Ooni Karu 2 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven (12 in)

The Karu 2 is for people who want a pizza oven because of the fire, not in spite of it. It is a 12-inch, 33.6-pound multi-fuel oven that burns hardwood or lumpwood charcoal as delivered, and takes Ooni's optional gas burner when you want an easy weeknight. On our outdoor pizza oven list it is the pick for wood-fired flavor. TechGearLab gave it a Top Pick award as the best multi-fuel oven in its test and called it the first portable oven its team actually enjoyed firing with wood.

If you want to turn a dial and walk away, choose a gas oven instead.

It makes wood practical. Earlier small wood ovens starved for fuel and lost heat every time you opened them. Ooni says the Karu 2's fuel tray is 45% larger than the previous model's, and TechGearLab found the extra space let it build a fire big enough to reach Neapolitan temperatures. The borosilicate glass door, which Ooni says is treated to reduce soot, holds heat in: TechGearLab closed it between pizzas to let the stone recover, then managed temperature by opening the rear to dump heat or cooking with the door open while the flame rolled across the ceiling.

It gets hot quickly on solid fuel. Tom's Guide brought the stone to 750°F in about 10 to 12 minutes with a full tray of lumpwood charcoal and beech logs. TechGearLab measured an average stone temperature of 825°F and cook times of under two minutes, and found it could push wood temperatures higher than the gas burner on full. Ooni's claim is 850°F in as little as 15 minutes; TechGearLab suggests planning on a 30-minute preheat to get the center of the stone there.

It rewards practice with a real wood-fired pizza. TechGearLab reports that the well-spread wood flame cooked crusts more evenly than gas, and once its testers were past the first burnt pies they regularly produced the leopard-spotted crust typical of Neapolitan pizza. It notes the oven carries a recommendation from the AVPN, the Naples-based association that sets the Neapolitan pizza standard.

Other details help outdoors: a powder-coated body for weather resistance, a built-in thermometer, folding legs, and a five-year warranty when bought directly from Ooni.

The learning curve. TechGearLab's testers warn that controlling a wood fire this hot takes finesse and that you should expect to burn a few crusts. First-time pizza makers in its group needed coaching and two or three tries.

The stone. At 15 mm, the cordierite stone is thinner than the 20 mm stones in the Gozney Arc and Koda 2 Pro. That saves weight, but TechGearLab found stone temperatures fluctuated and said a thicker stone would help control. Because the built-in gauge reads air temperature, an infrared thermometer is close to essential.

Extras. The gas burner is sold separately, and TechGearLab saw it extinguished on low during windy days. Setup takes more assembly than simpler gas ovens, and the chimney has nowhere to go but inside the oven for storage, where it collects soot.

Against the Solo Stove Pi Prime, both are 12-inch ovens, but the Pi Prime is propane only and far more forgiving; TechGearLab recommends it over the Karu 2 for anyone cooking alone who wants consistency without practice. Choose the Karu 2 if flavor and the ritual of the fire matter to you.

Against the Gozney Arc, the Arc imitates a wood oven's rolling flame with gas and makes 14-inch pies with almost no learning curve, but it will never taste of wood smoke and is heavier.

The Ooni Karu 2 is the portable oven that makes wood firing worth the effort, with the option of gas when you are short on time. Buy it if you enjoy tending a fire and want authentic Neapolitan results. Skip it if you want predictable pizza from the first night.