Is the Mattone Barile oven large enough to roast a turkey?

Is a Mattone Barile large enough to cook a turkey?

I built the grande and it is definitely large enough. Looking at the dimensions, I would say the mattone barile is plenty big enough.

Hi, Dan, and welcome to the BrickWood forums!

Yes, with a couple of qualifications.

The first is that, as designed, either the regular or the large Mattone Barile has plenty of overhead space for a turkey—but, if you close off the front of the oven as many builders will do to extend operating time, you need to design the closure carefully. If you want to be able to slide any large item in or out, you have to keep that purpose in mind. @BrickWood expresses the design in terms of the percentage of the oven mouth that can be closed, not the shape, so that gives you the flexibility to design it for the way you plan to use it.

The second is that you need some kind of accessory to hold the bird, just as you would in a regular kitchen oven. It can be anything from a roasting pan to a Tuscan grill. That’s going to add a little bit of height to your turkey, but I’m pretty sure that would only be a factor if you’ve closed off the front.

Overall, @Dan, there are a number of builders who start their oven builds right around now, with the goal of having everything cured and ready to go for the fourth Thursday in November. If that’s what you have in mind, make sure your materials are lined up and ready to go, because you will want to work straight through due to a couple of required stops in the process.

Let us know what you decide, and glad you’re here!

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