Big Horn 12" Gas Pizza Oven
Propane
A 12 inch propane pizza oven. A stone and a flame with no ecosystem around them.
7 products · 5 articles
Pizza ovens
Gas, electric and multi-fuel. Peak stone temperature sells an oven; recovery between bakes matters for the second pizza but is less often published.
Pizza ovens and buying options
Start with the fit, then use Amazon for the current price and availability.
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Big Horn 12" Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
The multi-fuel version of Big Horn’s 12 inch oven. A live fire instead of a dial, with the attention that implies.
Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven
Ninja’s dedicated pizza oven.
Ninja Woodfire Oven & Smoker
Pizza oven and smoker in one appliance, from Ninja’s outdoor Woodfire line.
Ooni Karu 12
Wood
The first generation Karu. Wood or charcoal in the back, pizza in the front, and a gas burner sold separately if you want the easy mode.
Ooni Koda 12
Propane
A 12 inch gas pizza oven, the first generation Koda. Check which generation a listing means before comparing prices.
Ooni Koda 16
Propane
Ooni’s 16 inch gas oven, in its first generation. Takes a 16 inch pizza, and the natural gas option is factory, not a third-party kit.
Comparisons, reviews and guides
Review
Ooni Koda 12 review: easy to carry, tight around the pizza
A compact propane oven for 12 inch pizzas. It travels more easily than the Koda 16, but the smaller deck leaves less room to recover from a crooked launch.
Review
Ooni Koda 16 review: more room to turn, more oven to store
The larger deck fits 16 inch pizzas and gives smaller pies room to move. It makes sense on a permanent outdoor table, not as an oven you carry out for every cook.
Comparison
Ooni Koda 12 vs Koda 16
For these first-generation ovens, the Koda 16 adds working room around the pizza. The Koda 12 is lighter, smaller to store and easier to move.
Guide
How long to preheat an Ooni, and how to know the stone is ready
Ooni lists 15 minutes for the Koda 12 and Karu 12 and 20 minutes for the Koda 16. The stone is ready when an infrared thermometer reads about 750°F, not when the timer runs out.
Guide
Pizza stuck to the peel: why it happens and how to launch cleanly
Dough sticks when moisture gets between it and the peel. Flour or semolina under the base, a shake before the toppings go on, light toppings and a prompt launch fix nearly all of it.
How to choose a pizza oven
Stone recovery, not peak temperature
Nearly every oven in this category reaches a peak temperature high enough for Neapolitan pizza. Launching a pizza pulls heat out of the stone, and how fast that heat comes back decides whether the second and third pizzas cook like the first. Peak temperature is on every box. Recovery time is on almost none of them.
Fuel, and how much attention it wants
Gas is a dial and a consistent flame. Wood and charcoal give you flavor and a fire to manage while you are also launching and turning pizzas. Multi-fuel ovens do both, usually with a burner sold separately. Decide how much of your attention the fire gets before you decide on a model.
Opening width against the pizza you want to make
A 12 inch oven makes 12 inch pizzas, and turning one inside a small opening with a peel is a real skill. A wider oven is more forgiving to learn in and needs more space, more fuel and more storage. This is a bigger practical difference than the size figures suggest.
These ovens run extremely hot and need clearance on every side and above. Work out where it will actually stand and what is over it, because a table under a low pergola is not a location.
Common questions
- Do I need a pizza oven, or will my grill do it?
- A covered grill with a stone in it will make good pizza, and it will not make Neapolitan pizza. The difference is top heat. A dedicated oven puts flame across the roof so the top cooks in the same sixty seconds the base does. A grill cooks the base fast and the top slowly, which gives you a crisp bottom and a pale top. If that trade is fine with you, you already own the equipment.
- Gas or wood?
- Gas if you want to cook pizza. Wood if you want to cook pizza over a fire and consider that part of the point. Gas holds a steady temperature with a dial and is far easier when you are making ten pizzas for other people. Wood gives flavor and a live fire to manage at the same time as launching and turning, which is a lot happening at once for a beginner.
- How long does one take to heat up?
- Most gas ovens in this class reach cooking temperature in roughly fifteen to twenty five minutes, and manufacturers publish that figure. What they publish it against is the peak air temperature, not a fully saturated stone. Giving the stone another ten minutes after the oven says it is ready is the most common piece of advice from people who own one, and it costs nothing to follow.
A covered grill with a stone makes good pizza, just not Neapolitan. Gas grills are here if that trade suits you.