Pinnacolo L'Argilla Gas Pizza Oven PPO-8-08, Thermal Clay, with Cart

Description

The Pinnacolo L'Argilla is a gas pizza oven in the shape of the ovens of Pompeii: a thermal clay dome, clay mixed with a composite cement, on a stainless hearth with a cordierite floor, heated by a 50,000 BTU burner at the back of the chamber. It lights with a push and a turn, brings the floor past 600°F in under ten minutes by Pinnacolo's figure, and is rated to about 1,000°F at the top. It stands on a wheeled stainless cart with a shelf for the propane cylinder, and it arrives with more than $500 of Pinnacolo tools in the crate: two acacia peels, a perforated metal peel, a rocker cutter, an infrared thermometer, gloves, a brush, an apron, a tank cover and a weather cover. Crustify is an authorized Pinnacolo dealer, and every L'Argilla ships free by freight.

What sets it apart from the stainless gas ovens is the dome. A clay dome holds heat in its mass and gives it back from every direction, which is how a brick oven cooks the top of a pizza while the stone cooks the bottom, and the outside of the L'Argilla stays safe to touch while it does it. What sets it apart from a wood oven is that there is no fire to build: Pinnacolo calls it a gas oven and does not recommend burning wood in it. This page covers the dome, the burner and igniter, the door and chimney, the cart, what is in the box, where the oven can sit, cooking and care, how it compares to the other Pinnacolo and gas ovens we carry, and what to know before you order.

The Thermal Clay Dome

Pinnacolo makes three ovens and the L'Argilla is the only one with a clay shell. The dome is thermal clay, which Pinnacolo describes as a clay material mixed with a composite cement, shaped like the igloo ovens of Pompeii and lined inside so the clay never meets the flame directly. The point of the material is mass. Stainless sheet gets hot and loses it the moment the burner drops; a clay dome soaks the burner's heat into itself over the preheat and then radiates it back down onto the food from the whole curve of the ceiling. That is the heat that browns the top of a pizza and crisps the cheese while the cordierite stone below is doing the crust, and it is why a dome oven cooks a pizza in a couple of minutes without turning it to charcoal.

How it is made

The dome sits on a stainless base that carries the burner, the gas valve and the igniter, with the cordierite floor set inside. Pinnacolo says the interior is fully lined to keep the clay from cracking and that it has not seen one crack; the warranty still treats hairline crazing in the cordierite as normal, because every refractory floor does it. The outside is the part guests notice: a matte clay finish that stays safe to touch while the oven runs, per Pinnacolo, which is not something a steel oven can claim. Pinnacolo notes the clay can fade a little over the years in the sun without affecting how it cooks.

Why the shape matters

A round chamber with a round floor has no corners, so the burner's heat sweeps the ceiling and comes back down evenly instead of pooling at the back. The floor is a 26.5 inch circle, about 3.83 square feet, which Pinnacolo rates at two 12 inch pizzas at once, or one pizza and a pan. The mouth is 18 inches wide and about 7 1/2 tall, sized to the 12 inch perforated peel in the kit with room to turn a pizza inside.

A 50,000 BTU Burner and a Push and Turn Igniter

The burner runs across the back of the chamber, out of the way of the peel, and it is a big one: 50,000 BTU, more than the gas burner on any other oven in this price range we carry. Pinnacolo's number is the floor past 600°F in under ten minutes; the manual's routine is a 15 to 20 minute preheat to 572 to 626°F on the gauge, then whatever the recipe wants, with the knob between Low and High and the door used as the second control. At the top of the range Pinnacolo rates the oven around 1,000°F. For pizza that means 60 seconds to 3 minutes per pie by the manual; for bread, roasts and casseroles it means turning the knob down and closing the door, the part a wood oven cannot do on demand.

The igniter

One knob. Open the cylinder valve with the knob off, then push the knob in and rotate it to High; the manual says you hear the snapping and the burner lights with a strong flame. It is a piezo spark, so there are no batteries and no cord, and the manual gives a match light backup through the lighting rod if the spark ever does not catch. The door is open when you light it, your face stays 20 inches back, and if the burner does not light in a few seconds you turn it off, wait five minutes and try again.

The thermometer

A fixed gauge on the front reads the air in the chamber, which is the number the manual's preheat is written to. The infrared thermometer in the kit reads the stone, which is the number the pizza cares about; use the gauge to know when the oven is up and the gun to know when the floor is.

Propane, and natural gas by conversion kit

The oven ships set up for propane, with the hose and regulator in the box and a 20 lb cylinder sitting in the fixed ring on the cart shelf, upright, collar on the valve. Leak test with soapy water after every tank change, close the tank after every cook, keep the hose off hot surfaces, and replace it every two or three years as the manual suggests. A natural gas conversion kit is sold separately by Pinnacolo with its own hose and instructions; ask us before you order the oven if your kitchen has a gas stub and we will set it up with the conversion.

The Door, the Visor and the Chimney

A solid stainless door with a stay cool handle sets into the mouth and comes out when you cook pizza. Closed, it holds the dome's heat for the preheat and for roasting and baking; the manual uses it as the throttle, open and close the door to raise or lower the heat alongside the knob. Above the mouth a stainless visor catches what comes out of the opening and keeps the clay face clean.

The stainless chimney lifts off for cleaning; the manual has you run a brush or a wet cloth on a brush through it to clear soot. With the chimney on, the oven stands 83.3 inches tall on its cart, the number to check against anything overhead.

The Cart

The cart comes in the crate and assembles with the wrench and allen keys in the parts bag: four legs, two support frames, a shelf with a fixed ring for the cylinder, two front wheels and two rear locking casters, and the oven rack the dome sits on. Assembled it puts the hearth 42 1/2 inches off the ground, a working height for a peel, on a footprint about 47 inches wide at the wheels and 40 deep. The shelf carries the cylinder and the tank cover from the kit dresses it. The manual's rule for the shelf is the cylinder in use and nothing else: no spare tank, no storage. Pinnacolo also sells a countertop conversion kit for setting the oven on a counter without the cart; ask us if that is the plan.

Over $500 of Pinnacolo Tools in the Box

Every Pinnacolo oven ships with the brand's accessory kit, and for the L'Argilla it is the full set: a 12 inch perforated metal peel for launching and turning, two acacia wood peels for building and serving, a 14 inch stainless rocker cutter that can be sharpened, an infrared thermometer for the stone, high temperature gloves, a wire bristle brush with a scraper for the floor, a Pinnacolo denim apron, a cover for the propane tank, and a fitted weather cover for the oven on its cart. Pinnacolo puts the value at over $500 and may substitute an item at its discretion. It is the reason there is no What to Order With It list on this page: the cover, the peel and the thermometer that we would normally tell you to add are already in the crate.

Where It Sits

Outdoors only, never in a garage, shed or enclosed space, and never on a boat. The manual asks for 20 inches from the sides and back of the oven to any wall or railing, no use under an awning, and never under unprotected combustible construction overhead; its danger box goes further, keeping the oven 10 feet from any structure or other gas tank and 25 feet from flammable liquids. Plan for an open patio spot, lock the rear casters, and keep the cylinder valve closed between cooks. The oven is 238 lb on its cart, so it rolls on a hard surface but is not a thing to lift up a step; let it cool completely before moving it, and store it dry under its cover, indoors out of the sun for the winter if you can.

Cooking in the L'Argilla

Light it, close the door, and give it 15 to 20 minutes until the gauge reads around 600°F, longer on a cold or windy day. Check the stone with the infrared gun, dust the peel with half flour and half semolina so the dough slides, and launch. At full heat the manual's range is 60 seconds to 3 minutes per pizza, so the first few times you watch it and turn it rather than walking away; the door stays off for pizza so you can see the crust. Our pizza oven temperature guide covers what each reading on the gauge and the gun is good for.

Past pizza, this is where a gas dome earns its keep. Turn the knob toward Low, set the door in, and the clay holds a steady roasting heat for a chicken, a tray of vegetables, a parmigiana or a frittata in high temperature bakeware set on the stone; the manual says virtually anything you cook in a home oven cooks here. Use pans without plastic or Bakelite handles, keep a trivet nearby for what comes out, and remember the oven does not lose heat the way a steel box does, so dishes finish faster than you expect. If you are still weighing gas against wood, wood fired vs gas lays the trade out, and the case for a gas pizza oven is the L'Argilla's case in full.

Care is a brush and a cloth. Scrape and sweep the cordierite with the brush from the kit, no detergent and no soaking, because the stone drinks up whatever you put on it and gives it back in the next crust; medium grit sandpaper takes off anything baked on. Wipe the clay with a damp cloth and the stainless with a non abrasive cleaner, keep water off the burner, pull the chimney and brush it when soot builds, and cover the oven once it is cold. Never wet mop a hot or cooling oven; the manual lists that as the way floors crack and the warranty excludes it.

How the L'Argilla Compares

Pinnacolo makes three ovens, each with the same tool kit in the box, and we carry two other countertop gas ovens. The L'Argilla is the one with a clay dome and gas only.

Within Pinnacolo the choice is the fuel: gas only and the clay dome, the L'Argilla; wood with gas as the backup, the Ibrido; wood and nothing else, the PREMIO. Against the stainless gas ovens the L'Argilla is the one that looks and cooks like a brick oven and costs more for it. All three Pinnacolos are in the Pinnacolo collection, every gas oven we carry is in the Gas collection, and every oven on wheels is in the Freestanding and Cart collection. If you want gas and a wood fire in a stainless oven on a counter instead, the Summerset hybrid is that oven.

Who Should Buy the L'Argilla, and Who Should Not

Buy the L'Argilla if you want a dome oven that lights with a knob: the look and the heat of a brick oven on the patio, with none of the wood to split, store, light and tend. It is the oven for the cook who makes pizza on a weeknight and roasts on the weekend, for the host who wants the oven to be the centerpiece guests gather around and can lean on, and for anyone who likes that the peels, cutter, thermometer, gloves and cover arrive in the same crate. It is also the right answer for a patio with no gas line, because the cylinder lives on the cart.

Do not buy the L'Argilla if you want to burn wood in it; Pinnacolo says this is a gas oven and does not recommend wood, so the Ibrido is the Pinnacolo for that. Do not buy it for under a covered porch or an awning, or for a spot tighter than 20 inches to the nearest wall. Do not buy it for a counter unless you add Pinnacolo's countertop conversion kit, and not for a restaurant or a food truck. And if the budget stops at a stainless gas oven, the Kucht Napoli and the Halo Versa 16 are the countertop gas ovens on this site at a lower price. Our pizza oven buying guide walks the whole decision, and where to put a pizza oven helps with the 20 inch rule.

What Else to Order

Very little. The peel, the cutter, the thermometer, the gloves, the brush, the cover and the hose are in the kit. Pick up a 20 lb propane cylinder locally. If your outdoor kitchen has a natural gas stub, the conversion kit is a Pinnacolo part sold separately, and if you want the oven on a counter instead of the cart, so is the countertop conversion kit; ask us when you order and we will add either. Accessories ordered with the oven ride on the same freight at no added charge.

Buying the L'Argilla From Crustify

Crustify is an authorized Pinnacolo dealer, so the one year Pinnacolo warranty applies. The oven ships by freight on a pallet, delivered curbside with a $95 residential liftgate fee at checkout; a business address with a dock pays no liftgate. Shipping is free in the contiguous 48 states; Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are quoted before you order. Inspect the crate before you sign and note any damage on the delivery receipt; concealed damage is reported within 48 hours. Returns on an unused oven in its original packaging follow our return policy, with return freight paid by the buyer. Chat and email go straight to the owner and are usually answered the same day; if you are unsure about the spot or the gas, send a photo through our contact page and we will check it against the manual before you order.

KEY FEATURES

• Pinnacolo L'Argilla PPO-8-08: thermal clay dome (clay and composite cement) in the igloo shape of the Pompeii ovens, lined inside, on a stainless base
• 50,000 BTU rear mounted gas burner; push and turn piezo igniter with a match light backup; no electricity
• Propane out of the box with hose and regulator, 20 lb cylinder on the cart shelf; natural gas conversion kit sold separately
• Floor past 600°F in under ten minutes per Pinnacolo; 15 to 20 minute preheat to 572 to 626°F on the gauge per the manual; rated to about 1,000°F; pizza in 60 seconds to 3 minutes
• 26.5 in round cordierite floor, about 3.83 sq ft, two 12 in pizzas at once; mouth 18 in wide by 7 1/2 tall
• Outside of the dome stays safe to touch while cooking
• Stainless door with stay cool handle, stainless door visor, built in ambient thermometer, removable stainless chimney
• Wheeled stainless cart with rear locking casters and a fixed ring tank shelf; hearth 42 1/2 in off the ground
• Dome 33.27 in wide by 36.11 deep; 83.3 in tall overall; 47 in wide at the wheels; about 238 lb
• In the box: two acacia peels, 12 in perforated peel, 14 in sharpenable rocker cutter, infrared thermometer, high temperature gloves, wire brush with scraper, denim apron, tank cover, weather cover; over $500 value
• Gas only; Pinnacolo does not recommend burning wood in it
• CSA approved; one year Pinnacolo limited warranty
• Ships free by freight on a pallet; $95 residential liftgate

SPECIFICATIONS

Document: Pinnacolo L'Argilla what's in the box (PDF).

VIDEO

INSTALLATION GUIDE & USER MANUAL

Unpacking. The dome, chimney, cart parts, tools and the accessory kit ship on one pallet. Check the parts list in the manual, 17 items from legs to allen keys, and inspect the dome before you sign; concealed damage is reported within 48 hours. Remove the burner tie down straps and the protective cover on the igniter.

Cart. Bolt the front and rear legs to the support frames and the shelf with the M8 hexagon socket screws and the supplied wrench and M8 key, fit the two front wheels and the two rear locking casters, install the fixed ring on the shelf with the M5 screws, then set the oven rack on top. Two people lift the dome onto the rack. Set the chimney in its collar.

Gas. With the knob off, set a 20 lb cylinder upright in the ring, thread the regulator onto the valve by hand, open the valve slowly, and leak test every fitting with a cup of water and a teaspoon of detergent; bubbles mean close the valve, tighten and test again. Never test with a flame. Repeat after every tank change.

Lighting. Door open, knob off, open the cylinder. Push the knob in and turn to High until it snaps and lights with a strong blue flame. If it does not light, turn off, wait five minutes, try again; the match light procedure in the manual uses the lighting rod. Keep your face 20 inches from the door while lighting.

Running it. Preheat 15 to 20 minutes with the door in; cook pizza with the door out and the knob where the stone wants it; roast and bake with the door in and the knob down. Close the cylinder valve after every cook. Let the oven cool completely before moving or covering it.

Care. Brush and scrape the stone, no detergent, no soaking, no water on a hot floor. Damp cloth on the clay, non abrasive cleaner on the stainless, brush the chimney when soot builds, keep the burner dry. Cover it when cold; store it dry and out of the sun for the off season.

Documents: Pinnacolo L'Argilla owner's manual, user guide and warranty (PDF), Pinnacolo L'Argilla what's in the box (PDF).

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Term. Fire One Up Sales Inc., the importer and distributor of Pinnacolo Pizza Ovens, warrants the oven and its components, the body, floor, venting system, factory finish, stand and door, to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the time of purchase. Parts are repaired or replaced with new or reconditioned parts at Pinnacolo's option after its investigation of the claim.

Not covered. Hairline cracking in the cordierite stone and minor cracking from expansion and contraction; problems caused by extreme temperatures; icing or wet mopping the oven while it is hot or cooling; improper chemicals or liquids used inside; storing material on, under or in the oven; assembly or installation contrary to the instructions or local codes; non standard use, including wood or non approved accessories; normal wear; and damage from flood, freezing, fire, earth movement, wind or storms. Dealers cannot alter the warranty.

Claims. Contact us first with photos, your order number and a description of what happened and we handle the claim with Pinnacolo, which requires the model and proof of purchase and issues a return authorization before anything ships back. Shipping damage is separate: note it on the delivery receipt or report concealed damage within 48 hours.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FAQ'S

Your Questions Answered Before You Buy

These are the questions we get most often about the Pinnacolo L'Argilla, answered from Pinnacolo's manual, catalog and what's in the box sheet. If yours is not here, chat or email goes to the owner and you will usually hear back the same day.