In recent years, Solo Stove has been expanding its line of accessories as their smokeless firepits have grown in popularity across backyard patios everywhere. While I've been impressed with the examples of the core products, such as the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, one of the new add-ons has proven to be a special delight. The Pi Fire (try saying that five times fast) has been a fun novelty to have while entertaining guests, or for a date night.
This accessory is not to be confused with Solo Stove's stand-alone pizza oven, the Pi; the Pi Fire sits on top of your fire pit and uses the heat from below to cook the pizza. Its size is dependent on the Solo Stove that you own. I have the medium-sized Bonfire, so the diameter of the oven is 19.3 inches, while the stone is around 14 inches. It weighs a sturdy 20 lbs, but the handles that are positioned on top make it easier to move.
I tested this pizza oven for about a month and a half to get the full experience. I initially tried it out with my own dough that I made with Fleischmann’s pizza yeast packets, and it turned out great. If you want the fancier Solo Stove experience, you can order the brand's own $185 Neapolitan Artisan Pizza Box, which comes with all the ingredients pre-made and prepped for you. The box comes in a cooler with dry ice, so everything is frozen upon arrival. I will say that this is definitely the pricier route to go, and I honestly didn't taste much of a difference.
What's Good About the Pi Fire Pizza Oven
It's simple to put together
If you already own a Solo Stove, the Pi Fire is honestly a pretty affordable way to get into the pizza oven game. It requires some basic Ikea-style assembly out of the box, but once it's put together, the only maintenance required is some cleaning.
In the box, you'll also find a carrying case and large heat-resistant gloves. I quickly figured out these gloves are more necessary than expected: you definitely can't get away with just being careful. (I do recommend investing in a few other cooking tools, but more on that later.)
Makes for a relaxed cooking experience
In comparison to some of our other favorite pizza ovens, this is a more leisurely experience. You're cooking the pizza at around 600º F, which is a bit more forgiving than traditional ovens that run around 900º. I didn't use a thermometer while cooking, but I followed the instructions closely when it came to timing and logs.
I started each fire with four logs from a bundle of firewood from Home Depot, along with a fire starter, and let the oven heat up for 30 minutes. Once the flames were burning at a consistent height just below the bottom of the oven, I slid in my pizza, then rotated it after three minutes. The oven does a pretty good job of cooking evenly, but I still shuffled the pie around for good measure (mostly because I haven't mastered rolling my dough out evenly).
At the six-minute mark, I checked for completion, but slid it back in for another couple of minutes when it didn't look ready. It was pretty clear when all the cheese was melted and the edges were slightly brown that the pizza was good to go.
Easy cleanup
The cleanup is not much different from what I already experience with the Bonfire 2.0: just dump the ashes once everything has cooled off. Solo Stove says to use a wire brush when the stone is still warm to remove residue, but I honestly didn't find the hardcore brush step to be necessary, as there wasn't any caked-on debris. I was able to get rid of most of the soot with a dry kitchen towel. However, I imagine if you had a mishap during the launching process, a wire brush could come in handy for some fumbled toppings that get burnt.
What's Not Ideal About the Pi Fire
You need to buy the tools
If you are going to invest in the fun of the Pi Fire, you really need to have the necessary tools. Unless you are already a pizza oven connoisseur with a peel, infrared thermometer and turner, you'll most likely want to upgrade your purchase and get the full accessory package.
I just so happened to have a peel to use for the pizza, but things would have gone much smoother if I had the turner (a large, heavy-duty spatula). The thermometer would have been especially helpful as well when it came to cooking multiple pizzas. After cooking two pizzas, I found it was time to throw a log on — so from the third pizza on, temperature and timing took some guessing.
It's not the easiest thing to store
You aren’t supposed to leave the oven outside in the elements, so you will need to carve out some space in a garage, shed or indoor closet. Because it's shaped like a lunar lander, it does not fit snugly among other items — but the carrying case does ease my feelings about bringing it into the house.
The Neapolitan Artisan Pizza Box isn't worth it
The ingredient box is honestly a bit pricey. I will say the convenience of it is nice for when you have guests, as you don’t have to make a ton of dough, but otherwise, I cannot really justify the cost. You would be paying a restaurant price to make the pizza at home, while your normal grocery store ingredients would cost a fraction of the price per pie. The ingredients are high quality, sure, but my amateur cooking skills meant that didn't matter much. If you do decide to splurge for the box, be sure you have room in your freezer, as it takes up more room than you'd guess.
Solo Stove Pi Fire: The Verdict
The Pi Fire is quite easy to use, and makes for a fun evening. I definitely want to emphasize that buying the Pi Fire + Tools kit would be well worth it — it'd make it an all-around safer and more convenient process. I'm no pro when it comes to making pizzas, but I was able to get a solid result on my first try just by following the instructions. Solo Stove gets it right when they say it's a leisurely cooking experience.
