The Pi Fire, Solo Stove’s firepit pizza oven, takes your firepit up a level, enabling you to make wood-fired pizza over the top of your smokeless outdoor firepit at the same time as enjoying the heat and ambiance of a smokeless firepit.
When the Pi Fire launched, I couldn’t wait to get hold of one to try it out with the Bonfire firepit and see how it compared to the various backyard pizza ovens I’ve used – including Solo Stove’s Pi Pizza Oven, which you can learn more about in my Pi Pizza Oven review.
This Pi Fire pizza oven review covers the key features and what it’s like to use the Pi Fire as a pizza oven with my Bonfire firepit, which I’ve had for a few years and is reviewed in detail in my Solo Stove firepit review.
I also compare this firepit add-on to the standalone Pi pizza oven, in case you’re deciding whether to get a dedicated pizza-making unit or if you may prefer the greater versatility (and overall lower cost) of getting a Pi Fire to go with one of the brand’s three most popular firepits, the Bonfire, Ranger and Yukon.
Pi Fire Pizza Maker Key Features
These pizza makers are round and designed to sit neatly on top of a Solo Stove firepit, and use the heat of your firepit’s wood-burning action to cook your pizzas.
The Pi Fire pizza maker is made with ceramic-coated stainless steel, and comes with the all-important Cordierite pizza stone, which gives the base that even, stone-baked cook.
It’s designed for you to relax around the fire while enjoying a leisurely pizza-cooking experience.
Baking Pizza on a Solo Stove Firepit
It’s surprisingly easy to bake a pizza using your Solo Stove firepit.
First, you light the firepit as usual, using a few longs and perhaps a firestarter block to get it going quickly.
Once the fire is lit, the oven should be ready to cook pizza within 30-45 minutes or when the stone has reached above 575-600F degrees.
You’ll probably want to get yourself an infra-red thermometer to check the temperature of the pizza stone to ensure it’s up to temperature.
After launching the pizza (the technical term for placing it onto the pizza stone), the cooking process should span five to ten minutes, requiring just a few turns of the pizza for an even bake.
Once done, you get to enjoy an artisan-grade pizza while relaxing around the warmth of a smokeless fire.
For more photos showing the process of baking a pie in your Solo Stove firepit pizza oven, check out the image gallery at the end of this review.
Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven vs. Pi Fire Pizza Oven
As mentioned at the start of this review, I’ve had the pleasure of using and reviewing the Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven, so can directly compare what it’s like using them.
I wanted to share my observations of the similarities and differences between these two Solo Stove pizza-making products, which I hope is helpful to you if you’re reading this review because you’re trying to decide which is best for you.
Gas vs wood fuel
Making wood-fired pizza is, in my opinion, easier using the Pi Fire, and it’s multi-purpose: you get to enjoy the warmth of the firepit, while your pizza cooks on top of it!
Cooking pizza with gas in the Pi Pizza Oven (if you have the gas burner add-on), on the other hand, is clean and simple, as you don’t have the charcoal soot effect or the need to handle and top up wood as you cook.
Weight
Neither the Pi Fire nor the Pi Pizza Oven are particularly small or light. These are substantial, high-quality pizza-making apparatuses!
That said, you could take the Pi Fire car camping if you are also taking the Solo Stove firepit. It comes with a carrying bag and isn’t particularly heavy.
Whereas I think it’s unlikely that many people would want to transport the Pi Pizza Oven once it’s found its rightful place in your backyard.
Space required to use
The Pi Fire pizza oven sits on top of the firepit, so it doesn’t require separate space or a countertop to use.
Relative cost
The Pi Pizza Oven RRP is $625 for the wood-only version (although it’s discounted at the time of writing this review – check Solo Stove’s website for the latest prices).
The Pi Fire, on the other hand, in the Bonfire size, has an RRP of $359. Of course, you also need the firepit, and you can get them bundled together for $909.
This bundle drops to a $619 RRP if you get the smaller, Ranger Firepit and Pi Fire, meaning you can get yourself a Solo Stove Firepit, and the pizza oven to go with it! Again, all of the Pi Fire and Solo Stove firepits are currently discounted on Solo Stove’s website.
Related Reading:
For more on the three different sizes of (and associated Solo Stove firepit you’ll need), read on to the next section of this Pi Fire review where I explain more.
Pizza bake quality
I’ve made good looking, delicious pizzas in both the Pi firepit pizza oven and the standalone Pi Pizza oven.
Pizza cooking time
Both Solo Stove pizza ovens take around 5 minutes to cook a pizza using wood as fuel – the Pi Pizza Oven is quicker (2-3 minutes) when you cook with gas.
Firepit Pizza Oven Size Options
The Solo Stove Pi Fire is available in three sizes, to fit their three most popular firepit models:
- Ranger: the most portable and popular for taking to the beach and camping, with a 12″ pizza stone
- Bonfire: the most popular and middle-sized firepit, with a 14″ pizza stone, and
- Canyon (for the Yukon firepit): Yukon is the largest firepit, and the Canyon pizza maker that’s designed to go with it has a 20″ pizza stone.
Yep, the Canyon has a massive pizza stone and will fit over the top of the 30″ Yukon Solo Stove. You can bake some huge family-sized (or party-sized) pizzas on a 20″ stone!
Depending on the size of firepit you buy it for, the oven weighs between 13.4lb for the smallest, Ranger, which is the most portable, and 44.5lb for the Canyon.
The Bonfire-sized oven sits in the middle, at 19.6lb. This is the size we have, as pictured in the photos throughout this Pi Fire review.
All three sizes come with a carrying case and protective heat-proof gloves, and you have the option of getting extras such as a stainless steel pizza turner and even dough and pizza-making ingredients that can be delivered to your door.
Cost and where to buy
If you’ve been looking at getting a backyard pizza oven and either already have, or are considering getting, one of Solo Stove’s attractive stainless steel firepits, then it’s definitely worth considering getting a firepit with a Pi Fire add-on, rather than having a separate firepit and backyard pizza oven.
All models are currently discounted on Solo Stove’s website, with up to $140 off:
- Bonfire pizza oven costs $239.99
- Ranger pizza oven costs $189.99
- Canyon pizza oven (for the Yukon firepit) costs $339.99
As with other Solo Stove products, the Pi Fire firepit pizza makers come with a lifetime warranty and free delivery. For more details and to order one, visit Solo Stove’s website:
Solo Stove Pi Fire Image Gallery
Firepit Pizza Oven Review Summary
