Everyone knows that pizza oven pizza is the best, but is one pizza oven better than another? This article will explore one pizza oven with a game-changing feature.
The world discovered the Bertello Pizza Oven on March 13, 2020 when Eric and Andy Bert appeared on Shark Tank to make a deal.
I’ve been using the Bertello since the summer of 2019.
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That was when Good Life Pizza Ovens catered a family reunion pizza party for about 160 people using the Bertello outdoor pizza oven, along with 4 other outdoor pizza ovens.
So, when you read the dozens of articles that say ‘5 Facts You Need to Know’, I want you understand that this article will be different because we have actually used the Bertello – we’ve used it over and over again.
We know the one feature that Bertello has that no other portable pizza oven has.
Pizza Oven Review
Bertello (then Napoli) started out with Kickstarter in 2017 and has really taken off as one of the hottest selling pizza oven brands behind Ooni – and now a star on Shark Tank.
Enter Napoli…er Bertello
The original brand name was Napoli, and it was changed to Bertello in December 2019. While my oven says Napoli and yours says Bertello, they’re still the same great portable pizza oven.
Before the Bertello pizza oven launched, if you wanted a sub-$300 portable pizza oven, you had one choice for fuel – wood pellets.
While I love my Traeger and don’t mind using pellets there, I am not a fan of using pellets in a pizza oven. It takes a lot of time, effort, and pellets to get a pizza oven up to 900 degrees – and keep it there for multiple pizzas.
The only problem was if you wanted to use wood, charcoal or propane, you had to pay over $500.
Then came the Bertello pizza oven.
Straight out of the box, you could cook with wood and charcoal. This is great because the charcoal provides the longer-lasting heat source while the wood smoke adds to the flavor. Like most outdoor pizza ovens it comes standard with a cordierite stone, but no pizza peel.
The Bertello portable outdoor pizza oven also has an optional propane gas burner.
But Why a Gas Pizza Oven?
You may be asking yourself, “Why would someone want to use propane? Don’t you lose flavor from the wood smoke?”
Good questions!
When you cook in a pizza oven, you need to get your oven up to about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Then you need to maintain that temperature for as long as you are cooking pizzas.
This is not hard if you are just making a few pizzas, but what if you have friends coming over and want to make more than a few?
Do you want to spend all your time managing the temperature – adding wood and/or charcoal as needed?
Not me!
I decided that my time is better spent hanging out with my friends and family – not babysitting the pizza oven.
It is much more fun teaching friends and family how to stretch the dough, coming up with creative ideas for unique pizzas, and showing them how to launch and turn their pizza to perfection!
Do I miss a little flavor from the wood smoke? Maybe, but I more than make up for it in the fun I have at the party!
Don’t you wish you could do both?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could cook pizzas with propane and wood at the same time? This way you don’t have to worry about the temperature AND still get the wood-fired pizza taste.
So, what is the unique feature that sets the Bertello Pizza Oven apart?
Bertello is the only portable pizza oven where you can cook with wood and propane at the same time!
Imagine cooking with the convenience of propane gas and still get the flavor of wood smoke in your pizza!
How does it work?
It’s simple, really.
- Remove the cooking stone and standard Wood/Charcoal Burning basket.
- Add the specially designed Wood Burning Tray for the Gas Burner
- Add the Gas Burner
- Put the stone back in
- Get cooking!
Here’s a video that Bertello put together to help you see just how easy it is to put it together. They also give you an unedited view of cooking a pizza while cooking with wood and gas at the same time. https://www.youtube.com/embed/yu-Brrd-0Dk
Why is this such a big deal?
There are several portable pizza ovens that can cook with wood or propane gas. You cook with one or the other – not both at the same time.
Only the Bertello allows you to cook with both.
There are other outdoor pizza ovens that let you cook with both, but none of them are portable. I’ve looked and cannot find another pizza oven that allows you to use wood and propane for less than $1,800
If you are looking for a portable hybrid pizza oven that cooks with wood and gas at the same time, then the Bertello Pizza Oven is currently your only choice. When baking with the oven, using wood combined with gas actually helps keep the stone hotter. Overall, the Bertello bakes pizza very well although it is in the same category as other small outdoor pizza ovens.
Shark Tank
When the Bert brothers appeared on Shark Tank, the Bertello oven was exciting enough for two of the ‘Sharks’ to fight over a 25% stake in the company.
Kevin O’Leary got on stage for some fun making pizza with the Bert brothers. Then things got down to business.
Barbara Corcoran initially offered $120,000 for a 25% stake in Bertello.
Kevin jumped in with an offer of his own. His first offer was to get behind the Bertello product as their ‘Chef Wonderful’. His second offer was $120,000 for a 30% stake in the company.
This was a little too steep for Bertello, and they settled on the same 25% that Barbara had offered.
Bertello quickly accepted Kevin’s offer when he came down to the 25% – not even giving Barbara the opportunity to counter.
In the end, Bertello felt that he was a bigger believer in them and their product from the beginning.
What’s next for Bertello?
Currently, Bertello ovens are primarily sold on Amazon, however they have also been offered on a few other websites.
Will Bertello keep their business online only – or will the Bertello outdoor pizza oven be coming to a retail store near you? Maybe Home Depot will add the Bertello to their lineup of Traeger, Weber, and so many more great brands.
If Bertello would have signed with Barbara, this is where she would have taken them.
What is the current state of Bertello. There hasn’t been an update on Shark Tank yet.
I guess we’ll have to watch and see!
But you don’t have to worry about it. You can buy yours now and start living the Good Life with the Bertello Wood and Gas Portable pizza oven.
Want even more of the Good Life?
Our favorite pizza dough
Here is the recipe for our favorite pizza dough.
It is easy enough for beginners, but good enough that everyone loves it.
One friend even likes it more than the dough he used to buy from a specialty pizza option – and it is way cheaper to make!
Pizza oven accessories
Here’s an article that breaks down the various types of pizza oven accessories that you can choose from – and shows you some of our favorites!
Tim is a self proclaimed social eater – so it’s not surprise that he’s obsessed making pizzas with his kids, friends, his kids friends, close family, extended family, people with the same last name but aren’t actually family, neighbors, random people in the neighborhood, and complete strangers!
There’s nothing quite like helping other people embrace their creative side as they make their own pizza masterpieces!
