Blackstone Outdoor Pizza Oven for Outdoor Cooking - Electric Ignition - 2x Faster Than Other Pizza Ovens

First off, the five star rating is for the unit itself. After the issues surrounding the packaging were resolved, we had a great time using it and it produces pizza cooked to perfection. Construction is quite good but not with the fit and finish of the top-notch grilles. This was expected since it is very reasonably priced for what it is and shouldn't be taken as a negative. The assembly was easy and all parts were easy to identify per the instructions. The assembly order was a bit odd and I would suggest putting the side handles on before the rotating plate is installed and be sure to have a set of metric Allen wrenches handy to adjust the stop collar on the spindle (the plate sat too low and rubbed against the front of the oven) but those were the only normal assembly issues. Most parts fit without tools and it would be easy to break it down to take it to a park like they suggest in their video.After assembly, we fired it up and were cranking out pizza within the hour. The burner was a flamethrower oIt really will cook a pizza to perfection in about three minutes. We followed suggestions to keep the crust reasonably thin and not pile on a ton of toppings. Based on our initial results, this is good advice. The temperature indicated on the thermometer was a bit confusing but we just went with the recommendation of cooking at an indicated 375° and it worked just fine. I spot tested the stone temp and various places around the inside with an infrared thermometer and the readings were all over the place. I can only assume that the oven's thermometer is calibrated to indicate a virtual temperature based on the actual cooking of the pizza and not a measurement of any particular spot in the oven. As I mentioned, we used the "indicated" temperature and it worked out fine.Now the less shiny part: Packaging was apparently designed with the erroneous belief that distribution companies give a crap about the word "fragile" and instructions like "this side up" will actually be read and followed. The rotating table was lifted loose from the bottom sleeve and canted at an angle causing the tray holding the stone to strike the side of the unit during shipping. This cracked the bottom stone down the middle. It didn't shatter, so we were still able to use it and will contact the manufacturer to request a new one. Two of the leg mounting tubes were impacted hard enough to deform the tube, making insertion of the legs impossible without some minor repair work with household tools.Your mileage may vary based on how many time your oven was dropped on its way to you but if you get one and it arrives in decent shape, you'll love it!*** Update ***One week later: After about 15 minutes during the second use, the motor began to make a clicking sound and ultimately failed. We cooked another 15 small pizzas (to rave reviews!) for a party by rotating the turntable by hand with a grille scraper. It was binding a lot and the binding is what killed the motor.GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! - Sent an email on Sunday with photos of our broken stone taken during unboxing and a video of my son-in-law hand-powering the turntable. Got a very polite email asking where to send the replacement parts only a few minutes after their office opened on Monday!I dismantled the oven in preparation for the incoming repair parts and did some exploration of it's workings. It looks like the same impact that dislocated the turntable shaft and let the turntable and wrapped stones impact the side also bent the upper shaft sleeve slightly out of alignment. This caused binding when the shaft was inserted through both sleeves (binding was slight after initial assembly and I had no idea how loose it should be). I used the turntable and shaft as a lever and realigned the two sleeves. I also found that there was congealed packing grease on the shaft and inside the upper sleeve that made it much more difficult to turn than it was the first time we used it. I suggest that you clean this grease off before assembly so it doesn't cook into a thick clay-like sludge. I used a dab of molybdenum disulfide engine assembly compound to lubricate the upper collar after cleaning it. This reduced the effort to turn the plate considerably and as a further precaution, I added a thrust bearing between the collar and the upper sleeve per a suggestion in a review of the 1575. The bearing just slides on the shaft and the only modification necessary is to set the collar height to compensate for its thickness. Now the plate rotates as smoothly as a bicycle wheel. There should be almost no stress on the replacement motor.Hope this info helps if someone else has similar issues in the future.Thrust bearing: 51205 Thrust Bearing 25x47x15 Thrust Bearings*** Update - 4 months in ***The new motor and replacement stone arrived undamaged soon after the last update and after installation, the turntable spins with no strain on the motor at all. The oven performs just as advertised and we are now the family's favorite pizza joint! We use it at least once a week and with the addition of a good pizza peel and a homemade dough recipe, we are well on our way to breaking even on the oven cost, if not already there.Another note on the temperature: The oven's indicated temperature never gets above 375°-400° but the infrared grill thermometer with a 500° max shows "High" when pointed at either the upper or lower stone. We use the indicated temp as a guideline and have found 375° seems to be the sweet spot for a crispy crust with browned edges, bubbly cheese and cooked all the way through. Another note...don't lose track of time! A pizza will go from perfect to cremation in a very short span if you do. (Yes...that is experience talking.)Overall, we are still very pleased with this oven.*** Update - 4 years in ***What's to update? We have made many, many pizzas since our original purchase and it's still cranking them out. We even popped the legs of and took it on a family camping trip. (lots of envious looks from people as they walked by). The thrust bearing I added has taken the heat pretty well but the entire assembly has oxidized a bit from the somewhat brutal environment and about a year ago, it started to strain the motor a bit and make a high-pitch moaning that sounded like a demented lute player. A partial disassembly and spray with dry graphite lube cured the issue and sped the turntable back up. Speakingf of the motor, we tried it out on D-cells when it went camping and they ended up lasting for a couple of months after we got back. We don't even use the AC adapter any more. The unit has never been exposed to rain but has been kept outdoor under an extended eave for the whole time. It has held up very well with virtually no visible rust. Late last year I gave in and replaced the cheap, generic weather-shredded cover we bought with it with a genuine fitted Blackstone one and with a little soap and water to remove years of incidental dust, it looks like it's ready for a spring formal!Very, very happy with our Blackstone oven. This spring, we're replacing our pathetic Charbroil IR BBQ with a flat top griddle and the question of what brand never entered our minds.

This is quite an oven. Mine arrived today. The box is too heavy to carry, so it was cut open in the driveway and individual parts were carried aroudn the house to the BBQ area. It arrived in good condition, no dents, flaws or problems.Assembly was fairly easy. I didn't have any of the troubles other reviewers had getting the legs attached. They just popped in. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. It's a beautiful addition to my outdoor BBQ area. Tonight, we'll have pizza and I'll report any problems.The stone table stopped rotating. It doesn't seem to be rubbing on anything, it just stops turning after a couple of rotations. I had to use the edge of the peel to push on the wheel to get it turning again, then it would rotate a couple of turns and stop again. I'm going to take it apart today and find out what's going on and then call customer service.But, regardless of this little problem, this thing made great pizza. There is a learning curve. determining cooking temps of stone and oven. I suggest making a half dozen mini pies and experiment with temperature until you find the sweet spot.===Update: I took the oven apart this morning, squirted a little WD 40 on metal to metal contact points for rotating table. I also installed the bearing device that another user recommended. But, none of that was my problem. I had misaligned the heat shield. I noticed a spot on the back of the heat shield where the table was rubbing on it. This time when installing the heat shield, I turned the rotisserie on and installed it. That way I could see that there was no contact between the two. I let the table run for half an hour with no repeats of the stalling.I can't say enough about how good the pizza is coming out of this oven. Beats that Domino's soggy, half cold pizza. And it's so simple. I make the dough in advance and freeze it. I had to cater a party of 60 people this month. They all weren't eating pizza, but I made about 25 pizza dough balls using my bread machine and froze them. Day before, I took them out of the freezer and put them into the refrigerator. The day of the party, I took them all out in the morning and let them get to room temperature and then divided them in half. Using wooden peels, each guest prepared their own pizza, and slid it into the oven. When done, I removed it with a metal peel and put it on cardboard pizza rounds for serving. I've never seen adults have so much fun making food. I am sure that I sold at least 10 people on buying a Blackstone Patio Oven after that party.I'm lazy. I use jarred pizza sauce. Does anyone have a recommendation of what jarred sauce is the best? It's probably all the same, but I'm listening. And for large parties, I buy shredded cheese. It really doesn't matter. It all tastes better than Dominos!=====Update: After about a month of use, a piece of the top stone broke off. Don't know how. I noticed it when I was cleaning. The piece fit back in place so I didn't want to go to the expense of buying a new one. I just went on cooking great pizza. I wrote an email to the Blackstone support about a recipe and in that email I asked how much a replacement stone would cost. After sending purchase info and a photo of the damage, they immediately shipped me a new stone at no cost to me. Now, that's customer service.===Update: It cooks more than pizza. Try bourbon marinated salmon steaks. Equal amounts of lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil plus half the measure of bourbon in a one gallon zip lock bag with a large salmon filet. Let it marinate for at least 4 hours, overnight is best. Put a 12 to 14 inch cast iron pan into the oven and get the oven up to 450 to 500 degrees. Spray pan with olive oil and then put salmon into pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes watching carefully so you don't over cook it.You'll need heavy gloves or a pair of vice grips to get the pan out of the oven. It'll be hot. The fish will be beautifully charred on outside and tender and juicy on the inside. First time I tried this, I practiced with one filet cut into thirds then I tested temps and times until I got it right. Good luck!

I bought this pizza oven fo two reasons. First because it used a full size propane gas tank and second because everyone said they had great customer service.It was a Father’s Day gift for my husband. We are now into August and have not had a single pizza. “And why not?”, you may be asking. Well it’s because their “great” customer service is awful!!!!! First of all don’t bother calling them on a Saturday because you will get a recording telling you to call back in an hour since they are all in a meeting. Call back an hour later and that meeting is still going on. Two hour later, yup you guessed it, still in a meeting. Three hours later gave up and waited for Monday to call. Call Monday and are told “Oh no, we are closed on Saturday!” Well did anyone ever think that maybe it would be a good idea to change the message on your answering machine??? Ok so getting back to the pizza oven, the reason for the call was because the rod on the turntable is bent preventing the turntable from being level. Oh that nice person in customer service assures us they will get a new one out to us right away. Ok great, hopefully in a week we can enjoy our first pizza. Wrong!! Two weeks go by and no delivery. Call back again (during the week) to let that great customer service dept know we haven’t received the turn table yet. Well of course it hasn’t been delivered, “we’re out of them. They are on back order.” “Oh,well when do you expect to get a shipment?” “Oooohhh I’m not sure, maybe in 8 weeks.” Now mind you, this is a replacement part, not a whole pizza oven!!! So my advice to anyone looking to purchase this pizza oven, if you want an ornament for your backyard then go for it. If you want something that makes pizza look elsewhere!!!!