As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve worked with a variety of pizza ovens, both at home and in a professional setting. In this article, I’ll be comparing the Big Horn Pizza Oven and the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven, both of which I’ve used extensively in my kitchen. My comparison focuses on key factors such as quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and a real pizza cooking test to see how long it takes to deliver the perfect Margherita pizza. If you’re curious about my detailed testing process, be sure to check out my separate article.
The Big Horn Pizza Oven is a compact, affordable option designed for home use, perfect for beginners and outdoor cooking enthusiasts.
The Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven, on the other hand, is a premium-grade oven known for its stylish design, high performance, and versatility for professional-grade cooking.
Here, you’ll find an in-depth comparison of the Big Horn and the Alfa Futuro 2, backed by my testing.
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Winner
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Loser
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Our Rating:
4.8
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Our Rating:
4.7
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Cons:
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- Decent stainless steel build with a silicone door seal
- Heats up to around 500-550°F in 15-16 minutes
- Dome shape that promotes airflow
- Lighter and more compact
- Relies solely on wood pellets
- Cleaning requires more effort, especially with removing ash from the wood pellets
- Handcrafted Italian design and stainless steel arch
- Heats up to 1000°F but takes closer to 30 minutes
- Sleek and spacious shape
- Runs on gas by default but includes an optional Hybrid Kit for wood-fired cooking
- Its size makes it more suited for permanent outdoor installations than Portability
- Requires more effort to clean
Disclaimer: This article includes referral links. If you decide to purchase through these links, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps keep my blog alive. You can find the Big Horn Pizza Oven here and the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven here. Thank you for your support!
Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Quality and Materials
| The Big Horn Pizza Oven features durable stainless steel, a silicone door seal, and a cordierite pizza stone. It’s a sturdy, affordable option perfect for home cooks. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven is crafted in Italy with premium stainless steel and a handcrafted arch. Its glass door adds functionality but reflects a much higher price.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Temperature Control
| The Big Horn heats up quickly but needs close monitoring. Using an external thermometer helps maintain consistent temperatures during cooking. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 offers exceptional temperature control, reaching up to 1000°F in 30 minutes. Its design ensures even heat distribution for crispy results.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Shape
| The Big Horn’s round dome shape ensures excellent airflow and heat distribution, delivering evenly cooked pizzas with crispy crusts and melted toppings. |
The Alfa Futuro 2’s clean, simple design combines style with functionality, enhancing heat retention and making it an ideal addition to outdoor cooking setups.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: First-Time Usage Impressions
| The Big Horn is easy to set up and preheat, making it beginner-friendly. Affordable and efficient, it delivers great results without breaking the bank. |
Using the Alfa Futuro 2 for the first time is exciting due to its professional-grade performance. Its spacious interior allows for cooking multiple pizzas simultaneously.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Power Source
| The Big Horn runs on wood pellets, delivering a delightful smoky flavor. It’s also compatible with charcoal and other pellets for added versatility. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 uses a patented flue system with an optional hybrid kit for wood-burning. Its advanced heat circulation ensures perfectly cooked pizzas.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Size
| Compact yet spacious, the Big Horn can fit a 12-inch pizza. It’s portable and ideal for small gatherings or casual outdoor cooking sessions. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 has a roomy 70 x 40 cm cooking area, capable of handling two pizzas or 2kg of bread. Its larger size is better suited for professional or large-scale use.
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Big Horn VS Alfa Futuro 2: Ease of Cleaning
| The Big Horn is easy to clean with removable parts. Regular ash cleaning ensures long-lasting performance, making maintenance simple and manageable. |
Cleaning the Alfa Futuro 2 requires more effort due to its size. However, its simple cleaning process ensures durability with regular maintenance.
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Pizza Cooking Test
The Big Horn Pizza Oven reached its optimal cooking temperature of 500–550°F in just 15–16 minutes, showcasing its efficiency for quick preheating. Once heated, it cooked a Margherita pizza in about 1.5 minutes. The pizza had a delightful smoky flavor imparted by the wood pellets, with a perfectly crispy crust and evenly melted cheese. The toppings retained their freshness, delivering a satisfying balance of textures and flavors that rivaled traditional wood-fired pizzas.
The Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven took slightly longer to preheat, reaching its blazing temperature of 1000°F in about 30 minutes. However, it cooked up to two Margherita pizzas simultaneously in just 90 seconds. The pizzas came out with a perfectly charred crust, bubbling cheese, and a light, airy interior. The even heat distribution created a professional-quality taste and texture, ideal for those seeking authentic Neapolitan-style pizza.
Both ovens performed impressively, but the Big Horn Pizza Oven’s faster preheating time and efficient cooking process make it a more accessible and convenient option for casual home cooks. Meanwhile, the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven excels in delivering professional-grade results, especially for larger-scale cooking needs.
How We Tested
To evaluate the performance of both the Big Horn Pizza Oven and the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven, we conducted side-by-side tests in an outdoor setting. The test focused on preparing Margherita pizzas to assess how quickly each oven preheated, cooked, and delivered results in terms of taste and texture.
Both ovens were preheated to their recommended optimal temperatures. We used an infrared thermometer to monitor the pizza stones and internal oven temperatures, ensuring consistency. For the Big Horn, the target temperature was 500–550°F, while the Alfa Futuro 2 was heated to 1000°F. We measured the time it took for each oven to reach these temperatures under similar weather conditions.
Once preheated, we prepared identical Margherita pizzas using the same ingredients—fresh dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. Each pizza was cooked to completion, with the cooking time recorded for accuracy. During cooking, we rotated the pizzas as needed to ensure even browning and crisping.
Taste and texture were key evaluation points. We assessed the crust’s crispiness, the cheese’s melt, and the balance of flavors. The smoky notes imparted by the wood pellets in the Big Horn and the high heat efficiency of the Alfa Futuro 2 were considered in the overall flavor profile.
Post-cooking, we examined the ease of cleaning each oven, including ash removal and cleaning the cooking surface. This helped us gauge the practicality of maintaining the ovens after repeated use.
By applying the same rigorous testing process to both ovens, we ensured a fair and comprehensive comparison, highlighting the strengths and challenges of each model.
Conclusion
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Winner
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Loser
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Our Rating:
4.8
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Our Rating:
4.7
|
|
Pros:
|
Pros:
|
|
Cons:
|
Cons:
|
- Decent stainless steel build with a silicone door seal
- Heats up to around 500-550°F in 15-16 minutes
- Dome shape that promotes airflow
- Lighter and more compact
- Relies solely on wood pellets
- Cleaning requires more effort, especially with removing ash from the wood pellets
- Handcrafted Italian design and stainless steel arch
- Heats up to 1000°F but takes closer to 30 minutes
- Sleek and spacious shape
- Runs on gas by default but includes an optional Hybrid Kit for wood-fired cooking
- Its size makes it more suited for permanent outdoor installations than Portability
- Requires more effort to clean
Ultimately, the choice between the Big Horn Pizza Oven and the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven comes down to your personal preferences, budget, and cooking needs. Both ovens have their unique strengths and deliver excellent results, so either could be a great addition to your outdoor cooking setup.
If you decide to purchase one, I’d greatly appreciate it if you use my referral links. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support my blog and allows me to continue sharing content like this. You can find the Big Horn Pizza Oven here and the Alfa Futuro 2 Pizza Oven here. Thank you for your support!