Cru Oven Model 32 G2 Review

About the Cru Oven Model 32 G2

• Dimensions: 22” x 20” x 17” (L x W x H)
• Cooking surface: 20” x 16” (L x W)
• Fuel Type: Wood and/or charcoal

The Cru 32 pizza oven is a wood-fired pizza oven designed for high-temperature cooking with the ability to reach up to 900°F, which is ideal for achieving Neapolitan-style pizzas with crispy crusts and well-cooked toppings.

The removable domed top is made of ceramic fiber-insulated stainless steel, and the base features two cordite baking stones. The opening is 11.8 inches high and wide enough to fit a 15-inch pizza. The oven comes with a half door for high-heat cooking and a full door for cooking over coals.

There is a built-in thermometer on the front of the oven, and it takes approximately 20 minutes to reach high heat with a properly burning fire.

What we like about the Cru Oven Model 32 G2

The dome shape and removable half door create high heat convection

Once you get a fire roaring and push it to the back of the oven cavity, the half door creates a space that is enclosed enough to hold in the heat of the fire while letting in enough oxygen to keep it going.

The exposed lower half of the oven opening offers plenty of room to insert and monitor pizzas, while the convection created inside works its magic.

This heat retention also results in good rebounding when the pizzas are changed out. As long as you’ve done the due diligence to build a fire that adequately heats the cooking surface before pushing it to the back, and you continually feed it to keep it roaring, the oven will recover its heat level very quickly when a new pizza is inserted.

An elongated surface is helpful for large fires and lots of cooking

The deep, rectangular shape of the surface also allows for building a large fire, and it accommodates larger logs.

The elongated surface and wide opening also make it easier to maneuver oddly shaped pies. Pizza dough isn’t always the easiest to work with, so sometimes pies don’t come out looking perfectly round. It took us a little while to get the hang of turning the pies for even cooking, and the generous surface area helps make it easier to maneuver.

You can also use the oven to cook food like steaks and veggies or loaves of bread in a cast-iron skillet.

Set-up is extremely easy

Once we got all the protective film off the stainless steel exterior (more on that later), setting up the oven took almost no time at all. Its simple design is quite powerful once you get a fire burning inside.

The domed top of the Cru 32 is easy to remove from the base, which makes it much easier to clean out the spent ashes or move the unit.

What we don’t like

Necessary accessories don’t come with the oven

You absolutely need a metal pizza peel (maybe two) to maneuver pizzas in and out of the oven, and the Cru 32 doesn’t come with one. It also doesn’t come with the ember rake that smoothly pushes the fire to the back of the oven when it’s time to cook.

Both of these tools are imperative to get started with a pizza oven, so it was lucky that we had similar tools on hand. It’s also helpful to have grill tongs and heat-proof gloves, which you’ll also need to buy separately.

You can purchase a Cru 32 bundle that comes with the peel, two types of pizza slicers, and a slice server, but it’s still missing the ember rake—arguably one of the most necessary accessories for success with this oven.

There’s also an accessories bundle with a metal pizza peel, spinner, brush, pizza slicer, and bench scraper, but you’ll still have to buy the ember rake separately.

The protective film is hard to peel off and leaves some plastic behind

We love the look of the smooth stainless-steel dome on this oven, so we understand the desire to keep it pristine during shipping. But removing the plastic coating during set-up was a challenge.

It took two people almost a half hour to get all of the plastic film off the dome before we could set up the oven. After that, there were still some bits remaining near any welded sections, which created a burnt plastic smell the first time we used the oven.

Should you buy the Cru Oven Model 32 G2?

Yes, if you’re looking for a simple wood-fired pizza oven for regular use

The Cru 32 pizza oven is enjoyable to use and cranks out delicious pies. You can also use it to make full meals in a cast-iron skillet or bake bread. We appreciate the ease of setup and its ability to build a large fire that can reach high temperatures for great pizza-making experiences at home.

While there's always a little bit of a learning curve with outdoor wood-fired pizza ovens, we made delicious pizzas on night one with the Cru, and guests didn't mind the slightly uneven crust. Charring is a desired aspect of wood-fired pizzas, but it takes a little practice to get each pie evenly cooked.

You’ll also need to purchase accessories separately—and they are necessary for success with this oven—but once you’re set up, using the Cru 32 is as easy as building a fire. If you're considering an outdoor pizza oven, the Cru 32 is a solid investment for anyone serious about wood-fired pizza.

If the learning curve for wood-fired cooking is a little daunting, you might want a duel-fuel option like the Solo Stove Pi, our winning outdoor pizza oven.