Frequently Asked Questions
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Absolutely! The Scorpio has been designed with portability at its heart. The Reverse Flow Draft design allows us to keep the oven body less than 30 pounds. Also, the legs of the oven fold up allowing the oven to be carried by its handle on its side like a briefcase. The balance of the oven components can be easily stowed and carried in a separate case. The motor can be powered either off of a standard home AC outlet or can be used with a 5-volt lithium battery (not included). While we understand not everyone is going to travel with their Scorpio, this modularity does allow for easy storage in case your outdoor space is at a premium.
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The Scorpio is designed only to be used outdoors with adequate ventilation. The Scorpio is also not designed to be used in a vehicle or on vehicle surfaces, like truck beds or tailgates. The ScorpioTM should only be operated with three feet of clearance between it and structures as well as overhangs.
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The 304 stainless steel body and components of the oven cool down relatively quickly, depending on the ambient air temperature. The pizza stone is designed to retain heat and will be the last component to cool down to a safe temperature to handle. We recommend using an infrared thermometer to test the surfaces of the oven to ensure they are safe enough to touch. Also, we recommend using heat proof gloves to handle the oven and components. We have found that under certain conditions, the oven (not including the pizza stone) can be safe to handle within 60 minutes.
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The Scorpio has been designed with a door as we have found that provides superior heat retention and temperature recovery between pizzas. While the door is not required to be used with the Propane Burner, the door will need to be shut to allow the draft to flow through the oven when using the Wood Burner. If the door is even slightly open, that can negatively impact the draft through the system when using the Wood Burner.
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The Scorpio has been designed to operate safely on wood, plastic or metal surfaces. If operating on a table, it should be level and flat. Avoid using the oven on surfaces with gaps where the oven leg could fall through. Also make sure the table is stable, so the oven doesn’t fall or shake if the table is bumped. Take care when operating the Wood Burner on plastic or wood surfaces to ensure hot embers don’t come out of the burner. The space where the oven is operating should be clear of any flammable debris or liquid.
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Yes! The rotation system on the Scorpio was designed to rotate at between 2-3 rotations per minute. This speed is fast enough to cook the pizza evenly but also allow easy launching onto or retrieving from the rotating surface.
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Yes. We chose to make the Scorpio out of 304 stainless steel which renowned for its durability and resistance to corrosion. 304 stainless steel will patina over time in high temperature applications, like the Scorpio. Consider this a badge of honor with your fellow Scorpio Fire Lovers.
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Yes. The motor that turns the pizza stone has been designed to operate with a standard 5-volt lithium battery that would be commonly used to recharge a mobile phone. To safely use a lithium battery with the Scorpio, the battery should be at least two feet away from the oven and/or burner.
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Absolutely! With the use of a cast-iron or carbon steel pan, you can make fire roasted meats, fish or vegetables. Wood fired steaks are a favorite with the Scorpio team.
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Hardwoods or fruit woods such as oak, hickory, pecan, cherry or apple are ideal for cooking in the Scorpio. As with any other wood burning cooking product, you should not use softwood, wood containing resin like pine, any treated lumber or wood that has been painted or stained. These can damage the Scorpio and impart dangerous toxins on your food. Do not use wood that you are unsure of its origin or type.
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No. After testing many different types of wood fuel, we found that hardwood splints and chucks allowed us to achieve the cleanest burning and longest lasting fires. The Scorpio wood burner has NOT been designed to use wood pellets.
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The Scorpio will work with either wood splints or wood chucks. We prefer splints up to 10 inches long and diameters ranging from 1.0 inches to 2.5 inches. Having splints and chunks of different sizes provides you an option to choose the optimal sized piece of wood based on the space available in the burner as the wood burns down. Use the included Fire Management Tool to make room in the burner for new pieces of wood and occasionally open up space in the fire grate to allow air flow. Avoid using symmetrical pieces of milled wood. The flat edges of the milled wood pieces can lock together and inhibit airflow through the burner. We are big fans of bourbon barrel staves, however, recommend using them with other irregular pieces of wood to keep air flow moving through the burner.
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Using small straw bundles or paraffin cubes work as effective fire starters. We generally light two straw bundles while in the burner and then add two and three small diameter splints on top of the bundles. As the oven warms up and the fire is lit, it will be necessary to add additional pieces of wood. You can then add larger diameter pieces which will burn longer. We have found in certain outdoor conditions; it requires about 35-40 minutes to get the oven to its target temperature of 850 degrees. You will know when the fire is burning optimally when you can see a wave of flames coming from the burner (see following picture). You should look to maintain that flame pattern to keep the pizza stone at the target temperature.
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The time required to add more wood can be influenced by the size of the wood being burned, the ambient temperature outside and the wind among other factors. That said, we have found seasoned wood can burn 10-15 minutes before you need to add another piece. The Scorpio Wood Burner has been designed so it is extremely efficient. The resulting ash during operation is very fine and we have run the Scorpio for over five hours without ash build up negatively impact airflow or draft in the system. When adding wood to the Wood Burner, always use heat proof gloves to protect your hands. Also, keep the oven door closed to draft the flames through the oven.
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The Scorpio Propane Burner should not generate any meaningful carbon build up in the unit. The Wood Burner will naturally cause some carbon build up both in the interior surfaces of the oven as well as the window. This does not impact the operation of the oven and does not need to be cleaned out. For longer cook sessions with the Wood Burner, you may find it helpful to use heat proof gloves and wipe the inside of the door window with a damp rag. After the unit cools, the carbon on the window can be easily cleaned off by dipping a damp paper towel in some fine wood ash and then wiping off the inside of the window.
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We have found the Scorpio sweet spot for cooking Neapolitan pizza is when the surface of the pizza stone is between 850 and 900 degrees. This is when the ambient air temperature of the oven and the surface temperature of the stone are in the best balance, allowing you to achieve that perfect leoparding of the crust and ideally cooked toppings. While the oven will certainly get the surface of the stone over 900 degrees, we have found that the bottom of the crust tends to cook faster that the toppings at that point. The pizza stone surface temperature can be best taken with an infrared thermometer. It is important to take the temperature of the stone with the door open. Trying to take the temperature of the stone through the window with the door closed will not give you an accurate temperature reading.
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We have found in certain outdoor conditions; the Propane Burner can get to the target temperature of 850 degrees in as little as 20 minutes. The Wood Burner can requires about 35-40 minutes to get the oven to its target temperature of between 850 to 900 degrees.
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The Scorpio is designed with a high temperature, ceramic transparency that allows you to visually monitor the cooking process and call the exact second your pizza is done to perfection.
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When using the Propane Burner on low, we have found the surface of the stone to be 850 degrees and the ambient temperature of the oven to be about 700 degrees.
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The Scorpio is a breeze to clean. Once the unit is completely cool as measured by an infrared thermometer, you can remove the Guide Plate, the Pizza Stone and the Carousel. This will expose the over floor, which can be wiped out with a damp paper towel or rag. If you have some food residue on the guide plate that won’t come off, Bar Keeper’s Friend will generally remove that from the stainless steel. You should not use any chemicals or detergents to clean our pizza stone (or any other for that matter). Once the Wood Burner cools completely, just empty the ash into a safe container. The Wood Burner fire grate can be removed for more thorough cleaning.
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Included in the box is the Scorpio Pizza Oven with a motorized turntable, 16" wide 1/2" thick Pizza Stone, Dual-Jet Propane Burner, Rocket Stove Wood Burner, 16" anodized aluminum peel, and fire management tool.
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The Scorpio Pizza Oven fully assembled is L30in x W25in x H37in. The wood burner legs require L25in x W17in area.
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The Scorpio peel is made from high-quality anodized aluminum. The perforated 16x14" peel surface is emblazoned with the Scorpio logo. Fully assembled the clip-mounted durable handle is 31x14". When disassembled to make transportation and cleaning a breeze the Peel without the handle measures 19.5x14".
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Please reach out to us at support@scorpiopizzaoven.com. We'd love to hear from you!