game is getting bigger and more innovative as the years roll by. Even as a consumer, I can see how challenging the window of opportunity is in this industry, with a newer company wanting to balance value and performance for customers when the big boys Ooni and Gozney exist as the mainstay outdoor pizza oven go-to brands.

The Changes to the new 2024 Stoke Pizza Oven

Asides from the new regulator, I had no idea what I was in for when testing out the updated Stoke oven. I previously reviewed the 13″ gas-powered model. To my surprise, they generously sent me the 16″ hybrid (which can use either gas or wood pellet as fuel) model. Note: I have not tried out a cook on the new oven with wood pellets as of the time of this writing — only gas. It’s a controversial topic, but I am not a believer of woodfired flavor being imparted in a pizza that bakes in two minutes or less, but perhaps that is a topic I can expound a different time.

First things first, I have to suggest that the manual is rather poorly written. Some of the instructions are vague and are in conflict with a couple of the new videos on the Stoke Pizza Ovens YouTube channel.

The flue and inclusion of the door are two substantial differences in the new model. The door is potentially a game changer when you consider preheating the oven to get the pizza stone up to sufficient pizza slinging temperatures, as well as maintaining or recovering the temperature in between multiple pizza bakes.

In my review of the 2022 model, one of my complaints was that the flame barrier/wall was a potential hindrance. In the updated model, if you are cooking with gas it is instructed that you remove the flame barrier/wall, which is a bit of a give and take situation I’ll touch on in a moment.

The cordierite pizza stone is still just as thin as the previous model. This was not an issue that I outlined, but a feature that I outlined in the previous post. My only concerns with a thin stone is the potential for a crack during the winter or recovery times between pizza being subpar. To the point of the latter mention, the inclusion of the oven door should mitigate that from being a problem.

The temperature gauge is now on the door as opposed to the top of the oven. However, I recommend investing in an infrared thermometer to check out the cooking surface temperatures, which is arguably the most important aspect of baking a pizza. An infrared thermometer is an imperative tool; you can’t reliably and consistently bake good pizzas at home without one.

Baking Pizza in the Updated 2024 Model of the Stoke Pizza Oven

I wouldn’t say I was trying to burn the first pizza in the new Stoke pizza oven, but given my actions, I reckon you could say I was trying to burn the first pizza in the new Stoke pizza oven.

A few paragraphs ago, I mentioned the removal of the flame barrier/wall that one is instructed to do (according to the oven’s manual) when cooking with gas. Given that there is no buffer, then, between the flame and the pizza, I wanted to see just how toasty a pie would get before being able to complete the first turn of the pizza when cooking on high directly from preheating through the baking process. This was a mistake I walked myself into, knowingly so.

I preheated the oven for 35 minutes with the door attached. Before I launched the first pizza (the one that looks like it dreams of becoming a New Haven style Neapolitan hybrid pie when it grows up), the back of the pizza stone read 792 degrees while the front of the stone was about 460 degrees.

Upon slinging the pizza into the oven, I knew all heck was going to break loose, so forgive me pizza father for I have sinned with this high heat blast of fire and brimstone, but as a substantial proponent of effin’ (messing) around and finding out due to my status as a wannabe scientist and experimenter, I wanted to find out the full blast capabilities of this pizza oven on a pie. Besides, I’m not scared of char. In the words of hip hop artist Ice Cube, “if you are scared, go to church.” I jest, but this method of cooking with your pizza oven? I do not suggest [it].

To make an excuse for my lack of skill, I have misplaced my turning peel or else I imagine I would have had a better time with the first bake. As expected, one part of the pizza scorched rather rapidly, and I was unable to reliably turn it given that the part of the pizza facing the front of the oven at launch was too soft to maneuver without a turning peel.

To once again throw out a callback to the review from 2022, I mentioned that the bottoms of the pizzas weren’t cooking properly. However, one cook in, and I noticed much better leoparding (alright, that is an understatement, as I burnt this one’s bottom as well). Nobody puts baby in the corner, but Troy burnt this pie.

For the second pizza, I launched it directly after moving the temperature control knob to low with much better presentation. Still, the initial ‘back’ of the pizza, the part facing the flame, still got a little toasty before I could make the first turn. I have to mention yet again that a turning peel would right the wrongs in this world of pizza as it pertains to getting a more even bake in this oven (and virtually every other pizza oven that does not feature a rotating stone).

I have to again commend Stoke for updating the stock regulator of the oven. To admit a fault and correct it by way of change has made for an appreciable difference, especially in the oven spring for the pizzas baked in these ovens. The previous (2022) model provided top heat only.

In the first photo of the six above, see the slice of the ‘Try Before You Deny Pie’ — a pineapple and jalapeno pizza. There was an adequate rise and the cornicione was all four things crunchy, soft, light and airy.

Yet again, just for the fun of another experiment, I tried baking a calzone in the Stoke and it turned out fairly nice.

In photos 4-6, what is featured is a A modified 12″ South Shore bar pizza with Italian sausage and hot giardiniera, my style: 67% hydration, 3% oil, 1.5% sugar, 0.4% instant dried yeast. It might have been my biggest success as far as best flavor goes.

My suspicions were confirmed, however, in regards to the flame being so close to the fire. You see in ovens like the Gozney Roccbox where the flame rolls over top of the pizza, but in Stoke’s oven, the flame shoots up from the back. When retrieving a pizza, whether it is a lack of skill on behalf of the user or an error in user performance, the possibility of the pizza kissing the flames is of a high probability, which introduces the char that may be unwanted. This can be avoided with more dexterity by the baker, usually through a high level of skill when making pizza (something I have been chasing for a few years now and clearly I’m not there yet).

I would be remiss to not mention something important regarding the pizzas baked for the purposes of this review: I am out of both 00 and bread flours respectively. I used Gold Medal General Mills bleached bromated all trumps flour, which is typically the flour used to make a proper New York style pizza that is baked at temperatures ranging from 550 to 675 degrees. This very well likely introduced more char to the pizza than what would have occurred with 00 flour or bread flour, because the all trumps flour is malted. Diastatic malt increases the browning capabilities (and here, the burning capabilities — ugh!) of the dough.

The regular price of the 16″ Stoke wood pellet/gas hybrid pizza oven is $715 with an avid sale price of $499.

At the alleged regular price of $715, I wouldn’t recommend the oven. That is not to say it is a bad oven, but at $715 you are competing with the likes of the Ooni Koda 16, and for $85 more you could buy an Ooni Karu 16. Also, Gozney has released new ovens (the Arc and Arc XL) that are in that price range as well.

At a $499 discounted price, it is a much more acceptable price point. However, the big competitor in that range is the Halo Versa 16, an oven I adore for its rotating stone and ability to bake up perfect New York style pizzas.

However, those prices are for the hybrid model. For gas only, or wood only, the 16″ Stoke oven is only $299, which is an excellent value! Especially when you consider the prices of other 16″ ovens on the market. Also, let’s face it: not everyone is going to be consistently going back and forth between gas and wood for pizzas. I prefer gas for the convenience and ease of use for maintaining the temperature. If you are cooking with wood pellets, you will have to consistently be feeding the hopper with pellets, and it isn’t particularly a beginner friendly approach.

Stoke Stove offers a lifetime warranty on their ovens, which is the most consumer friendly value feature any company can offer to its customers.

Stoke acknowledged the flaws present in the original 2022 and knocked it out of the park with the new one.

My feedback for Stoke would be to improve the comprehension in the manual and give more instruction to taming the flame for pizza bakes with gas, considering the removal of the flame barrier/wall becoming an important variable in the process. With practice and pizza-turning prowess and the tinkering of the heat settings, you can bake a solid pizza in this new oven.

In each of my pizza bakes in this oven, they took at least two minutes to complete. With a turning peel, I’m sure the time could have been decreased, but I would guestimate (estimate) that a good deal of people buying their first outdoor pizza oven are not in possession of a turning peel, although I do recommend purchasing one since it can be an invaluable tool in your pizza slinging arsenal.