Bertello SimulFIRE Outdoor Pizza Oven
Why I Love It-
SimulFIRE techonology allows you to use wood and gas at the same time, making the oven easy to use and beginner-friendly
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Adds delicious woodsmoke flavor to homemade pizzas
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Competitively priced, especially considering everything you get in the bundle
From Shark Tank to Your Backyard
In 2020, Bertello founders Andy and Eric Bert pitched the original Bertello Pizza Oven on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank. They ultimately signed a deal with Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O’Leary) for $120,000 in exchange for 25% of the company. Bertello has now seen massive success, becoming a household name and a major player in the pizza oven game.
About the Bertello SimulFIRE Pizza Oven
The Bertello SimulFIRE Outdoor Pizza Oven uses Bertello’s patented SimulFIRE technology to bake pizzas with wood and gas at the same time. That means you get that traditional woodfire pizza smoke while benefiting from the consistency and convenience of a gas burner. There is not another outdoor pizza oven on the market that allows you to cook pizzas with wood and gas at the same time, making the SimulFIRE oven one of a kind.
You can also bake your pizzas using wood, gas, or charcoal exclusively, and the bundle includes all parts necessary to use any heating method.
Here’s everything that’s included in the Bertello SimulFIRE bundle…
- A 12″ pizza oven
- Gas burner
- Wood tray
- Thermometer
- Pizza peel
- Tongs
- Cover
All for less than $400!
Quick Q&A
Does the oven really get up to 900 degrees?
Yes! Actually, it can easily get hotter than 900 degrees, even when being used in the middle of winter. At this hot of a temperature, you can expect your pizzas to bake very quickly.
How long does it take to heat up?
It takes only about 20 minutes to preheat the oven and get the pizza stone nice and hot before adding a few small pieces of wood. Then, we give the oven another 5-10 minutes before adding the pizzas—so the total preheating time is about 25-30 minutes. The oven will easily reach 900 degrees in this amount of time.
How long do pizzas take to cook?
Our pizzas, which are usually about 10″ wide, take anywhere between 1 to 1.5 minutes to fully bake. Every 15-20 seconds, we turn the pizza approximately 90 degrees (about a quarter turn).
What dough do you use?
My homemade pizza dough works perfectly in this oven. You’ll get a beautiful, chewy, crispy, flavorful crust every single time—read the recipe here.
Do the pizzas stick to the stone or the peel?
As long as you preheat the oven properly, the pizzas will not stick. According to Bertello, the stone needs to be at least 700 degrees for the dough to not stick. I bake the pizzas at about 850 to 950 degrees, so sticking is not a problem.
To easily slide the pizzas into the oven, I use a wooden peel coated with semolina flour—this is one of THE keys to success with this oven. While the metal peel works perfectly fine for removing the pizzas from the oven, nothing compares to a wood peel for sliding them into the oven. Coating the wooden peel generously with semolina flour (shop on Amazon) helps the pizza slide off more easily due to its coarse texture. I prefer semolina flour over cornmeal—in my experience, cornmeal burns easily, resulting in a very noticeable off-taste and gritty texture.
How do you turn the pizzas?
I use one or two of these pizza spinners (shop on Amazon) to rotate the pizzas approximately a quarter turn every 15-20 seconds. Once you get the hang of it, you can easily use only one of these spinners to do the job, but it may be easier to start with two. You can also pretty easily turn the pizza while keeping it in the oven when using these—I think Bertello should include a set in every pizza oven bundle! They’re really that handy.
Everything I Love About the Bertello SimulFIRE Outdoor Pizza Oven…
SimulFIRE Tech Makes Baking Pizzas Easy
Before trying this pizza oven, I had seen multiple reviews stating there was definitely a learning curve when you try it for the first time. Thus, I expected that we’d burn at least 3 or 4 pizzas before getting the hang of the oven. I was fine with that—you have to learn somehow!
I was pleasantly surprised when all seven (yes SEVEN) pizzas we made on the first day turned out not only edible but delicious! So, respectfully, I would have to disagree with some of the reviews out there. I do not think there’s a harsh learning curve—at least not when using both wood and gas at the same time. The gas makes it easy to keep the oven at a high temp, and the wood adds lovely flavor—it’s a match made in heaven. However, I do have a few tips for you when you first use this oven…
If you want pizza baking success with the Bertello oven right away, I advise you to…
- Use the SimulFIRE option—if you’re a newbie to outdoor pizza ovens, don’t start by using only wood or charcoal. Both methods will require more time and effort to learn how to regulate the heat properly. Instead, use wood and gas together. The SimulFIRE technology makes it so much easier to get and keep the oven hot, and it will add that yummy woodsmoke flavor to your pizzas.
- Check the temp before putting the pizzas in with the included thermometer. Your stone must be 700+ degrees for the dough to not stick, and optimally your oven should be anywhere between 850-900+ degrees.
- Keep an eye on your pizzas! Do NOT leave them unattended while baking. They can go from beautifully browned to burnt quickly, so do not walk away from them. That being said, they also need time to cook fully so don’t get scared and pull them out before they’ve had a chance to bake and get some brown color.
- Don’t place the pizzas too close to the heating element in the back of the oven. Aim for the center of the stone, otherwise, your pizzas may brown (or blacken) way quicker than you think.
Delicious Woodsmoke Flavor
As I’ve mentioned, the Bertello oven infuses delicious, smoky flavor into each pizza—which I think is one of the biggest pros of baking in an outdoor oven. You only need a few small pieces of whatever wood you prefer to achieve that smoky flavor. We’ve used apple wood, mesquite, hickory—all work very well. In fact, you do NOT want to overload the wood tray or you might end up with huge flames coming out the front of the oven (speaking from experience). If that happens, you need to let the wood burn down or use the the tongs to carefully remove some of the wood from the tray.
Competitive Pricing
For under $400, you get an oven that can use gas and wood at the same time, plus many useful accessories (thermometer, pizza peel, cover, etc.)—to me, that’s a good deal!
No other pizza oven on the market offers SimulFIRE technology, but if you were to replace the Bertello with what appears to be the most similar bundle from a competitor it would cost you nearly $200 more (not including a thermometer). Of course, I’m referring to a bundle from Ooni, another well-known outdoor pizza brand. Compare the two pizza oven bundles below… (and keep in mind the Ooni oven does not allow you to use gas and wood at the same time).
Last update on 2025-04-02 at 13:36 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Then there are even more expensive options, like the Gozney gas-fueled dome pizza oven that retails for about $1,200—take a look at it on Amazon by clicking here.
When it comes down to it, I think the Bertello bundle is very competitively priced. Considering the quality, technology, ease of use, and all the items included in the bundle—you get your money’s worth.
More Things I Love About the Bertello!
- Makes pizza nights possible for large groups. It is hard to bake homemade pizzas for a large group of people when each pizza takes at least 10 minutes to bake in our home oven. But when each pizza takes only a minute or two to bake? Then it’s the more the merrier for pizza night!
- Easy to set up and use. The bundle includes everything you need to set up the oven for baking with both wood and gas fuel simultaneously. The design also includes little details that make the oven easier to use, like a wood handle on the lid over the wood tray, so there’s less risk of you burning your hand.
- It works very well during winter. Sub-zero temps are no problem for this pizza oven, which still reaches over 900 degrees in chilly winter weather. Living in a place where winter lasts a long time, it’s nice to know we can have fresh woodfire pizza whenever we want.
- The pizza stone is easy to clean. Once completely cooled, you can simply remove it from the oven and use a stiff-bristled brush to remove any burned-on bits and pieces.
Should YOU buy the Bertello SimulFIRE outdoor pizza oven?
Yes, especially if…
- You value the benefits of using Bertello’s SimulFIRE technology. The ability to use wood and gas at the same time is my favorite thing about this pizza oven, and it’s unique to Bertello.
- You want a pizza oven that is easy to use.
- You are a pizza lover at any experience level. From beginners all the way to pizza aficionados, anyone and everyone can appreciate the SimulFIRE technology and will be proud to serve pizzas out of this oven.
- You want to spend under $400 for your oven, including important accessories like a gas burner, pizza peel, and wood tray.
Shop My Bertello Pizza Night Favorites
Shop all linked products on Amazon!
- Click here to shop the Bertello SimulFIRE Pizza Oven.
- Try out different wood varieties with this bundle.
- Use a narrow wooden peel (like this one) coated with semolina flour to make adding your pizzas to the oven even easier.
- Use one or two of these pizza spinners to easily rotate your pizzas every 15-20 seconds.
- Drizzle some yummy aged balsamic vinegar (or balsamic glaze) and/or truffle oil over a freshly baked pizza—so delicious!
- Homemade pizzas would look beautiful served on this footed round wood cutting board.
Make These Recipes For Your Next Pizza Night…
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