"Gus" > wrote in :

>
> > wrote in message
<snip>
>> put
>> down a layer of "firebrick" as he called it, put down another layer on
>> top of that, using as many as it took to fit from back to front (I
>> believe he said five, three longways, and two sideways in front of
>> them.) This should leave a slight gap at the back where the bottom of
>> the brick touched but the top did not. He then built up 3 or 4 layers
>> of brick up the side (enough to go about 9 to 12 inches) then a grate
>> on top covered with bricks. He said he would build a fire inside on the
>> bricks, let it burn with the lid down for about 30 minutes, then sweep
>> the coals and ashes into the crack and lay down the dough or pizza to
>> be cooked.

Six or eight years ago, I did a lot of baking as a hobby. One of the
tricks I used with my "nothing special, contractor-grade, tract-house
electric oven" was to put a layer of firebrick on the bottom. It acts as a
heat sink, thermal mass, and helps even out the temperature swings in
baking bread. And when you squirt them with water, to add steam to help
the bread crust, you don't care if they break.

I don't think the masonry yard even charged me for the brick. Of course,
they remembered the orders for the rock, the pavers, the sand, the cement,
the capstones, etc.....YMMV. But even if you pay for them, ther are really
cheap.

Patriarch