First Impressions of the Big Horn 16-Inch Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
Out of the carton, the colour does the talking. Deep matte navy wraps a rounded body, framed by a bright stainless front. The chimney rises well above everything, and the oven stands 36.5 inches tall with it fitted.
It is not light. Big Horn quotes 42 lb, while the Amazon table says 44.1. Either way, moving it is easier with a second person on the far side.
Setup amounts to unfolding four legs, seating the chimney and settling the stone into place. At the rear, a slotted steel drawer pulls out to take the fuel. A small hinged lid on the roof lets you top up pellets mid-bake.
Our first fire used hardwood pellets lit in the drawer. Flame soon curled forward across the roof, and the window glowed orange. The dial on the door climbed steadily. The stone, read with an infrared gun, lagged well behind it.
That gap shaped every bake that followed. Pies launched on the dial’s word came out pale underneath. Pies launched on the gun’s word blistered nicely, with a gentle smoky note in the crust.
Key Features of the Big Horn 16-Inch Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
This is a portable wood oven with a bigger floor and a closable front. Its upgrades over budget pellet ovens cluster at two ends. The door is up front, the fire behind.
- A front door with a glass window. Flame stays visible while the heat stays in. Shutting the door also keeps wind off the stone.
- Built-in thermometer. The dial sits in the door, facing you. It reports the air near the front, not the floor itself.
- A 16 inch stone in the box. Big Horn does not say whether it is square or round. A replacement stone costs $39.99 and is listed as cordierite.
- A larger combustion chamber than the 12 inch model. It takes more pellets per load, which means fewer trips to the drawer.
- An adjustable air plate. It sits over the intake. Close it down when the flame grows too wild.
- Two wood fuels. Big Horn’s own artwork shows both pellets and split firewood in the drawer.
- Optional gas. The SRAC25044 propane burner mounts at the rear for $79.99, with regulator and hose. Its dial tops out at 1022°F.
- Stainless steel. The front frame, chimney and fuel drawer are stainless. The outer shell is painted.
- Four folding legs. They tuck under for the car, then splay wide for stability on a table.
- BBQ cover, sold separately. Big Horn’s 600D polyester cover for this oven costs $25.99.
Big Horn rates the oven at 1112°F on wood. The propane burner tops out at 1022°F. So that 1112°F is a wood figure. Propane buys ease on this oven, not extra heat.
Heat-up claims vary. The listing and gallery promise 15 minutes, while the maker’s FAQ says 18 minutes to 662°F. Neither page names what was measured, the air or the floor. Our bakes favoured the longer figure, and cold evenings stretched it further.
The maker’s own advice is to bake once the stone reaches 660°F. That is a floor reading.
The dial reads the door. The pizza sits on the stone. Trust the gun for launches, and use the dial for trends. A rising needle tells you the fire is building, which is still useful.
Recovery is where the bigger floor costs you. Each raw pie drinks from a wide reservoir of stored heat. Only your next handful of pellets refills it. The door helps, because less heat escapes between pies.
Even so, the flame side cooks faster. Big Horn advises turning every 15 to 20 seconds, and that pace held true for us.
Thick crusts need a different plan. The maker’s FAQ has you bake a naked base, then dress it and return it. Each pie spends roughly twice as long inside, and the drawer empties faster.
Gas changes the rhythm more than the result. With the burner fitted, the flame holds without feeding, though the ceiling drops to 1022°F. On a busy weeknight, that steadiness may matter more than the missing heat.
Build, handling and durability
The stainless parts feel properly made. The door closes squarely, and the window frame sits flush. Legs lock firmly, and the oven did not rock on a level table.
The painted shell is the softer point. It will look tired faster than bare stainless if it lives outside uncovered.
Our worry is the fuel drawer. It sits in the hottest flame on every bake. Expect it to be the first spare you order.
Then there is the warranty. Big Horn offers 24 months, but only on purchases from bighornoutdoor.com. The Amazon listing states 1 year. Order through Amazon and the single year is what you can count on.
Portability is real, within limits. The legs fold under and the body packs into a car boot. At 42 lb or more, though, this is a patio oven that travels. It is not one you carry far from the car.
Running costs, upkeep and value
Amazon wanted $224.99 for the navy oven when we checked in mid-October 2026. Add the gas burner and the pair reaches $304.98. On bighornoutdoor.com, the navy oven with burner included lists at $312.99.
That bundle deserves a look. Eight dollars more buys the direct 24 month warranty instead of Amazon’s single year. If gas is part of your plan, buying direct may make more sense.
Fuel is the running cost. Nobody prints how many pellets a session eats, or how much the drawer holds. Buy the big bag. Pellets bought in larger bags work out cheaper per bake.
Upkeep takes a few minutes per session. Tip the ash from the cooled drawer, brush the stone and wipe the window. Pellet soot fogs the glass quickly, which defeats the point of having one. A cast iron pan keeps meat juices off the stone, as Big Horn suggests.
Against the Ooni Karu 2 Pro, the value case is plain. Ooni’s 16 inch multi-fuel oven costs $989 and claims 950°F. This Big Horn costs about a quarter of that. What you give up is mass, insulation and a longer warranty.
Possible Big Horn 16-Inch Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven Complaints
- A dial that flatters the stone. The door gauge reads hot air, and the stone lags behind it. Launch too early and the base stays pale. An infrared thermometer costs little and fixes this completely.
- A wide floor fed from one drawer. Every pie draws heat out of the stone, and only you put it back. Keep pellets coming and give the floor a minute between bakes.
