Yoder Wood-fired Pizza Oven Review: Can You Really Make Great Pizza on a Pellet Grill?  

Most grill pizza stones can’t match a real pizza oven, and most pellet grills struggle to hit the high temps needed for great pizza.

Yoder Smokers, however, are built for serious heat, and now they offer a pizza oven conversion kit for their pellet grills. But does it stack up against dedicated pizza ovens? I put it to the test to find out if it’s worth the investment.

I’ve also done a comprehensive review of the Yoder YS640s if you want to learn more about the grill this oven goes on.

Yoder sent me this pizza oven in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Yoder wood-fired pizza oven Overview and first impressions

When I opened the Yoder wood-fired oven, I realized that this is more of a conversion kit than a traditional smoker accessory.

I expected the oven to sit on the grill’s grates, but it actually requires you to uninstall your grill grates and install a diffuser that the oven sits on top of. 

The design allows the oven to get the maximum amount of heat, and installation is relatively easy, although it’s not as convenient as some other solutions.

One thing I feel is missing is that there is no temperature gauge on the oven itself.

You have the digital temperature reading that the grill provides, which should give you a good idea of how hot the pizza stone is, though.

Yoder claims that there is up to a 200°F temperature difference between the stone and the top of the hood (based on the respective 700°F and 900°F max temperatures), but it would be nice to be able to see the temperature of the oven itself. You can remedy this with an IR Temperature gun.

Another interesting feature is that Yoder claims you can use the top of the oven as an additional cooking surface when you want to use cast-iron or carbon steel cookware. I could see this being helpful for heating up sauces or searing off a large steak that you cooked in the oven. 

Specifications

• Max temp – 700°F at the stone and 900°F at the top of the hood 
• Material – 16-gauge 304 stainless steel 
• Goes from power-on to ready-to-cook in 30 minutes 
• Near immediate recovery time 
• Precision temperature control for baking, broiling, and searing 
• Heavy-duty steel construction 
• Made in America 

Dimensions/Weight

• Opening dimensions – 4.125” high x 14.18” wide 
• Stone dimensions – 13.5” wide x 16.75” deep
• Heat diffuser dimensions – 20” deep x 21” wide 
• Overall dimensions – 17.75” deep x 19.75” wide x 6.75” high
• Weight – 45lbs 

Installation

You simply remove the grates of your smoker and the heat diffuser plate and install the diffuser for the oven.

Then install the hood of the oven on top of the diffuser.

You can place the pizza stone in place, and you’re ready to cook. 

The only thing that I found a bit cumbersome is that it takes a bit of time to go from smoker to oven because of the alternate diffuser you are required to use.

You have to be pretty intentional about when you’re in the mood to use the smoker versus the pizza oven, etc. and you can’t use both functions simultaneously.

You also have to wait for the pizza oven to cool down before handling the hood and converting the grill back into a smoker, so it’s not a quick switch process. 

They do have convenient handles installed on the top of the oven itself so it makes it pretty easy to lift in and out of the smoker when you’re installing it. 

Cooking with the Yoder wood-fired oven

I want to start by saying that I am NOT a professional pizza chef by any means.

I actually don’t make pizzas very often because they intimidate me a little bit. Something about the high temperatures, quick cooking, and dough variance just never attracted me (I tend to stick to briskets). That being said, I’ve tested out a number of pizza ovens in my day, so I’m not a total newbie. 

I decided to cook four different pizzas in the oven to test it out. I cooked two at a lower temperature of 500°F; then I did the other two at closer to the max temperature to see how fast this baby could churn out pies. 

Once the oven is installed, preheating is easy. You just set the smoker’s temperature as you would normally and wait for it to heat up.

I found that the smoker registered a temperature of 500°F in about 13 minutes, but I let it go for another 15 to allow the pizza stone to fully heat up. 

The first pizza I cooked was a simple pepperoni pizza on raw dough.

Since I started at a lower temperature (500°F), my first pizza took about 8 minutes to cook through, which is still pretty quick.

I used my pizza peel to rotate the pizza during the cooking process because I found that the back of the oven, as well as the side closest to the fire, was cooking faster. 

My second pizza was a margarita-style pizza with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and a bit of basil on an olive-oil brushed dough.

While my dough cooked up really nicely, the moisture from the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella pooled on the top of the pizza, leading me to believe that the oven’s ambient temperature wasn’t quite as hot as it needed to be.

Again, there is no temperature gauge on the oven itself, so I can’t be sure, but that was my impression. It was still edible, just a little watery. 

At this point, I kicked up the heat to 700°F and waited about 10-15 minutes for the stone to adjust.

The next pizza I made was a classic cheese pizza, and it cooked very quickly. It was done in just about 4 minutes, and the crust was impeccable! 

The final pizza I made was another pepperoni pizza, but I opted to use fresh mozzarella this time to see if I had the same moisture issue as with the margarita pizza.

I found that the higher temperature setting alleviated the issue of the moisture pooling around the cheese and this pizza was hands down my favorite one of the day. 

The recovery time was also impressive. I was able to cook 4 pizzas back to back with no waiting time in between. The oven maintained a steady temperature, and I was able to slide my pizzas in and out easily. 

Final thoughts: Should you buy the Yoder wood-fired oven? 

I think if you already own a Yoder smoker, then the wood-fired oven is a fantastic accessory to add to your arsenal. It gives you more flexibility on what you’re able to do with your smoker and allows you to bake things, make pizzas, and just generally do more with your smoker. 

What I liked

• Saves space in your yard without the need for a standalone pizza oven. 
• Gives authentic wood-fired pizza flavor. 
• Reaches temperatures of up to 700°F (900°F at top of hood). 
• Burns the pellets in the hopper so you can get wood-fired flavor without the hassle of wood splits or chunks. 

What I didn’t like

• You have to own a Yoder smoker. This wood-fired oven cannot be used on other grills or as a standalone oven. 
• The oven requires you to disassemble your grill grates and install the oven, meaning you can’t easily switch from smoker to pizza oven.
• At $479, the Yoder wood-fired oven is more expensive than many standalone propane pizza ovens around the same size. 

Now, depending on how much pizza you want to make and how much baking you want to do outdoors, the price is a little high compared to other standalone outdoor ovens on the market. For example, the Ooni Karu 12 and the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven are both only $299 – almost $200 less than the Yoder attachment. 

It’s also important to keep in mind that switching between smoker and oven is a bit cumbersome. With a standalone oven, you only have to assemble it once, but the Yoder has to be assembled every time you want to use the oven. Not to mention you need a place to store it in between cooks. 

That being said, the Yoder is built from high-quality stainless steel and is a well-crafted accessory. I don’t think you will be upset that you bought it at the end of the day. If you want to add an outdoor oven to your collection and you already own a Yoder, I’d say it’s worth a buy!