The Kiwi Outdoor Oven has been bringing families together since 2012, coming together for breakfast, lunch or dinner, talking and enjoying each other’s presence. As kiwi’s, it is in our nature to be outdoors as much as possible, but our evenings can be cold so to extend our time together outdoor fires are becoming a must have. This is what The Kiwi Outdoor is all about!
When cooking we always suggest using hardwoods in the oven and staying away from softwoods, this is because hardwoods are cleaner and longer lasting. Softwoods can contain a lot of sap and turpenes which produce a funny taste and can make people feel sick. When it comes to heat pine was our stable wood for the fire afterwards but we noticed it was clogging up the flue with soot which would then drop out into the oven. To reduce smoke and get great heat, wood should be dry / seasoned with a moisture content of less than 20% for optimal results.
It is important to understand the type of wood will produce different flavours in food and wood can be selected to use for different meals and for a different taste. Smell is important, if the wood does not smell good before starting the fire, the taste will not be good either and remember everyone's taste is different, which is what enhances the experience. We enjoy trialing different woods for varying heat temperatures and flavor and the best wood is normally locally grown, why?, because the smell and flavor are something that you may be familiar with and the senses recognise it.
Manuka / Kanuka Wood
It is well known among many Kiwis, especially fishermen, that Manuka / Kanuka wood is a favorite. The smell of it smoldering in a smoker or an outdoor fire / oven attaches itself to many memories.
Perfect for smoking trout or kawahai, baking pizza or NZ lamb, producing a clean smoke, long lasting coals and a robust medium to strong flavor due to the density of the wood.
As a nation, we have branched out the use of Manuka wood and The Kiwi Outdoor Oven has found that for majority of meals, it produces amazing heat and flavor with a gorgeous aroma. Perfect for savory food and sweets such as peanut brownies.
Totara Wood
Totara wood is known best for burning while family and friends sit around talking and laughing. It burns ferociously producing a generous flame and large coals making it ideal for sitting around The Kiwi Outdoor Oven enjoying its heat.
It is a harder wood to find, the young trees tend to be classed as a softwood which is not ideal for cooking however many people currently use it. On a cool night it works perfectly on keeping everyone warm and toasty.
Gum Wood
Gum is not a preferred type of wood to cook with, unless you are cooking wood fired pizzas in your Kiwi Outdoor Oven. This is because gum burns at a very high temperature - ideal for maximum heat output.
Gum wood does not produce a memorable flavor for food which can be noticed when you smell the wood before burning it. For pizzas, however, due to the high temperature required with maximum output of heat, it works well. Pizzas do not need a lot of time in the Kiwi Outdoor Oven if the temperature is correct so the wood flavour does not really get a chance to add to the food..
Pohutukawa Wood
As the official Christmas tree of NZ, Pohutukawa trees are a staple within all Kiwis reminding us of family, friends, outdoor cooking and games on the lawn.
Pohutukawa wood is very dense and strong that produces high sustainable heat and a distinctive flavor. It is the perfect type of wood for smoking meat with and worked amazingly well with The Kiwi Outdoor Oven tomato paste.
Oak Wood
Oak is a very historical type of wood that is known for extreme hardness and toughness. It is a dense wood with a mild flavor. Stronger than most fruit trees, it has a smoky flavor which made our beef ribs spectacular. It will work well if blended with fruit trees which will enhance any meat, in particular white meats, that you are wanting to cook within your Kiwi Outdoor Oven.
Apple / Peach / Nectarine Wood
These fruit are very well known as being refreshing on any occasion. The wood these trees supply have a mildly sweet and fruity flavor which makes this ideal to smoke / cook chicken, turkey, pork and fish with. Not only that, the wood is great for biscuits, cakes and apple pie. The wood has a nice smell from the smoke and burns clean.
Plum Wood
Plum wood is a very mild fruit wood that is ideal for smoking or cooking chicken, pork and seafood. It adds a sweet smokey flavor to the meat and can be paired with Oak or Pohutukawa wood for a edge of difference. Plum wood is slightly heavier in taste that the other stone fruit but not as strong as the likes of manukau making it a favorite for family and friends that have never experienced wood fired food.
Plum wood smells amazing burning, the smell alone makes you hungry.
Every time you cook in The Kiwi Outdoor Oven you can change your experience by adjusting wood flavors, oven temperature and food coverings. Most wood fire cooks have to find their own happy medium and will test many different things with a variety of results. Sometimes you will feel like full flavor and leave food completely uncovered from start to finish, other times you just want a wiff of flavor so will cover the food with a lid or tin foil. The best part is that you get to choose, you get to experiment and it is always a lot of fun!
